CivLabs Research CommunityOngoing · civlabs.org

RESEARCH DIVISION

A live experiment on
how civilizations form
under constraint.

CivLabs runs a long-running Minecraft server where hundreds of anonymous players build, fight, and trade under a single intervention: forced specialization.

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E2 T2-T5
Specialization Experiment Interim Report 3
CivLabs’ third specialization experiment tested Joyful’s Theory of Interdependence in Minecraft by dividing players into class roles. Data from 2,600 participants showed that higher specialization reduced mortality, though some worlds showed increased violence linked to healer distribution interdependence.
2025-10-10