On this episode, I talk with Clive Thompson, author of “The Minecraft Generation,” which appeared in the New York Times Magazine. It explores the phenomenon of the third-best-­selling video game in history — a game that has more than 100 million registered players. Thompson looks at the cultural, intellectual, and psychological meaning of Minecraft’s popularity. He and I talk about how he approached the task of understanding and explaining the massive impact of this game on millions of children.

Clive Thompson is a longtime contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired. He is also the author of Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better.