Tell me about minecraft

[fairfarmhand]

I know nothing.

 

Is it free?

 

Is it a PC thing or an IPad game?

 

My son is 8 and I think he might like it.

 

BTW, we already let him do games. He does talk talk talk about stuff like that but he's pretty good about abiding by parental limits and not being sneaky and stuff.

[AmandaVT]

Such a fun game! DH and I have been known to play after DS goes to bed. We have our own world. :-)

 

We have it for XBox, but it's available for most platforms I think. The tablet would get the pocket edition, which according to my friend's son isn't nearly as good as the full version. The PC version is supposed to be very good. 

 

Not free, but not super expensive. I think it was $20 for Xbox. Much less expensive than DH's normal games. 

[vonfirmath]

I know nothing.

 

Is it free?

 

Is it a PC thing or an IPad game?

 

My son is 8 and I think he might like it.

 

BTW, we already let him do games. He does talk talk talk about stuff like that but he's pretty good about abiding by parental limits and not being sneaky and stuff.

 

We bought a license for minecraft on the computer. We ONLY play singleplayer, not multiplayer -- I am not interested in my son being out on a server. Though I may eventually set up a server in the house so my kids can play together when my daughter is older.

 

There is a PC thing that is one price. You can also buy an app for the ipad (which I ended up getting as well because *I* got interested in it. This is Minecraft PE.  I, too, prefer the PC. Its harder IMO to keep track of where you are on the PE edition. But it is nice to be able to fool around with Minecraft on the ipad when my husband is on the main desktop. And my daughter prefers "playing" on the ipad version (Always on Peaceful or in Creative/always day. She's really young and doesn't quite get it yet)

 

My son (8 almost 9) mostly plays Creative and watches minecraft videos.  But I've really gotten into Survival playing and am trying to interest him in playing "For Real" :)

 

Edited July 18, 2016 by vonfirmath

[BlsdMama]

I know nothing.

 

Is it free?

 

Is it a PC thing or an IPad game?

 

My son is 8 and I think he might like it.

 

BTW, we already let him do games. He does talk talk talk about stuff like that but he's pretty good about abiding by parental limits and not being sneaky and stuff.

 

 

Ask yourself if you want to have a 16yo son who lives to game on the computer and veg out on relationships even if he pulls his weight with chores and technically obeys.

If this will drive you crazy, I BEG you to ban all computer gaming.

 

 

We have from here on out.  One kid too late, btw.  Learned my lesson.  He's a GREAT kid, does everything we ever ask, gets good grades, pushes himself in Mock, in school, sets limits.  But during his downtime?  He's a vegetable. He used to pick up a book in down time.  He used to garden in down time.  He used to chit chat with us. I will never again buy a kid a smartphone nor will I ever (EVER) allow online gaming.  

 

I would beg you not to do it if I thought it would help.

[mamiof5]

Ask yourself if you want to have a 16yo son who lives to game on the computer and veg out on relationships even if he pulls his weight with chores and technically obeys.

If this will drive you crazy, I BEG you to ban all computer gaming.

 

 

We have from here on out. One kid too late, btw. Learned my lesson. He's a GREAT kid, does everything we ever ask, gets good grades, pushes himself in Mock, in school, sets limits. But during his downtime? He's a vegetable. He used to pick up a book in down time. He used to garden in down time. He used to chit chat with us. I will never again buy a kid a smartphone nor will I ever (EVER) allow online gaming.

 

I would beg you not to do it if I thought it would help.

Couldn't agree more with this

[Janeway]

It is free. Don't even get started on it. I feel like there is a conspiracy. It does not matter how long kids play it, they still want more more more more. It is even more to any extreme any other game gets. And they get passionate about it.

 

Just don't.

[Ravin]

The proper version is not free. In some ways it's like legos on the computer screen, at least in creative mode. I haven't actually played, just watched the kids play.

 

I really don't think there is a risk of it being the only thing a kid is interested in any more than any computer game or hobby is. Especially if you help a child moderate screen time. Some kids have more problems with that than others regardless of what games they play.

 

I got my DS a Kindle Fire Kids Edition socked away for Yule; I plan on putting Minecraft on it for him.

[Heatherwith4]

I'm going to ignore some of the other posts on here, since I will likely get myself into trouble otherwise. 😑

 

My kids all play, and I actually play as well. We do both the pc and pocket edition. Both are a lot of fun. You might start with pocket edition, as it's only $6 or so, and you mostly play alone or with others over your wi-fi, so there's less likely to be issues. If you go the pc route, there are some really fun kid/family friendly servers.

 

Signed,

A Minecraft playing mom who still gets off her butt and does all her chores and homeschools the kids, even without anyone telling me.

[Farrar]

Full version is not free and is massively bigger and better than the free tablet or demo versions.

 

To correct some of the above... kids can play multiplayer a couple of ways. One way is through local play, in which case there's no server and kids need to be on the same network or using bluetooth in the same vicinity. My boys and their friends play this way sometimes together. Every kid needs a device to do that. However, there are also servers where people communicate and share - some are educational (there is a Minecraft Homeschool where kids can take classes, for example), some are kid friendly, many are made for just a small group of kids or friends, and many are very not kid friendly.

 

The culture of Minecraft is as popular as the game at this point - there are books and an insane amount of videos. Some kids like watching the videos as much as playing the game itself. They learn new tricks that way. Other kids like making the videos and sharing them.

 

At one point, a lot was being made of how "educational" Minecraft could be. I think that's massively overblown. It's a game with some potential to be used for learning, but mostly it's a game. A creative game, but just a game.

 

I agree with Ravin that it's not inherently more or less addictive than any other game. My boys enjoy it in spurts but they aren't addicted to it at all. It's one of many games they play sometimes.

[TheReader]

Ask yourself if you want to have a 16yo son who lives to game on the computer and veg out on relationships even if he pulls his weight with chores and technically obeys.

If this will drive you crazy, I BEG you to ban all computer gaming.

 

 

We have from here on out. One kid too late, btw. Learned my lesson. He's a GREAT kid, does everything we ever ask, gets good grades, pushes himself in Mock, in school, sets limits. But during his downtime? He's a vegetable. He used to pick up a book in down time. He used to garden in down time. He used to chit chat with us. I will never again buy a kid a smartphone nor will I ever (EVER) allow online gaming.

 

I would beg you not to do it if I thought it would help.

On the other hand, not all kids will become like that. My boys have been on Minecraft, on the PC version, since pretty much forever....about five years now, I think? So they were 13, 10 and 6 when they started (or 14, 11 and 7 maybe...?). Now 18, 15 and 11, and all of them still have balanced lives, with plenty of other activities during their free time. Legos, bike riding, swings outside, gardening, reading, board games, art, Nerf gun games, and yes, Minecraft and other video games as well as watching Minecraft YouTube videos.

 

We don't set strict limits, never have. They still choose to have a varied and balanced experience in their free time, and still seek out outside friends, have relationships in the real world, and just all in all haven't been negatively affected by playing Minecraft or other games. They even play on servers (with other players) with no ill effects. We do screen what servers they play on, and of course what you would allow for an 8 yr old is different than what we allow for an 11 yr old and older. When the youngest was 8 we only let them play on white-list servers set up by a friend, so it was only them and this one other family.

 

Anyway, we love it. Use moderation, and whatever rules your family is comfortable with, and if you begin to see a problem, reevaluate -- but don't let one person's experience frighten you into believing that every kid will end up in the same boat or go down the same path. I have three boys who haven't yet, even with five years of Minecraft behind them.....

[Guest]

You can draw a parallel between game playing and drinking. 

 

Many people drink socially and can walk away, do without, and live a normal life, and so on.  Same with gaming.

Some people can't drink socially.  They can't walk away, do without, and live a normal life.  Same with gaming.  

 

Is alcohol a bad thing?  Not for some people.  It is for others.

Is gaming a bad thing?  Not for some people.  It is for others.

 

If you really want to know more about gaming/internet addiction, here is a book by a cognitive neuroscientist who was hooked on games:  http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Doan/e/B008USAZXG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0  He talks about the physical and chemical changes that take place in the body in gaming (as well as in other activities that can become compulsions) and the damage to and delay of development of the prefrontal cortex for those people who get hooked.  

 

If you want to read stories from people who drew the "gaming is bad for you" straw, check out OLGANON (online-gamers anonymous).

 

If you want to learn more about residential, short- and long-term help for an addicted gamer, or to read about the issue, check here:  http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/

 

I'm not being a Cassandra here.  Gaming is not the root of all evil,  But for some people, it is damaging.  And as for whether one game is more addictive than another, I'm not sure that is really an issue.  (I'm not sure.)  Seems to me that people can become alcoholics using many different kinds of alcohol, and the parallel *may* hold here.  

 

We talk "gaming addiction" today the way we talked about "alcohol addiction" 50 years ago.  Now we know more; we know that alcoholics are not lazy, or undisciplined, or immoral.  They have a different issue with alcohol, and it is physical and chemical.  Counselors in our area are waking up to the issues surrounding gaming / internet addiction because their offices are filling up with people who have this problem.  

 

It seems to me that we would do well to at least have an open mind and learn about it and help our families walk through this part of life with eyes wide open.  This is the first generation to deal with this sort of thing; it would behoove us to be sober-minded as we walk through it with them.  

 

 

[nd293]

The website Minecraft Mum is a good place to start. You'll soon have requests for mods and you will need to know how to do that.

 

We started at that age with the iPad version which was much simpler, as there aren't mods (at least ds never asked for any).

 

Overall it's a good game - electronic Lego, pretty much. Issues we've had:

* obsessiveness (only with this game)

* wanting to watch Minecraft videos - many are not appropriate and they're a major time drain

* ongoing requests for mods which is a pain because the game is on my computer and I don't want to many 'extras' added.

 

We carefully limit game time, limit which YouTube channels he may watch and which mods he may have.

 

There is at least one 'Minecraft school' offering homeschool classes set in Minecraft.

[Mergath]

Full version is not free and is massively bigger and better than the free tablet or demo versions.

 

To correct some of the above... kids can play multiplayer a couple of ways. One way is through local play, in which case there's no server and kids need to be on the same network or using bluetooth in the same vicinity. My boys and their friends play this way sometimes together. Every kid needs a device to do that. However, there are also servers where people communicate and share - some are educational (there is a Minecraft Homeschool where kids can take classes, for example), some are kid friendly, many are made for just a small group of kids or friends, and many are very not kid friendly.

 

The culture of Minecraft is as popular as the game at this point - there are books and an insane amount of videos. Some kids like watching the videos as much as playing the game itself. They learn new tricks that way. Other kids like making the videos and sharing them.

 

At one point, a lot was being made of how "educational" Minecraft could be. I think that's massively overblown. It's a game with some potential to be used for learning, but mostly it's a game. A creative game, but just a game.

 

I agree with Ravin that it's not inherently more or less addictive than any other game. My boys enjoy it in spurts but they aren't addicted to it at all. It's one of many games they play sometimes.

Right? I've seen unschooling parents go on about how their kids only play Minecraft all day long but it's okay because they're learning engineering and physics and...

 

Sorry, but no. Stacking up blocks and crafting stuff is not teaching your kid advanced scientific concepts.

 

We have it and dd plays it sometimes for her half hour of computer time. It's fun to build things in creative mode, but I'd rather play a fantasy rpg any day. ;)

[Farrar]

Right? I've seen unschooling parents go on about how their kids only play Minecraft all day long but it's okay because they're learning engineering and physics and...

 

Sorry, but no. Stacking up blocks and crafting stuff is not teaching your kid advanced scientific concepts.

 

We have it and dd plays it sometimes for her half hour of computer time. It's fun to build things in creative mode, but I'd rather play a fantasy rpg any day. ;)

 

I know. ITA. On the rpg's too. :D

 

I mean, sometimes it can be educational. We're wrapping up a unit on the ancient Mayans and the kids asked could they build a Mayan town in Minecraft for one of their projects and I said yes. They had to really look at the layout of towns, study the architecture, etc. It was actually sort of neat what they created. But... 99% of the time they're not doing that. They're just messing around. Which is fine. But it's hardly better than any other game. Games are all educational in some way... but are also mostly just games.

[Joshin]

If you want to weave it into your curriculum, I cannot recommend gamedacademy.com enough. DS11 did some of their offering last year, and for the first time ever actually found an interest in history. Their programs are both affordable and really well put together, and they do a great job of keeping the educational flow and safety in tact on their server.

[nd293]

Right? I've seen unschooling parents go on about how their kids only play Minecraft all day long but it's okay because they're learning engineering and physics and...

 

Sorry, but no. Stacking up blocks and crafting stuff is not teaching your kid advanced scientific concepts.

 

We tried GamEd Academy and found pretty much this. Any learning is done through reading or watching YouTube videos and the Minecraft is just 'playing', or at best reviewing concepts learned through reading or watching.

[Bluegoat]

It is fun.  I did find though that it is particularly prone to kids wanting long gaming sessions - it just can take quite a while to accomplish anything.  There are other games like that too, and I think in general they can be easy ones to spend too much time on, or to set up conflicts with parents.

 

I think the stuff about it being good for teaching engineering etc is kind of bunk though.  To me that is a bit like saying playing online football makes you a good football player. 

[Heatherwith4]

Um yeah, I don't really see a ton of educational value there either. Creativity is a good thing, though. :) I can't see doing any of our curriculum through Minecraft, either.

 

Re: the YouTube videos: I did mostly ban those, because they would sit there and watch them for a long time. There were times they would come across some pretty inappropriate stuff, too.

[Saddlemomma]

Um yeah, I don't really see a ton of educational value there either. Creativity is a good thing, though. :) I can't see doing any of our curriculum through Minecraft, either.

 

Re: the YouTube videos: I did mostly ban those, because they would sit there and watch them for a long time. There were times they would come across some pretty inappropriate stuff, too.

 

This isn't necessarily true.  My DD plays Minecraft and has taken several classes through Scrafty.  On our trip to DC in May, she was pointing out all the architecture at the museums and memorials explaining which type of Greek columns they incorporated. This was stuff she learned in her Greek Architecture Skrafty class.  The class had to build copies of specific Greek buildings using the appropriate types of columns. This was a class she took 2 years ago.  The info stuck.

 

This past year she took their government class.  It was a great fit because we studied the 20th century and specifically fascism, socialism, communism, and dictators.  It just so happened that in her Skrafty class, they studied: Communism, a Monarchy, Socialism, Anarchy, and a Democratic Republic.  For each of these, they had to collectively build a world based upon these ideals and adhere by those tenets.  For example, in their Socialistic world, each was assigned a job which they had to do daily.  They had quotas to fill and had to report to the leaders.  DD was a farmer and had to grow her crops, harvest them, and distribute them to others.  This world eventually had to devolve into a dictatorship (Communism) where individual rights were stripped and personal belongings from houses were confiscated.  Everyone had to follow the dictator's rules, which changed on a whim. This provoked a coup and resulted in a brief period of anarchy.  That was eye-opening for DD! It was then decided to develop a democratic republic in which elections were held. My DD was one of the candidates for presidency.  She had to write a speech detailing why she would make a good president and what she could offer the people.  She then had to present her speech live.  

 

Now, keep in mind, my DD hates modern history because she finds all the wars and government, in general, distressing and boring at the same time.  However, she was always so excited to get to her government class because she was actually "doing" the things she thought were boring before.  She felt she was living it because she was actually establishing the governments with other kids.  It made a huge difference for her.

 

I just asked DD about playing Minecraft on her own and whether she felt it was educational.  "Well," she said, "It teaches you about math."  "If you're really into Minecraft, you have to count everything." "If you're off on your math, angles and such, your buildings will not come out right and you have to start all over again." "Geometry is important."  This from a girl who usually hates and gets anxiety over math.

 

Like anything, Minecraft can be extremely educational if you approach it that way and turn it into something educational.  I admire what Skrafty has done.  They've taken a supposedly "non-educational" game and made it fun, engaging, and extremely educational. I think it's only as educational as you make it.

 

DD looks forward to taking more Skrafty classes, and we have no problem helping her with that.

 

I'm not saying Minecraft is a mecca of education, but it can be a great learning tool if used that way.  Say your kids are tired of reproducing historical maps.  Have  them build a 3-D representative map in Minecraft. Studying the 7 Wonders of the World, have the reproduce them or design their own idea of a great wonder in Minecraft. For writing next year, DD is going to be doing Adventures in Fantasy.  One of the assignments is designing and drawing a map of her own fantasy world.  I am going to have her actually build her world on Minecraft.  Her characters will be plopped into that world.  Not only will she be writing her fantasy book through her assignments, but she will be actively engaging them in her Minecraft fantasy world.

 

Only your imagination limits Minecraft.  However, as with many good things, you have to set limits, because it can get quite addictive if you don't.

[vonfirmath]

Signed,

A Minecraft playing mom who still gets off her butt and does all her chores and homeschools the kids, even without anyone telling me.

 

YAY! Another Minecraft playing mom.  Good to meet you.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have an account and tried it out for a bit.  I don't quite get the allure, but there are all sorts of things you can do with it.

 

 

[BlsdMama]

On the other hand, not all kids will become like that. My boys have been on Minecraft, on the PC version, since pretty much forever....about five years now, I think? So they were 13, 10 and 6 when they started (or 14, 11 and 7 maybe...?). Now 18, 15 and 11, and all of them still have balanced lives, with plenty of other activities during their free time. Legos, bike riding, swings outside, gardening, reading, board games, art, Nerf gun games, and yes, Minecraft and other video games as well as watching Minecraft YouTube videos.

 

We don't set strict limits, never have. They still choose to have a varied and balanced experience in their free time, and still seek out outside friends, have relationships in the real world, and just all in all haven't been negatively affected by playing Minecraft or other games. They even play on servers (with other players) with no ill effects. We do screen what servers they play on, and of course what you would allow for an 8 yr old is different than what we allow for an 11 yr old and older. When the youngest was 8 we only let them play on white-list servers set up by a friend, so it was only them and this one other family.

 

Anyway, we love it. Use moderation, and whatever rules your family is comfortable with, and if you begin to see a problem, reevaluate -- but don't let one person's experience frighten you into believing that every kid will end up in the same boat or go down the same path. I have three boys who haven't yet, even with five years of Minecraft behind them.....

 

 

I'd agree...  Not everyone becomes an addict.  

 

We didn't do online gaming until he was SIXTEEN!  We did board games and have an extensive collection.  We allowed some gaming  with CD Roms.  He seemed to really love them.  Now, I *will* say he has a productive life.  He has a job, two actually if you count summer field work.  He is working on his Eagle right now and was the SPL for his troop.  He took over 20 credits at the CC last year and got all As with the exception of a B+.  He did Mock - his team went to State and placed well.  

 

That said?  Online gaming is a whole other level.  My kiddo who loves the competition of a game (any game, board game, athletic game, etc) paired with his ability (bordering on super power) to focus on a game or a screen drives him to play more. He is in 3rd place in the Clan right now and honestly?  Wants that 1st place position pretty badly.  

 

He is a superstar IMO.  His drive to work hard/play hard has transitioned over.  Online gaming is a whole other level for him.  Frankly?  Frankly I hate (DESPISE) to see him glued to a screen.  His Comp I class read and wrote about the book Alone Together - which leads me to believe this professor deals with a lot of kids that have screen issues.  Just look around.  Pokemon Go?  Two guys walked off a cliff if that wasn't a horrible joke?!    The chemicals released in the brain are very real.  The urge to get back on and win is very real.  The depression that can result from gaming is also very real.  

 

And while not everyone will have an addiction, many more will struggle with finding balance between gaming.  If your child is competitive, be aware.  In my personal experience, these kids especially enjoy the strategy, the game, the win, and the striving to do better.  

 

I feel really bad when I post on this topic.  DS is an amazing kid.  He's working on his Eagle right now, he works hard physically, and basically, I adore this kid.  But, if and when we ever don't get along - it's the online gaming. He can just totally lose track of this world for that one.  Is it such a big deal for a kid to play a couple of hours online when he is SO functional?  Probably not.  But I can't help but remember I'm not raising a kid.  I'm supposed to be raising him to a functional adult.  And I've seen SO many women who are essentially single parenting because their husband feels entitled to come home and game for a couple hours (loses track of time) and she's left juggling plates.  

 

What other "hobby" would one set their kid up to fail school or marriage or life?  Or gamble on the chance that their kid isn't one of the ones who can walk away?

 

Not all are addicts.

 

But even after you get past the addiction, there are so (SO) many more young adults whose relationships are made more difficult by a need to check in with social media or play just one more game.  

 

We have not pulled the plug on DS entirely because we feel it would do more damage than good and we now (after introducing him) owe it to him to help him learn to manage this and we can tell he is REALLY working and putting forth effort into managing this.  But I'm ashamed to know we are the ones who brought it into his life.  I'll never EVER do that again and wash my young son's brain in chemicals.  And while some can just walk away from the tech world (be it social media, forums, or online gaming) so many more will have their lives affected in the long term and I think it would be reprehensible if I sit by and say nothing.

 

ETA: And we never did allow MineCraft because of the addiction factor.  Nope, but we did give into Clash of the Clans - I hate that freaking game with a passion and every conflict it's ever caused in our house.  Hate.  And the games are like 2.5 minutes each.  Crafty, aren't they?  

Edited July 19, 2016 by BlsdMama

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have no restrictions on my kids' gaming (except no gaming while we are doing school work).  It has never been an issue.  Gaming addiction isn't caused by lack of restriction.  Of course some people have issues.  Plenty don't.

 

I started watching shows featuring professional gamers.  It's really weird to watch this as a spectator sport, but obviously these people had to spend quite a bit of time training to be professional gamers.  People would probably say they are addicted.  Maybe they'd say they have no life.  Why are they spending so much time on this..that's not healthy.  How is this really different than a person who trains for hours every day for anything?  Some people are just motivated to spend that kind of time on something to get good at it.  I hardly see the difference.  Some might argue, well it's physically active to ice skate for 6 hours every day.  Sure it's more physically active than video game playing for 6 hours per day, but nobody needs to ice skate for 6 hours every day to be healthy and physically active.  That goes way beyond what's necessary and I could say they are as obsessive about the one activity.