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I really like the idea of "voluntary surrender" here, and I think it applies well to Minecraft. Minecraft can be work, even painstaking, meticulous work, but it is worth considering why it grabs such a hold on people even when from an outside perspective it seems tedious, boring or repetitive. The key I think is that minecraft at its best is work - and work is important I think some sort of need for human beings - but crucially it is work with meaning, with purpose. Simone Weil the 20th century philosopher and religious writer wrote that "work is the useful effort" which I think is a helpful distinction. Work without meaning or purpose, when not considered as useful in some way, perhaps shouldn't even be seen as work, but something less and worse.

So I think maybe minecraft can help us think through these issues relating to work and the dignity and usefulness of work, and the importance of meaningful work. Personally and practically I think this means a lot more jobs in education, as I think jobs such as teaching are intrinsically meaningful if they are oriented towards building relationships.

Thanks Alice for being such an innovative teacher with minecraft and for this post, it leaves me with a lot to think about!