Greg Lastowka (Rutgers School of Law - Camden) has posted Minecraft as Web 2.0: Amateur Creativity & Digital Games on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
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This chapter considers how the digital game Minecraft has both enabled and benefited from various Web 2.0 practices. I begin with an explanation of the concept of Web 2.0 and then consider how that concept applies to the space of digital games. I then look at Minecraft specifically. As I explain, Minecraft’s surprise success as an “indie” game is largely attributable to the ways in which it draws upon amateur creativity. I conclude the chapter by suggesting that more games like Minecraft may be socially desirable, but noting that current intellectual property laws discourage the creation of these sorts of games.