Minecraft as a site of memory and collaborative learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The emergence of cyberspace has reshaped how societies remember, as networked environments redefine space, participation and social interaction. Personal memory becomes more public and collaborative in networked environments, as memory processes shift from predominantly two-dimensional media such as photographs, drawings and texts to more immersive three-dimensional spatial environments in cyberspace. As the world undergoes rapid technological change, it also points to the need to rethink methods of education. Exploring the intersection between virtual space, creativity and memory, this research examines how a group of university students responded to the loss of their physical campus during COVID-19 by recreating their school in Minecraft. Through the Minecraft School project, this paper demonstrates how digital environments can function as sites of collective memory and foster innovative thinking through four modes of learning: game as memory palace, game as dream, game as interaction and game as remediation.