59 How a Minecraft Server for Autistic Kids Became the Best Place on the Internet

Stuart Duncan is the dad of an autistic son, and he's also autistic himself. So when he learned that autistic Minecraft players were being bullied on popular servers, he set out to create a safe and inclusive virtual space for the autism community. The moment he announced it, parents lined up in droves, hoping their kids could join.Today, the server has 15,000 members, and Stuart has quit his job as a software developer to manage, moderate, and customize the server for kids (and their families) who communicate and play their own way.Stuart joins us to discuss the origins of Autcraft, why he still relies on the Java Edition of Minecraft to serve his community, and the power of safe, custom virtual worlds for neurodiverse players.If you're as moved as we are by Stuart's story, you can support Autcraft on Patreon to keep "The Best Place on the Internet" going for years to come: https://www.patreon.com/autcrafthttps://www.autcraft.com/Stuart's playing: Left 4 Dead 2Colette's playing: More Ghostwire: TokyoMatt's playing: Space HavenEmail us with what you're playing and we'll read it on the show! [email protected] our Discord community: https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJFollow and subscribe to Colette:https://twitter.com/colettebennetthttps://www.twitch.tv/hellococobeeFollow and subscribe to Matt:https://twitter.com/Matt_Silverman/https://www.youtube.com/c/freedadvideosOur theme music is by Azure Flux: https://azureflux.bandcamp.com/Our logo is illustrated by @JustCallMeKatarina: https://www.instagram.com/justcallmekatarina/ Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColetteAndMattEmail us with what you're playing and we'll read it on the show! [email protected] Follow and subscribe to Colette:https://bsky.app/profile/itscocobee.bsky.socialhttps://www.twitch.tv/hellococobeeFollow and subscribe to Matt:https://bsky.app/profile/mattsilverman.bsky.socialhttps://www.patreon.com/influencepodhttps://www.youtube.com/c/freedadvideosOur theme music is by Azure Flux: https://azureflux.bandcamp.com/Our logo is illustrated by @JustCallMeKatarina: https://www.instagram.com/justcallmekatarina/