2021 Games for Change Virtual Festival

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many children have had limited real-world access to playtime with other kids. Online games like Minecraft have filled the gap as digital communal playground spaces. Here kids are continuing their social development and establishing their early identities as gamers and peers, learning to navigate online norms and cultures. Parents are finding the balance between supporting autonomy and providing adult guidance. In the first part of this session, game designer Sabrina Culyba will share clips and stories from a year of Minecraft with her 7 year old daughter and her friends (ages 9 and 10), with commentary from both kids and parents about their gaming life on a Minecraft server. The presentation will be followed by a live panel with the families, moderated by Katie Salen Tekinbaş, discussing what it means to raise good gamers in 2021.