‘Colonial’ Minecraft Video Receives Backlash
Roxanna Brealey, Editor-in-Chief, BA History and Politics
A video posted to the official @soasuni Instagram and TikTok on the 11th of November has gained some online traction in recent weeks. The university produced the video as part of a wider video series called ‘SOAS Explains’, by which SOAS professors review elements of pop culture through an academic perspective.
In this short 90-second video, Dr Marie Rodet, a lecturer in African history, began the video with the question, ‘Is Minecraft a harmless kids' game, or is it quietly re-enacting a colonial fantasy?’ Throughout the video, aspects of the game were brought into question as Rodet claimed that it did not ‘encourage players to exist in harmony with the land and its people.’ Problematising the game for its ability to allow players to mimic colonial realities.
The video received a predominantly negative response from both SOAS students and members of the public, with many comments being deleted by the administrators of the social media accounts.
Negative comments in response to the video included: ‘holy woke’, ‘I understand why people criticise Universities now’ and ‘Be better SOAS, this is such a reach, what a joke.’
One user pointedly commented under the video, asking the question ‘What about the colonial reality of suspending students being pro-Palestine?’ in response to Haya Adam’s expulsion in August, of which many allege was due to her activism rather than violating the university’s Code of Conduct.
There were some more supportive comments available online as well, claiming that there was some truth to the video.
The Spirit had the opportunity to interview Dr Marie Rodet to get a better understanding of her rationale that could perhaps not be portrayed in a 90-second video clip.
Dr Marie Rodet admitted that she had never played Minecraft before, but was familiar with the gameplay due to watching her children play it daily.
Her main concern was that Minecraft did not discourage or prevent you from carrying out actions that reflected colonial realities, such as harming villagers and plundering the land of its natural resources. She was concerned that the ‘passive consumption’ of a game, of which there are endless opportunities to commit violence, could potentially lead to negative societal effects.
She was very clear in stating that ‘I’m not saying it will turn everyone into colonialists, but it doesn’t help to make the younger generation conscious that things can be changed.’ This was in reference to the ‘capitalist drive to dominate’ that Minecraft supposedly encourages.
However, Rodet was very keen to emphasise that the game could be used for good.
Additionally, further criticism has arisen because parts of the video's explanation contain factual inaccuracies.
Rodet claimed that the game does not encourage living in harmony with nature and the villagers, but multiple incentives within the game prove otherwise. This includes: gaining XP (experience points) from trading with villagers, and if you cure a zombie villager, it reduces the trading prices permanently. Additionally, Mojang has installed new modifications to the game to discourage players from harming wildlife. Killing polar bears, turtles, and armadillos reap no benefits for the players.
