How A Minecraft World Has Built A Safe Online Playground For Autistic Kids

They could be demonstrating the type of structured, filtered environment where more socialization will occur as online worlds collide.

I was able to learn more from members of the Autcraft community through my research. I found they use a combination of modifying the software of Minecraft itself (called "modding") and social structure or rules.

Autcraft uses Minecraft to do four key things for autistic children: it gives them structure, creates a safe social space, lets them filter their experience in various ways, and helps them unleash their imaginations.

A structured playground

The Minecraft game world is structured to begin with, as the game contains boundaries and rules that players must follow. Autcraft uses additional software plug-ins to make it easier for younger players.

For example, players can mark their own plots so that they and certain friends are the only ones who have the right to build there. This keeps other players from changing their houses and other creations without permission.

Autcraft's social structure is in addition to the "physical" structure. This takes the form of rules that all community members must follow, as well as norms around friendliness and helpfulness. These norms can be found in tools like community chests that allow players to leave items they no longer use for others.

Autcraft uses the game world of Minecraft as a safe social space. After school, children often play with their friends in Minecraft. Often, these friends are only available through the game and not the real world. Hanging out in Minecraft looks like hanging out in the playground. Some children are building, others are playing hide and seek, while others are just hanging out and texting.

Filtered interactions

Minecraft, as a game, filters and simplifies things in ways that can be helpful for autistic players. Characters are fairly crude representations of people. They don't have facial expressions and little body language. Everything is communicated through character movements (such as jumping around or giving away items) or via text.

Although text chat can be overwhelming for researchers like me, it's still a filter of human interaction that makes socializing less stressful for autistic youth.

Autism sufferers may need to adjust their sensory intake to accommodate their needs. Volume and brightness can easily be adjusted in Minecraft, and players also vary their sensory intake by moving their characters around. For example, I saw one player bury their character underground to make their screen go dark for a small visual sensory break.

Autcraft has also created virtual sensory rooms which offer a range of sensory inputs.

Just as important for many players is unleashing their imaginations.

Autcraft had buildings that looked like giant pink ponies and statues of people as large as buildings. There was also Doctor Who'sTARDIS. news for dummies Sometimes, community members worked in isolation, but sometimes they would work together to form teams to accomplish building goals.

I interviewed autistic youth who would take on leadership positions to lead their friends to finish large castles and create whole villages together. This is a huge deal for children who have trouble communicating, making friends, learning in a classroom environment, and communicating.

What is the future?

Minecraft is much like a playground in the physical world. This allows for deeper engagement and deeper learning for the player.

This is especially true for the autistic youth of Autcraft, who use the accessible interface of Minecraft to help support their social play-without some of the barriers that can make offline play difficult for them.

Filtered ways of interacting and socializing will become more common as virtual and physical spaces merge. We can expect the already fragile distinction between "virtual life" and "real life" to be further blurred. Autcraft worlds will simply become part of everyday life. Explore further

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