University students to study Minecraft in new lab

A university said it was the first in the world to open a "Minecraft psychology lab".

Minecraft is a popular computer game first launched in 2011 that allows players to make up their own rules.

Lecturer Dr Wijnand van Tilburg at the University of Essex said the lab would allow students to learn, research and build experiments within the game.

"It offers a uniquely malleable environment to study and learn about the psychology behind social behaviour, problem solving, and creativity," he said.

"Minecraft also allows us to work with neurodivergent students and support them online as it is an environment that many prefer," Dr van Tilburg said.

The lab is based in the Department of Psychology on the university's Colchester campus, where six booths have been set up for students to use Minecraft as part of the course.

"Hundreds of millions of people around the world live, laugh, and learn through gaming - and how we interact online is an increasingly major area to research," said Dr van Tilburg.

"What attracts players to Minecraft also interests me as a researcher."

The university hopes its use of Minecraft will allow new research by post-graduate students, offering the possibility to study aggression and violence safely, which might not be possible offline.

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