Building Inclusive Minecraft Communities
Suggestions for Supporting Disabled Players
By Kate Ringland & Matthew Harrison
Over the last few years we have often been asked how server administrators can ensure that Minecraft is an inclusive space for gamers with disabilities and neurological differences. In this blog we will share our insights gained through our research of inclusive Minecraft servers. This is a collation of experiences from a number of research projects. This includes work within the Autcraft community, which is dedicated specifically for autistic players and their families. You might be just considering setting up a server or you may already have a flourishing community. Some of these are observations of the researchers, while others are suggestions from disabled and neurodivergent players.
Agency allows players to opt in to play
Minecraft as a platform offers a lot of different ways to interact and play. For example, one player might want to build large structures, another might want to just dig holes, and yet another might just want to hang out and chat with friends. All of these varied activities and forms of play can happen simultaneously within a single Minecraft world. Players can decide on play or shift according to their current whims or what else is happening in the world.
Others within the Minecraft play space also offer different options for players. For example, a group of children may collectively decide to play a role playing game or build a castle (or both). These choices are not only supported by the game, but also by the other people within the community. Administrators, moderators, and other community helpers can also play a role in offering and helping players choose play activities. In Kate’s research on the Autcraft, she saw parents actively inviting players to come play games like hide and seek, but ultimately leaving the decision about whether to join in or not to the players themselves. The plethora of choices when it comes to play help empower individual players.
Suggestions for supporting agency in play:
- Minecraft can be structurally built to create choices for the players. Communities can offer a number of different play options and games within Minecraft to give players the benefit of playing how and when they want.
- Community helpers are there to offer choices to players. If a player seems uncertain of what to do, community helpers can describe the various options (such as, “Do you want to play hide and seek today? Or would you like to go build a castle?”).
Democratically deciding the community values and expected through co-design
A key part to developing an online community is deciding on the values and expected behaviors that should inform the way players interact with each other. Values and expected behaviors are beyond the mechanical rules of the game, as they are the social constructs that dictate the social etiquette players should observe when interacting within the mechanical rules of the game. As Minecraft is largely played collaboratively, these values and expected behaviors on Minecraft servers largely focus on how players should make decisions and interact with the creations of others. This brings to mind the adage that just because a player can do something within the game, it doesn’t mean that they should. All gaming communities have socially constructed boundaries that sit outside of the mechanical rules of the game. There are a number of different approaches to how these ‘norms’ of interaction within the game can be established. A common case is the incidental development of norms by the early adopters of a game, where players begin to explore and collectively generate knowledge of what is possible within a game. As this occurs, relationships between the players form which in turn lead to common understandings of how players should interact with each other both directly through interactions with each other’s avatars, and indirectly through their interactions with the game world. For example, on most Minecraft servers community norms have been developed around building too closely to someone else’s creation without consent. As new players join the game, established players pass on these values and expected behaviors through their interactions.
Community values and expectations are often shaped by the formalized rules of the server. While in some cases these organically evolve from the development of cultural norms between players to codified rules of a server, in many cases new servers often attempt to codify a set of community values and expectations from the very outset. As such, the community values and expected behaviors often reflect the views and values of the server creator. It is fairly safe to assume that these norms regularly ignore the cultural differences of minorities, such as differences found in autistic communities. Rather than using an authoritarian approach that can ignore minority voices, we suggest a more democratic process where a system for player-led consultation is central in deciding which values and expected behaviors are important to all players, and which views and values only reflect the cultural assumptions of some players. Through this process, consideration can be given to how all players can feel safe and welcome in this community.
One practical method for democratically developing ‘rules that work for everyone’ is to survey the playing community and then use the responses to co-construct an expected behaviors matrix. This not simply the server administrator asking players for input, but rather a ‘start to finish’ exercise in co-design through which the community feels a sense of ownership over these values and expectations. In deciding on the initial community values and expected behaviors, server administrators should want to avoid preemptively steering community members towards particular responses. Open ended questions framed around the game and harnessing the language of positive outcomes provide one means of doing this. As shown below, players completing this survey are asked to consider “When in the same Minecraft world as other players, what are ‘some things that players should remember to do to make sure everyone is having fun?”
‘Fun’ is a useful term in that it provides an almost universal objective. In most instances, we play games to have fun. Fun is also subjective; what can be considered fun depends on a range of factors including a player’s emotional state, their interests and their sensory needs. To understand what individual players need to have what they constitute fun, it is always best to ask them. While not every player has the requisite skills to complete a written survey, a facilitating peer or adult is often available to transcribe verbal responses. Allowing your survey to accept file uploads as part a ‘long text response’ facilitates the participation of children who communication through
Suggestions for establishing community values and expected behaviors:
- Values and expected behaviors for an inclusive server should be democratically decided by all of the players. Voice really does matter.
- You can provide a range of ways for players to enable their voices to be heard throughout this process. Examples include offering a written survey augmented with visuals, or a video conference community forum to help facilitate what works for your particular community. The goal is for players to be able to share their suggestions using whichever channel of communication they prefer.
- Using open ended questions to ‘step back’ and allow players to draw on their experiences and expertise in playing in online spaces. We want to avoid narrowing the focus of the conversation and to avoid pushing players down a particular path of thought.
Supporting alternative modes of communication (both verbal and non-verbal)
Building from this notion of individual agency is affording players the opportunity to choose how they interact with other players. Understanding the different areas of strength in communication and preferences for alternative modes of communication is key. Matt has worked with students who prefer almost entirely verbal forms of communication, augmented with the occasional non-verbal cue such as pointing in the physical environment or emoting in the virtual space. Matt has also met students who are the complete opposite in their communication preferences. A particularly interesting observation from his own research has been that autistic gamers who prefer non-verbal modes of communication in other contexts, such as Math class, can be much more vocal when playing their favorite games with their peers. There are a number of possible explanations for observed phenomena. Perhaps it is having a pre-established vocabulary and a familiar context in which they can use it. Many of his students regularly watch Twitch streams of high profile gamers playing and discussing the technical elements of Minecraft, and through the lengths of Social Learning Theory this modelling of expression and syntax could contribute to them feeling more comfortable in expressing themselves verbally. In the context of gamer culture, they see verbal communication as a meaningful component of social interaction. Alternatively, it could be that the social environments in which his students are playing Minecraft privilege and often demand verbal communication, particularly public servers culturally dominated by neurotypical players.
Despite anecdotal observations of increased verbal communication, it is still vital to provide options so that all players can communicate using their preferred modes. Most of Matt’s experiences of creating the conditions conducive for a ‘virtual playground’ have involved players sharing a common physical environment. Although this has often been a result of structural boundaries, such as students being in the same class at school and needing to stay in their classroom, this has had some incidental benefits for non-verbal communication. Being able to physically see the other players, move around the classroom and see each other’s screens allows additional ways to share information, ask for help or to provide feedback. Whether it is using a finger to point at something on their screen, to give a thumbs up or to physically move someone else’s mouse to change what their view is within the game, all players benefit from these increased choices of expression. Of course co-located play, or ‘local multiplayer’, is not always a viable option. When playing online with players geographically dispersed Matt’s students have found creative ways to non-verbal communicate. They have transformed the landscape to provide cues to other players, such as creating distinct ‘meeting points’ with large arrows directing players where to go. These are often complemented by the use of in game signs with text sharing information with other players. Text chat is an obvious substitute and low bandwidth alternative for verbal chat through Discord. For students experiencing challenges with accessing written language, the creative use of lighting has been used as inclusive beacons or warnings to other players. In the future, we hope to see mods that allow for the use of a ‘laser pointer’ to be included in the game to allow for the types of non-verbal communication in online gaming that we have observed in collocated sessions of play. A laser pointer could be used as a virtual finger, augmenting or replacing verbal directions such as where to place a block or how to navigate a maze. While a mod is a short-term fix, they also limit who can then join in a game as they are only compatible with the Java version of Minecraft. This matters because the version that is available on the more cost effective video game consoles is the vanilla Bedrock iteration that doesn’t allow modding. A more equitable solution would be to universally design such accessibility features into all versions of Minecraft, removing potential barriers to autistic players or schools who can’t afford a gaming PC.
Suggestions for supporting alternative modes of communication:
- Enable an inclusive communication culture by explicitly listing the multiple ways through which players might choose to engage with each other, and celebrate these differences.
- In many instances, players sharing a common physical space can enable more communication options such as the use of high tech or low tech communication devices, or through gesturing towards items on the screen. Of course this is not always within the control of the server administrator, but it could be a useful suggestion to make to players on the server who are geographically close (and if it is safe to do so).
- If playing remotely, create signs at spawn points providing ideas for the different ways that players might want to communicate with other players. You can also model language here that can be used in the chat. You can ask community members to also share their examples.
- Dedicated ‘Community Helpers’ can be trained to help facilitate different methods of communication, and to initiate conversations with new players to support them in communication with other members of the community.
Supporting a culture that values multiple input options
Beyond providing multiple means of communication and expression, we have found that it is also essential that players are provided with multiple options for controls. Once again, using the Bedrock version of Minecraft allows players to access a server using a wider range of devices providing a diversity of methods of control. For example Nintendo Wii U, a less popular but personal favorite video games console, allows players to use either the Wii U gamepad or the Wii U pro controller. The unique Wii U gamepad resembles a hybrid between an iPad and a traditional dual stick gaming controller, and is often viewed as the evolutionary predecessor to Nintendo’s more successful Switch console. It features a large touch screen, the optional use of a stylus in conjunction alongside dual analogue sticks, face buttons and analogue triggers. On the other hand, the Wii U Pro Controller was clearly influenced by Nintendo’s competitors and presented a much more traditional design with a limited range of input options. Matt’s initial hypothesis was that players would choose the method of input that best suited their functional needs, with players experiencing challenges with fine motor skills wanting to use the touch affords of the Wii U gamepad while more dexterous players would want to use the Wii U pro controller. This proved to be a false assumption as it ignored the influence of gamer culture and social perception. Although the Wii U gamepad allowed for universal access, Matt’s students who identified as gamers used the Wii U Pro controllers regardless of their functional needs. This represented a tension between ease of access and perception from peers, often a result of social conditioning from our broader gaming communities. Even Nintendo themselves perpetuate this distinction between accessibility and being a ‘real gamer’ by their inclusion of the ‘pro’ moniker in their traditional range of controllers. Fortunately other companies have recognized the barriers to play created by ableist controller design, and with Microsoft having recently released a controller designed to meet the needs of people with limited arm movement. As society becomes more inclusive, we hope that gamer culture reflects these shifting attitudes and begins to destigmatize alternative forms of input. Only through such a change in perception will students feel able to truly choose the mode of input that works best for them without the risk of being socially ostracized for such a choice.
Suggestions for supporting the choice of input:
- When considering whether to run a server supporting either the Java edition or a Bedrock edition of Minecraft, consider the available control affordances of each.
- Using Bedrock edition will allow players to join using the iOS (iPad and iPhone) touch screen versions of the apps. Not only will this allow more players to join who don’t have access to a gaming PC, it will allow players who require or prefer touch screen controls to most easily access this input method. This version is also compatible with gaming consoles which offer a wide range of more accessible controllers (although many of these controllers can now be used with a PC running the Java edition of Minecraft).
- Alternatively, the Java Edition of Minecraft runs only on Windows and MacOS personal computers but does allow for more custom modification (mods). Some of these mods can increase the accessibility of Minecraft. For example, there are mods that include artificial intelligence or scripts that can support players with intellectual disabilities that simplify more complex components of the game.
- If you are unsure, we recommend the Bedrock edition to maximize the number of players who can join your server.
Supporting Multiple Player Identities
Along with many of the creative and flexible ways to play in a Minecraft world, the game also supports different ways to explore a player’s identity. Many neurodivergent youth who come to Minecraft servers are not only looking for safe places to play and build, but also to explore who they are and who they might become. In her previous work, Kate had found that autistic youth, for example, use the Minecraft platform to figure out what autism means to them and how they would like to express their autism (See Kate’s research on identity for autistic youth in Minecraft here).
Minecraft supports a couple different ways of expressing identity through its infrastructure: skins and gamertags. First, there are “skins” or avatars. These can be edited using simple image editing software (such as Microsoft’s Paint programming). There are also online repositories for finding new skins. They can also be uploaded to a players account and changed as the player likes. Second, gamertags are the player’s name that appears within the Minecraft world. These can be altered (although not as frequently as the skins).
Within the Autcraft community, Kate has seen ways in which players have explored what it means to be autistic. Adopting “autism” and various forms of the word — as seen in the name of the community “Autcraft” — lends to a sense of identity with others who are also neurodivergent. Aside from using “aut” or “autistic” in their gamertags, the Autcraft community displays this acceptance through the creation of autism-centric words, such as “autsome.” According to a community post, “autsome” means, “Having autism and being extremely impressive or daunting” and “extremely good; excellent.” Researchers have described how those with disability are often held to a higher standard and those who are “extreme” tend to be held up as inspirational. This type of “inspiration” frames disability as something to be overcome, while achieving difficult objectives. However, we argue that having language such as “autsome” is meant to be inspirational not for others looking into the Autcraft community, but for the autistic children who are otherwise dealing with a barrage of negative language about autism. This reframes autism as an identity that is worth embracing, rather than overcoming.
Of course, being neurodivergent is not the only identity that players might explore. If given a safe space, players can explore issues of race, gender, potential future career and education paths, and understanding what it means to be a gamer (as described above).
Suggestions for supporting exploration of identity:
- Help players find “skins”, which are the avatars or the players’ appearance within the game world. Communities can help support players with this by creating a repository of possible skin choices, editing each other’s skins, and supporting uploading and changing skins as requested.
- Support exploration of identity within the community by encouraging roleplaying and conversations about topics related to identity. Players can build and use spaces to educate one another and become more informed about relevant social issues.
- Community values and accepted behaviors (as from above) create the feeling of safety and security that players need for identity exploration.
These suggestions are just a starting point for considering how you can make your Minecraft server a more inclusive space. The most important thing that we have learnt along the way is to listen to all of your community. Sometimes you will need to be proactive and ask your players for suggestions as to how your server can better support them and meet their needs. We know from our first hand experiences that creating inclusive servers can take a little more thought and time to get right, but we have also seen the incredible communities that have built up around these servers. We would love to hear your inclusive server success stories, and to learn from your experiences of creating gaming spaces that allow everyone to play and feel like they belong.
Dr. Matthew Harrison is an experienced educator, researcher and digital creator with a keen passion for utilizing technology to enhance children’s social learning and inclusion. He is currently coordinating the Autism Intervention at the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education. His research primarily focuses on inclusive education and the effective use of digital technologies as teaching and learning tools. As a gamer, he has a particular interest in digital games-based learning and intervention. Twitter: @hattdesigns & on the web.
Dr. Kate Ringland is an avid gamer and disability advocate. Having earned her PhD in Informatics from the University of California, Irvine, her research lies at the intersection of disability, games, and technology. She completed an NIH postdoctoral research position at Northwestern University designing technology to support individuals with depression and anxiety. She is now a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Santa Cruz studying online games for marginalized communities. You can find more about her at her website: https://kateringland.com or follow her on twitter @liltove.
