Soapbox Parallel Play is the new Couch CoOp and Minecraft is Perfect for It

I don't know if I would consider PvE a form of parallel play. If we follow the traditional definition of "parallel play," I wouldn't even consider Minecraft as a variant of it, unless you're never interacting with anyone. When you interact with someone, your play becomes group/cooperative. Building off of the ideas Kate Gray mentioned, parallel play is often seen as a stepping stone to later games of cooperation because children are still growing beyond their self-centered nature. nbjyxspa

I'm splitting hairs at this point, but I think we can consider "playing in parallel" and "parallel playing" as two separate concepts. The first is any type of activity that you and your friends have set rules or objectives (i.e. Minecraft) and may interact when your actions are in line with one another's. The other, on the other hand, is performing the same task however, they are distinct from one another with little to no interaction.

In essence, parallel play in video games could be two people playing Minecraft on the same server, but not interfacing with each other (but still sharing each other's creations). It could be you and a friend playing different video games in the same space.