My intention with these blog posts is to have a sort of informal record of my time spent in Autcraft. They will be my beginnings, in a way, of creating my overall narrative of my experience. I will be creating much more formal documentation in the form of conference papers and journal articles, but here I want to create a space that is more open to dialogue and discussion. I also want the community to know that I am completely open and willing to share my thoughts and findings as much as I want to hear the thoughts of those in the community. My hope is to be able to tell the story of Autcraft and to be able to, through technology, expand on what it has given the autism community if I can.
My first week in the Autcraft community has been an extremely humbling experience. As I made my first timid steps into the unknown, I was greeted with open arms. A good number of people have given me encouragement, offered to help, welcomed me and offered friendship, and thanked me. I feel like I should be the one thanking every single member of the Autcraft community for allowing me to be among them.
I feel like I have accomplished a lot in the few hours I have played over the last week: I’ve built a modest office, explored many different areas, gone mining, died in lava, played Hide and Seek with other players, marveled at all the amazing things other players have built, played Paint Ball with other players, and died falling from a giant pink pony. All and all, a very busy, but successful week.
Fell off from the top of a giant pink pony and died. Admittedly a first for me.
I have been struck by the many different ways in which players communicate in Autcraft. There is text chat, but there is so much more. Players also communicate via their characters (how they look and through their movements), via their constructions, via signs littered throughout the world, and more. I am sure those that have a limited understanding of autism would be very surprised to hear that these players are communicating at all. And while I am still in the very early stages of my research, I can assure anyone reading this that these players are communicating- in a varied and rich format.
I will close with that for this week. Please stay tuned and feel free to email me at kringlan [at] uci [dot] edu with any questions about my work. Thanks and keep on building!
We are so happy to have you as part of our Autcraft Community. We are all truly a family and we are thrilled that you are finding it a warm and welcoming clan. You are right, the communication is varied and amazing…wait til you get to know them better, they will astound you. The stories you will hear and the things you will see and read about the achievements these kiddos have made are remarkable. Once again, thank you for your interest in Autcraft, and the very special kids we are blessed to play and work with each day. I look forward to working and playing with you as well. ~ IrishTechGirl (Autcraft Admin)
I sm glad you are having the opportunity to really see and experience what AutCraft really means to this autistic community of kids and adults.
My 11 year old son has Aspergers, loves Minecraft and has been a part of Autcraft since January. As a parent, i am relieved that this community gives me the piece of mind of being in a safer atmosphere that is closely monitored to make sure that these kids have a safe online environment. He had learned so much in all realms and aspects of the game but is clearly a wonderful learning environment in so many ways. He had learned to seek out elements to construct things more than just buildings such ad fireworks and then he would teach others how to do it to. Just this last week he told me that he has collected many of the “wealthiest” elements like diamonds and emeralds and was sharing some of them to others on AutCraft who needed them and helped others who didnt have the right pick axe to collect certain elements that they had found!
Yes, AutCraft is so much more than just a game and i applaud Stuart Duncan and all he has done to make this server a success!
I am so glad you are enjoying your time on Autcraft. We must be on different schedules I think I saw you log out one night as I logged in 🙂 . One of these days I will catch you, Sarah.