Take This, Seattle, WA, USA.
Game to Grow, Seattle, Washington, 98125, USA.
F1000Res. 2023 Nov 20;12:216. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.129090.2. eCollection 2023.
Therapeutically applied Minecraft groups are an intervention designed to support social engagement, confidence, and competence in youth. The flexible interaction format and use of a popular digital game support the fit of this intervention for use with neurodivergent youth. Minecraft is leveraged to support opportunities to build authentic relationships and social confidence in an engaging, low-stakes environment with peers. The group format allows for real-world social practice with peers, while the game environment can support motivation to interact with others, and provides multiple modes for such interaction (i.e., chat, building/movement with the avatar).
This article outlines the theoretical foundations of therapeutically applied Minecraft groups as well as practical considerations for implementation. The method outlined includes the justification for this method, process of creating support groups, check-in and check-out processes, and in-game activity examples for different situations.
Use cases are included to illustrate how the methods have been used in the past to support social growth with neurodivergent youth. Use cases include examples of different Minecraft servers, such as the habitat, and identifying stresses of social growth such as school anxiety and how the use of therapeutically applied Minecraft helped.
Therapeutically applied Minecraft groups can provide opportunities for peer connection and social practice in a facilitated environment. Though the use of Minecraft and other games to support learning and social connection is prevalent in the media, the academic research in this area is sparse. This article provides an example of Minecraft in use in a therapeutic context and calls for more formal research in this area of therapeutically applied games.
治疗性应用《Minecraft》（我的世界）小组是一种干预措施，旨在支持青少年的社交参与、信心和能力。灵活的互动形式和流行数字游戏的使用支持了这种干预措施适用于神经多样性青年。《Minecraft》被用来支持在一个有趣、低风险的环境中与同龄人建立真实关系和社交信心的机会。小组形式允许同龄人进行现实世界的社交实践，而游戏环境可以支持与他人互动的动机，并提供多种互动模式（即聊天、使用化身进行构建/移动）。
本文概述了治疗性应用《Minecraft》小组的理论基础以及实施的实际考虑。所概述的方法包括这种方法的合理性、支持小组的创建过程、签到和签出过程，以及不同情况下游戏内活动的例子。
案例研究包括了过去如何使用这些方法来支持神经多样性青年的社交成长的例子。案例研究包括了不同的《Minecraft》服务器（如栖息地）的例子，并确定了社交成长的压力点，如学校焦虑，以及治疗性应用《Minecraft》如何帮助缓解这些压力。
治疗性应用《Minecraft》小组可以在一个促进环境中提供同伴联系和社交实践的机会。尽管在媒体上普遍使用《Minecraft》和其他游戏来支持学习和社交联系，但该领域的学术研究却很少。本文提供了一个在治疗背景下使用《Minecraft》的例子，并呼吁在治疗性应用游戏这一领域进行更多的正式研究。
