Writing as a Minecrafter: Exploring how Children Blur Worlds of Play in the Elementary English Language Arts Classroom

Abstract

Background/Context Educators have considered how Minecraft supports language and literacy practices in the game and in the spaces and circumstances immediately surrounding gameplay. However, it is still necessary to develop additional conceptualizations of how children and youth's online and offline worlds and experiences are blurred by and through the games. In this study, I take up this call and examine how the boundaries of the digital were blurred by one child as he wrote in response to a standardized writing prompt within his urban fourth-grade classroom. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Through snapshots of Jairo's writing, I illuminate how he muddled the lines between his physical play experiences and those he had in the virtual world of Minecraft. In doing so, I argue that he carried over his personal interest as a fan of Minecraft into the writing curriculum through creative language play. As Jairo “borrowed” his physical play experiences in the virtual world of Minecraft to complete an assigned writing task, he exemplified how children blur playworlds of physical and digital play in the elementary ELA classroom. Research Design Drawing on data generated in an 18-week case study, I examine how one child, Jairo, playfully incorporated his lived experiences in the virtual world of Minecraft into mandated writing tasks. Conclusions/Recommendations My examination of his writing is meant to challenge writing scholars, scholars of play, and those engaged in rethinking media's relation to literacy. I encourage a rethinking of what it means for adults to maintain clear lines of what is digital play and what is not. I suggest adults might have too heavy a hand in bringing play into classrooms. Children already have experiences with play—both physical and digital. We must cultivate a space for children to build on what was previously familiar to them by offering scaffolds to bridge these experiences between what we, as adults, understand as binaries. Children do not necessarily see distinctions between “reality” and play worlds, or between digital and physical play. For children, play worlds and digital worlds are perhaps simply worlds; it is we as adults who harbor a desire for clear boundaries.

Children’s experiences of play in digital spaces: A scoping review

“…Five articles explored children’s experiences of the use of video games as a means to enhance children’s learning and literacy [ 29 , 31 , 37 , 40 , 47 ]. The video games used; Minecraft, Club Penguin, and Quest Atlantis all have general relevance to children’s daily life.…”

“…The video games used; Minecraft, Club Penguin, and Quest Atlantis all have general relevance to children’s daily life. Two articles demonstrated personal relevance with participants recruited as they were regular players of the game [ 31 , 40 ]. The further three articles did not clearly state whether the participants were regular players of the game [ 29 , 37 , 47 ].…”

“…The further three articles did not clearly state whether the participants were regular players of the game [ 29 , 37 , 47 ]. Ecological relevance was established for three articles as children engaged in or discussed their typical play experiences [ 29 , 37 , 40 ], however, the remaining two articles were conducted in simulated contexts lacking ecological relevance [ 31 , 47 ]. Despite the participants in Maine’s [ 47 ] study being able to choose who they played with, this involved playing a single-player game on a single device in pairs indicating a simulated context for the purpose of the research.…”

“…Despite the participants in Maine’s [ 47 ] study being able to choose who they played with, this involved playing a single-player game on a single device in pairs indicating a simulated context for the purpose of the research. Brownell [ 31 ] examined the participants’ writing about experiences of video game play opposed to the playing. Observation and interviews were used in all studies [ 29 , 37 , 40 , 47 ], with the additional of written text in Brownell, [ 31 ] and drawings in Hannaford [ 40 ] study.…”

“…Brownell [ 31 ] examined the participants’ writing about experiences of video game play opposed to the playing. Observation and interviews were used in all studies [ 29 , 37 , 40 , 47 ], with the additional of written text in Brownell, [ 31 ] and drawings in Hannaford [ 40 ] study. The child’s perspective and voice was clear throughout the results in four articles [ 39 , 44 , 56 , 57 ].…”