The current trend in gaming seems to be the use of MUVEs - or multi-user virtual environments. One of these games that has remained popular across a wide range of age groups over the past few years is Minecraft. While my personal experience with Minecraft is quite limited, I am fortunate enough to work in a library which provides Minecraft-centered programming, and have learned a great deal about the many benefits of this and similar MUVEs.
One of the reasons Minecraft is so popular among users from elementary school age to middle-age is its ease of use. The premise is quite simple: the user travels around a virtual environment collecting resources and building things. The basic tutorial built into the intro of the game shows the user how to perform all of the basic tasks they’ll need to be successful in the game. Minecraft also allows the user to choose between a building mode and a survival mode for play, which allows the user to mine all the resources they need and build all the structures and landscapes they would like without interference from threats to their character’s survival. They can then enter survival mode within the virtual environment they created in builder mode.
A brief interview with the children’s librarian at my public library provided a list of other positive attributes of the game in regards to library programming. The library can set up its own server for players to use during the program. This creates a safer playing environment for minors in the program as only certain computers are allowed access to the server and the server itself is only active during programming times. The children’s librarian says that the Minecrafternoon program is the most consistently popular program the department offers. It turns out the most diverse group, ranging in age and socio economic and social class, and she has witnessed a tremendous amount of collaboration and creativity during the program as participants learn from each other. The librarian herself only made sure to learn the basic tutorial elements to help the participants get started, so she encourages them to ask each other when they have questions regarding how to perform a task in the game that another participant has mastered. “Learning from each other has created a great feeling of respect and patience among peers,” she says. The only difficulty the librarian and/or program participants have experienced is the transition from game controller to laptop controls, but she says once they get past that adjustment, participants are on a roll.
With games like Minecraft increasing not only in popularity, but in recognition from STEM education advocates, it would be near detrimental for libraries not to include them in their programming. Parents rest assured knowing that their child is playing collaboratively over a secure connection only accessed by other program participants, which results in many participants’ first experience in a multi-user environment, and they feel confident that their child is learning valuable skills needed in school as many class curriculums move toward including Minecraft. In this way, librarians can create partnerships with local schools and even homeschool groups by providing this valuable programming.
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