Since Minecraft was created by Markus “Notch” Person in 2009, players have found all kinds of ways to play the game. Whether it’s expressing their creativity or battling vicious monsters, the billion dollar sandbox has infinite possibilities for those who put in the time. Students at Atherton are no strangers to creativity and self expression, and one student in particular has formed a special connection with others through the game.

Ethan Holtsclaw (12) is the president/sultan of The Crafters Club, which he described as “a loose organization of people who are very passionate about Minecraft and connection.”

“The group centers around crafting sessions and activities relating to Minecraft and its values,” said Holtsclaw.

The club meets virtually on Tuesday’s in a massive digital world. Every member of the club even has their own in-game house.

“It has developed over the course of time with incredible infrastructure…we’ve absolutely gone to town on this world,” said Holtsclaw. “We’re industrializing at a very rapid rate. We have railroad systems. We have international finance and trade.”

The digital world that the club meets in was created by Holtsclaw during last year’s winter break. After he and his friends spent time in the world over the holiday, Holtsclaw decided to continue to develop it.

“I ended up spending a crazy amount of time after finals and a little bit before finals, building up this Minecraft world, and every time that I have some time, I’d chip away at it,” said Holtsclaw. “And then earlier this year, after everyone came back, Minecraft was actually taken away from the school Chromebook, which was a real tragedy, because it meant that all that work was stripped away from me.”

In response, Holtsclaw emailed former JCPS superintendent Marty Polio.

“I woke up one day and there was an error screen that said ‘hey, your free trial has elapsed for Minecraft education. Contact your district.’ So I contacted the district,” said Holtsclaw. “I said that I was a representative of the super crafters club of Atherton High School and from there it was history because I never got a response for that or repercussions so I assumed that it was perfectly fine.”

Since then The Crafters Club has continued to grow. Many Atherton students are a part of the Minecraft world, including Claire Carrico (12) who’s the Vizier and Callie Thornton (12) who’s the sheriff.

“I think the super crafters club embodies the best of the Atherton spirit—-we are innovative and industrious,” said Carrico. “Every time I play I utilize all the skills I’ve learned at Atherton in order to optimize my experience.”

“It’s a group effort…we sort of have like a little kingdom going on,” said Holtsclaw.

The club has around 20 members, but this doesn’t include the “associates,” which are people who may visit the server but aren’t fully integrated into its society.

“We have associates all over the world,” said Holtsclaw. “Associates are people that consult us on Minecraft and other Minecraft related pursuits. Maybe they’ll occasionally get to come on the server, but they’re not fully integrated into the server. We have a sister chapter in France, sister chapter in Uzbekistan, and sister chapter in China.”

Even though the club meets online, teacher William Tucker serves as faculty advisor and spiritual vessel.

“You know the ark of the covenant? That’s kind of what he would do. That’s why we don’t let him be present at meetings anymore because like the first panel…uh they’re not really working with us anymore,” Holtsclaw said.

Holtsclaw encourages any Atherton student to reach out to a Crafters Club member if they’re interested in becoming a part of the world.

“The club is very welcoming to participants and always loves to see an unfamiliar house built in a residential zone for one new neighbor,” Holtsclaw said.