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

They may be demonstrating a structured, filtered environment in which socialization will increase as the online and offline 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 makes the game world a lot easier for younger players by using software plug ins.

For example, players can mark out their own plots of land so that they, and specified friends, are the only ones who can build there. This prevents others from changing their houses or creating other things without permission.

Autcraft also has a social structure on top of its "physical" structure. This includes rules that all members of the community must follow as well as norms regarding friendliness, helpfulness, and cooperation. 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, some are playing games such as hide and seek, and some are just hanging out and talking via text chat.

Filtered interactions

Minecraft, as a game, filters and simplifies things in ways that can be helpful for autistic players. The characters are crude representations of human beings. They have no facial expressions or body language. All communication is done through gestures (e.g. jumping around, giving away items) and text.

Even though the text chat can sometimes be overwhelming, even for a researcher like myself, it's still a simplified version of human interaction which makes socializing less stressful and easier for autistic youth.

Autism sufferers often need to adjust their sensory intake in order to meet their needs. Volume and brightness can easily be adjusted in Minecraft, and players also vary their sensory intake by moving their characters around. I witnessed one player place their character underground, to create a small visual sensory break.

Autcraft has also built virtual sensory rooms that offer a variety of sensory inputs and moods, ranging from a bright multicolored room with spider webs for texture to a serene garden, rooms where the door shuts for darkness, and a cozy library.

Many players find it just as important to let their imaginations run wild.

Autcraft had buildings that looked like giant pink ponies and statues of people as large as buildings. There was also Doctor Who'sTARDIS. Community members could work independently, but also collaborated to create teams to accomplish building objectives.

I interviewed autistic teenagers who would like to lead their friends in building large castles or creating whole villages. This is a big deal for children with difficulty communicating, making friends, or learning in a classroom setting. pyramids

What's the shape of the future?

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

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.

As virtual and physical spaces mix, filters will become a common way for people to socialize and interact. We can expect the already tenuous distinction between "virtual" and "real" life to dissolve further-and worlds like Autcraft will simply be a part of life. Pharaoh's blog Explore further

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