Meet the blockheads: a rare glimpse inside the minecraft's HQ

According to the writer Keith Stuart, why might autistic children such as his son, be attracted to minecraft? 

Minecraft has "blocky landscapes and a soothing piano track that trickles out", Keith talks about how the appearance and idea behind minecraft are what is attractive to autistic children. The fact that it is creatively stimulating and teaches the children new skills that get them excited is the way in which minecraft attracts so many autistic children. It also gives them something to get excited about as  Keith talks about how his son had little vocabulary and rarely spoke, then when he started to play minecraft he began to talk to his parents about what he was doing (all the stuff he'd built on minecraft) and how amazing minecraft was.

Which features are included in the education version of minecraft and how useful do you think they might be as an educational tool?

One feature is that it allows teachers to set up classroom servers where students build scale models of their own towns; learn about geography, agriculture, architecture and physics. This would be beneficial as children are learning in a fun and interesting way that appeals to them (nowadays everyone is all about technology and gaming) and applying minecraft skills and practicality to school curriculum. This makes them far more interested in what they are being taught and allows them to connect more to their learning. Another feature is that it allows students to collaborate with other students on projects. This promotes team work and introduces students to what its like to work as a team and be accountable for each other in the same team.

Why does Bergensten suggest copycat versions of minecraft have been less successful?

He said that copycat versions of minecraft have been less successful than minecraft because the copycats tend to add a lot of visual information to the textures making it more visible and mistakes and bad spots more noticeable. This makes the users more self-conscious about what they make. They also tell you what to build rather than let people decide for themselves. Minecraft is kind of cartoony because of the low resolution and the low fidelity, which means everything look imperfect, the same and mistakes less noticeable.The user therefore feels like whatever they make is absolutely fine and the pressure and self-consciousness goes away. Minecraft also allows users to fill the world up with their own imagination and creativity, rather than telling them what to do. 

What is meant by "modding" community? Why are they so important for minecraft, and for games in general? What is the appeal to the audience?

"Modding" is a slang expression for modify, which means to make partial or minor changes to something. So the "modding" community are people like hobbyists and hackers. The "modding" community is important for minecraft as it spreads the word about the game more. It is beneficial to all types of games. The audience feel a sense of ownership when it comes to games. They feel like the game belongs to them and not the developers. They begin to make up their won rules, their own structures and how they interact with each other. The Mojang team understood that this had happened to their audience. 

How has minecraft extended its brand beyond gaming and into other products and activities? 

One of the main ways is through creating an educational minecraft where children can use minecraft to educate themselves in a fun and creative way.  


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