Autcraft Explained

Type:Minecraft server
Founder:Stuart Duncan
Num Users:17,000 as of December 2023 (unique players)[1]

Autcraft is a Minecraft server dedicated to be a safe haven for children who are neurodivergent or have a diagnosis of autism.[2]

History

Founded in 2013, Autcraft was the first Minecraft server created with neurodiversity in mind. It was founded by Stuart Duncan, a web developer in Timmins, Canada whose son is diagnosed with autism, and is known in-game as AutismFather.[3] [4] Autcraft was created so such children could play their favourite game with others without facing the threat of bullying and discrimination.[5] [6] Autcraft is administrated by adults with and without neurodivergencies as well as their friends or family.[7] [8] As of May 2017, the server has 8,000 unique players.[8]

When asked about the server, Duncan stated, "We just let them know that they're not alone... We're here for each other and will support each other for as long as need be... We all know how terrible it can feel sometimes and none of us want the others to feel that same way."

Autcraft was the subject of a 2015 conference paper by Ringland et al. in which empirical data was gathered from a digital ethnography of the server to explore how parents of autistic children continually create a "safe" virtual world through both implicit and explicit means.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Autcraft now has 17,... - Page 1 • Autcraft .
  2. Web site: Boddy. Zachary. 2020-09-10. Learn about Autcraft, a Minecraft server built for players with autism. 2020-12-19. Windows Central. 2021-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210127060335/https://www.windowscentral.com/learn-about-autcraft-minecraft-server-built-players-autism-meet-minecrafter. live.
  3. News: Winkie. Luke. 2020-03-26. Meet the dad who quit his job to run a Minecraft server for autistic kids. 2020-09-03. PC Gamer. en-US. 2020-09-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20200907015749/https://www.pcgamer.com/meet-the-dad-who-quit-his-job-to-run-a-minecraft-server-for-autistic-kids/. live.
  4. Web site: Rutkin. Aviva. 2016-04-27. How Minecraft is helping children with autism make new friends. live. 2021-12-20. New Scientist. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20160429134826/https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23030713-100-how-is-helping-children-with-autism-make-new-friends/ . 2016-04-29 .
  5. News: Warzel. Charlie. This 'Minecraft' Community Is Saving The Lives Of Children With Autism. 2020-09-02. BuzzFeed News. Tech. en. 2020-08-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200819001548/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/charliewarzel/this-minecraft-community-is-saving-the-lives-of-children-wit. live.
  6. Web site: Beck. Kellen. 'Minecraft' players on the autism spectrum find a safe space on the Autcraft server. 2020-12-19. Mashable. 25 May 2017 . en. 2020-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920021908/https://mashable.com/2017/05/25/minecraft-autcraft-autism-server/. live.
  7. Web site: 2018-03-26. Stuart Duncan's Autcraft: crafting a playspace for children with autism. 2020-12-19. Royal College of Psychiatrists. en. 2021-01-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20210121215023/https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-features/blogs/detail/cultural-blog/2018/03/26/stuart-duncan's-autcraft-crafting-a-playspace-for-children-with-autism. live.
  8. News: Single father creates a safe haven for children with autism to play together online. 2020-09-02. ABC News. en. Thorbeke. Catherine. 2020-09-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200919164440/https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/single-father-creates-safe-haven-children-autism-play/story?id=47470445. live.
  9. Book: Ringland . Kathryn E. . Wolf . Christine T. . Dombrowski . Lynn . Hayes . Gillian R. . Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing . Making "Safe": Community-Centered Practices in a Virtual World Dedicated to Children with Autism . 2015-02-28 . https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2675133.2675216 . en . Vancouver BC Canada . ACM . 1788–1800 . 10.1145/2675133.2675216 . 978-1-4503-2922-4 . 5858849 . 2023-05-27 . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407020755/https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2675133.2675216 . live .

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