Up until recently, researchers have typically used pen-and-paper tests or computer generated questionnaires to assess respondents on certain attributes. New forms of media today offer a wide array of platforms to create innovative ways of gathering data whether it is self-reported or behavioural. I find myself drawn to the idea of immersive virual reality as a way of psychological testing. Specifically, I am interested in the indie sandbox game Minecraft.

Minecraft is a first-person open world game produced by an independent gaming firm known as Mojang. It offers a form of participatory media that essentially converges old forms into a virtual world, blurring the boundaries between real-life and virtual reality. Key to its value as a tool for psychology is the fact that players are able to create worlds with specific contextual characteristics that mimic real-life.

By using building blocks (quite literally), players can generate a virtual reality that operates according to similar day-night cycles and incompasses a similar set of resources (trees, rocks, water, etc.). Further, players are given the freedom to explore their environment and interact with items without being limited to perform certain actions (like traditional games). Psychologically speaking, Minecraft requires players to satisfy certain basic needs such as food and shelter before players can focus on other higher level needs such as belongingness (multi-player interaction) and self-actualization (creation).

Indeed, Minecraft is already beginning to be integrated into the educational system. The immersive nature of the game offers students a sense of authenticity, freedom, and opportunity to collaborate with others without the limit of physical location. The customizability of the game allows it to be applied to any topic (psychology included).

If a psychological test was administered on Minecraft, every interaction between the player and his/her environment can be monitored and used in analysis. It will be set in a controlled environment preprogrammed by researchers. One advantage of this might be that participants completing the test are “immersed” in the same environment, minimizing outside contextual factors. So the next question is whether data collected from within the game can be used to make inferences in real life.

First of all, this could depend on what kind of data we are trying to collect. For example if Minecraft is used to collect behavioural data within the game, such as speed and directional data, then it would rely on how comfortable players are with navigating the game. Inconsistencies between novice and expert players would not provide a reliable basis for inference. However, if the game is set up so that it mirrors a controlled environment where players are required to explore and actively choose items — the decisions they make in this case could provide useful data comparable to real-life motivations. The translation of a pen-and-paper test to Minecraft might additionally allow people to imagine more realistic situations instead of using say vignettes in questionnaires. Moreover, considering the amount of time we spend online in today’s world, collecting data from online or virtual interactions might be just as important (as collecting real-world data) in order to understand ourselves and the brave new world we live in.