Understanding Minecraft: Essays on Play, Community and Possibilities

by Nate Garrelts (editor)

Since its official release in 2011, Minecraft has sold over 48 million copies across all gaming platforms. The premise of Minecraft is simple: destroy, collect, build and interact in a world made entirely of colored cubes. Unlike Lego blocks or other construction toys, Minecraft's digital play space allows for virtually limitless creation without the cost and limitations of physical building materials. Developer Mojang's generous policies toward modification and other uses of their intellectual property also engender enthusiasm and creativity from fans who make music, art and animation inspired by the software. The first essays in this collection cover Minecraft's origins, describing its relationship to other video games and toys and examining the learning models implicit in its design. Later essays describe and theorize the various ways players interact with the software, which simultaneously presents them with structural constraints and limitless possibilities.

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2014

Reviews

[Doc Kinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good example of the academic interest that the game has generated. Not stellar, but not bad. Good reference.