{"id":4120,"date":"2013-09-25T11:00:16","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T15:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=4120"},"modified":"2013-09-25T11:03:43","modified_gmt":"2013-09-25T15:03:43","slug":"stacking-minecraft-up-in-the-history-of-construction-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=4120","title":{"rendered":"Stacking Minecraft Up in the History of Construction Play"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago my colleague Colin Fanning<\/a>\u00a0(who coauthored this post with me) forwarded me a call for papers<\/a> for an edited scholarly volume on Minecraft, the beloved and near-ubiquitous sandbox game by Mojang<\/a>. Initiated by Nate Garrelts<\/a>, Associate Professor of English in the Department of Languages and Literature at Ferris State University<\/a>, the forthcoming book will explore the broader social and cultural impact of the game and its design.<\/p>\n

Since Colin and I both researched and wrote about toys and games while studying at the Bard Graduate Center<\/a>, we\u2019re particularly interested in the cultural history of construction play and how Minecraft fits into and deviates from that longer story. Unless you\u2019ve been digging for diamonds and dodging zombies<\/a> in a darkened cave for the past two years, you\u2019ll know by now that Minecraft has met with massive popularity and critical acclaim, frequently hailed as a groundbreaking new approach to gaming. But we also believe\u2014without wanting to discount Notch\u2019s<\/a> innovative contributions\u2014that Minecraft\u2019s success builds on well-established modes of play, especially those surrounding the long-standing<\/a> genre of educational toys. In the essay that Colin and I are planning to propose, we want to discuss:<\/p>\n