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# Social Gaming: Making Minecraft a game for everyone
- URL: https://www.killscreen.com/social-gaming-making-minecraft-game-everyone/
- Published: 2016-08-04T14:00:20.000Z
- Updated: 2016-08-04T09:04:18.000Z
- Description: This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. Defying the stereotype that paints gaming as an isolating hobby, Minecrafters use the virtual world as a means of connecting with family and friends in real life. Minecraft (2009) has redefined social gaming for nearly a decade, driven mostly
- Author: Kathryn Madden
- Tags: Feature, Intel, IQ, Minecraft, social gaming, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-26 09:39

*This article is part of a collaboration with* [*iQ by Intel*](http://iq.intel.com/?ref=killscreen.com)*.*

Defying the stereotype that paints gaming as an isolating hobby, *Minecraft*ers use the virtual world as a means of connecting with family and friends in real life. *Minecraft* (2009) has redefined social gaming for nearly a decade, driven mostly by prolific [online communities of creative people](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/magazine/the-minecraft-generation.html?ref=killscreen.com). A growing population of *Minecraft*ers is harnessing the power of portable computer technology to interconnect in new ways, bringing their creativity in the digital world into reality.

Aside from a thriving community of modders who build upon each other’s work to achieve [incredible feats](http://westeroscraft.com/?ref=killscreen.com), a huge number of [Let’s Players](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s%5FPlay%5F%28video%5Fgaming%29?ref=killscreen.com) are making *Minecraft* the most popular game-related videos on YouTube. Videos of gameplay modifications and how-to tips inspire others to create and share their own videos. This virtuous cycle has attracted more than four billion views in the month of May alone, more than three times that of the second place contender, *Grand Theft Auto*, according to a [report](https://www.octoly.com/blog/en/blog/2015/06/24/octoly-newzoo-top-20-games-youtube-may-2015/?ref=killscreen.com) by software company Octoly and gaming research firm Newzoo.

Minecraft in the Real World

Typically played individually using personal computers, *Minecraft* is moving into living rooms and social gatherings with the help of laptops and the tiny [Intel Compute Stick](http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html?ref=killscreen.com), a full PC the size of a pack of gum that allows people to play *Minecraft* on any large displays and big TVs with an HDMI port. These portable technologies can turn almost any place into a *Minecraft* social gaming and collaboration zone.

Technology is also allowing *Minecraft*ers to take their play and interaction into real-world places like clubs, public art exhibits, and festivals. At Mojang’s annual [Minecon](https://minecraft.net/en/minecon/?ref=killscreen.com) conference in Southern California, 12,000 *Minecraft*ers come together under one roof to share and create together in person, collaborating on everything from [costumes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-bPRwxJkaQ&ref=killscreen.com) to [live builds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzpUCWfov1M&ref=killscreen.com). Last year, Adam Clarke—a.k.a.[ Wizard Keen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXzo246IQU4&ref=killscreen.com), whose [Papercraft](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yDjMR2vNIg&ref=killscreen.com) video launched him into *Minecraft* YouTube stardom—curated Make It!, a *Minecraft* exhibit that showed how virtual creativity in *Minecraft* influences thinking in the real world. His exhibit celebrated how *Minecraft* can enrich many aspects of people’s lives. “Social gaming is wonderful because it connects people and brings us closer—no matter where in the world we live,” he explained. “This kind of connection can be a positive force for change in a world where we often feel isolated and alone—play and games *do* bring people together.”

![Minecraft_Compute-Stick_Social-share-1-e1466695246458](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/84/2584b75d-4bd6-4cce-8259-f1d1c65abbb5/content/images/previously/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/minecraft_compute-stick_social-share-1-e1466695246458.jpg)

Public Libraries across the country feature programs dedicated to social playing with *Minecraft*. The New York Public Library is the meeting place for a [*Minecraft* Club](http://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2016/06/04/minecraft-club?ref=killscreen.com). [Super League Gaming](https://superleague.com/?ref=killscreen.com) is even digitalizing the classic little league experience for kids, hosting events that allow attendees to play *Minecraft* together on a giant movie theater screen.

By bringing their laptops and connecting to the Super League server in the theater, *Minecraft*ers can simultaneously play in the same physical and virtual space together. As they collaborate on a variety of games and projects through their individual laptops, a bird’s eye view of the server’s world is projected onto the theater’s enormous display screen. Kids get excited about having their creations appear on a huge screen, but they are also intent on watching creations of other players in the audience, according to Brett Morris, president and COO of Super League. “That’s the a-ha moment for them: seeing that *Minecraft* community in real time, in real life.” The success of Super League shows just how radically social *Minecraft* has become, Morris continued. “The stereotype is that gamers are somewhat introverted and would rather just play by themselves—but really it’s the exact opposite.”

*Minecraft* allows players to build off the imagination of the broader community, according to Alex Leavitt PhD, a researcher at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. “There is immense value in social gaming, not only to create new experiences but also for bettering humanity,” Leavitt said. “It will be fascinating to see how games develop in the next five to 10 years and how this affects human behavior.”

![Make-It-exhibit_1_no-credit-e1466695289848](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/84/2584b75d-4bd6-4cce-8259-f1d1c65abbb5/content/images/previously/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/make-it-exhibit_1_no-credit-e1466695289848.jpg)