How a single dad from Timmins, Ont., built an alternate Minecraft server for the autistic community

For over a decade, autistic children who love the video game Minecraft have had a safe version to play, and it's all thanks to a single father from Timmins, Ont.

When Stuart Duncan's autistic son, Cameron, got into the wildly popular game, in which players can create their own worlds and build just about anything, he noticed online interactions weren't always positive.

"Being in the autism community I saw parents reaching out to other parents asking if their kids could play together because, unfortunately, their kids were being bullied on all the public servers they tried to play on and felt like they had nowhere to go," Duncan said.

So in 2013, two years after the game first launched, Duncan created his own Minecraft server called AutCraft.

Players needed approval from moderators, like himself, to join the server in the first place.

"The biggest difference, obviously, is just that we treat the players with respect," he said.

"We talk to them, we try to help them work out issues. They're never punished for things that they do."

When he launched the server Duncan said he expected a dozen kids to join.

"The day I posted on Facebook and opened the doors, I had like 750 people try to join in the first two days," he said.

More than a decade later, he said more than 17,600 people have played Minecraft on the Autcraft server at one point or another.

Building a world

But most important for Duncan, he said it helped him connect with his son.

"I don't know if you've ever heard the expression, it's really big in the autism community, 'Your child is not ignoring you. They're waiting for you to join them in their world,'" he said.

"I could think of no more a literal interpretation than Minecraft. Like you're literally building your own world."

The Autcraft server has now cemented itself in the history and lore of Minecraft. 

A new book called The World of Minecraft, published by the game's development studio Mojang, recounts the game's history and mentions Duncan's Autcraft server.

And a special Time Magazine edition all about Minecraft also referenced the Autcraft server.

Duncan also gave a TED Talk in 2017 about how he uses Minecraft to help kids with autism.

Now he's helping others take on similar projects.

Duncan said he's had recent talks with a father from Ukraine who wants to create a Minecraft server for people from his country who have been displaced because of the war with Russia.

He said he hopes his success with the server shows others that they can do the same thing.