Let's Play Minecraft - A Critical Look at a Monumental Feature of Popular Culture

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As an administrator considering the possibility of sponsoring a Minecraft Club for the elementary students in my school, it is incumbent upon me to become knowledgeable about this particular video game, and about gaming in general, as a potential pedagogical tool for teaching and learning.  More specifically, I need to examine this part of popular culture for the seen and unseen influences it may have on individuals, particularly on young students, before promoting it. 

Being able to share any positive benefits or negative aspects will come from being informed about the literacy practices associated with Minecraft. Understanding more critically the place of Minecraft within our popular culture means examining it through different lenses.

Facts and Figures

Certainly, the popularity of the video game Minecraft has taken many by storm. Since its release seven years ago, Minecraft has been a global sensation, captivating young players and more seasoned gamers. It was developed in 2009 by Swedish programmer and designer, Markus "Notch" Persson, who had set out to create what is known as a 'sandbox' game - one that allows for a free and organic exploration of a virtual world - for his new company, Mojang AB.

The success of this game has been wildly exponential; on August 2, 2016 it had reached 24 million sales for the computer edition alone, becoming the best-selling PC game of all time. Minecraft continued to be developed for various platforms such as PlayStation, Wii, and Xbox 360. In September of 2014, Microsoft bought Mojang, and Minecraft for US $2.5 billion. It then released a version to be run on the universal Windows 10, making access to the game ubiquitous. 

(Minecraft wiki)

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Building the Framework

In order to attempt a fuller comprehension of this gaming activity that is now embedded in our present culture, to "read the popular" as it were,  the approach taken might be one that reflects critically on Minecraft as a text that is constructed, read and reproduced in particular contexts. (Kelly, 2016) This creates myriad questions/issues  for those educators intending to bring them into a school setting. In what sense can games be understood as literacy forms entailing problem-solving with multimodal elements and multiliteracies practices? (Apperley, T. & Beavis, C., 2013; Gee, 2016; Lankshear, C. & Knobel, M., 2007) Do these games have inherent learning value beyond capitalizing on student interest?

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If we consider the examination of Minecraft, or rather the playing of Minecraft, within du Gay's modified framework of Johnson's circuit of culture, then we need to consider how it is produced and consumed, how is represented and what the social identities are of those participating. Additionally what regulates its distribution and use must be considered.

For the purpose I have in mind, I wish, at times, to  narrow the focus of interpretation and apply it generally to elementary age  students who are engaging with Minecraft.  How they make meaning of the game, themselves and their lived experiences demands considering moments within bigger pictures. 

This leads to examining  other aspects of the game, such as the commercial, and thus means engaging students (and/or parents) in discourse that broadens their sense of themselves as consumers. How do they recognize the "relations of power - the issues of control, domination, manipulation, and privilege"  that exist in the gaming world (Kelly, 2012, para. 1)?  As well, this  will also open discussion around gender, misogyny, and racism as students reflect on how they are positioned by the gaming industry, other players and by the game itself.