What is Minecraft All About?

Maybe you have already heard about it, and are already familiar with how it looks. 

Minecraft, a game that has block-like graphics, and not so many rules such as the threshold on who wins or who loses, is hailed as one of the most popular games in the world today. 

If you want to learn more about this popular game for kids, including how it’s beneficial for children, read on. 

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is basically a building game. Think of it as a modern or digital LEGO. 

It’s a video game where players break other items to create their own materials for creating buildings, other structures, or even a new world, a whole digital community. Depending on the mode, you can also opt to explore the world, and fight monsters to live. 

What makes the game unique among other games is that there are no scoring systems or levels, so you just basically build and explore. 

However, despite its simple-looking gameplay, the game has been ranked as one of the best and most popular in the world. 

In fact, according to Newzoo, a games market insights group, Minecraft is the number 1 most popular PC game in the world, per its monthly active users. Meanwhile, IGN ranked Minecraft as the 24th best video game of all time. 

Modes of Gameplay: Creative or Survival

There are two ways you can play the game, and two gameplays you can choose from: Creative or Survival. 

In Creative mode, you just focus on building whatever you want. In fact, you don’t have to think about other things as the building blocks are already available as soon as you start. 

Survival mode, on the other hand, brings more challenges to the game because you have to survive. Players have to build their own shelter, craft tools, fight monsters, and find food to survive. 

Aside from that, players can also choose to play alone, or with other people through the Multiplayer feature. 

Who Can Play Minecraft?

There really is no age limit when it comes to playing Minecraft. Both children and adults can enjoy the game, making it a good video game for the whole family. In addition, the game can be accessed through different platforms, from PCs and tablets to gaming consoles and mobile phones. 

Minecraft is rated 7+, which means the game can be played by children starting at the age of 7 upwards. While younger children may find the game entertaining, it’s best if an adult is there to explain the mechanics and to be the primary player.

Does the Game Contain Violence?

Minecraft has very little violence or graphic content that can be disturbing to young players. In multiplayer mode, players can hit or kill other characters, but this is not the focus of the game. 

Multiplayer mode also has a chat feature, which is generally not recommended for young children, as they may encounter harassment, bad language, or inappropriate content. Parents can avoid this by disabling the chat option or by setting the game for single-player only.

The monster-killing part of the game is also cartoonish and not graphic. Parents who are still worried about it can change the setting of the game’s difficulty to “peaceful” or focus on creative mode.  

Also, kids ages 12 and younger cannot create an account themselves—parents have to do it for them. This means that kids have to ask the permission of their parents before playing, and parents can monitor their kids while playing. 

Is it Good for Children?

There is actually a version of Minecraft where its main purpose is really about education, and it’s called Minecraft: Education Edition. This edition is offered to schools to assist educators and incorporate the game in their teaching. 

Aside from that, Minecraft help develop a lot of soft skills that are important in life and in a child’s future career, such as: 

• Creativity 
• Problem solving 
• Collaboration 
• Independence or self-direction 

The benefits of Minecraft to a child’s development are not limited to soft skills. In fact, the game can also be a good way to introduce kids to coding and STEM subjects. So, the next time your child asks you if they can play Minecraft, be assured that it’s not just a game, but a learning tool as well. 

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Bilbiography Drovetto, T. (2019, October 30). What’s the Big Deal With Minecraft? MoPOP. https://www.mopop.org/about-mopop/the-mopop-blog/posts/2019/october/what-s-the-big-deal-with-minecraft/ FunTech Ltd. (n.d.). Is Minecraft OK & Suitable for 7 Year Olds? https://funtech.co.uk/latest/is-minecraft-ok-suitable-for-7-year-olds IGN. (n.d.). Top 100 Video Games of All Time. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/100 Newzoo. (n.d.) Most Popular PC Games | Global. Retrieved July 24, 2021, from https://newzoo.com/insights/rankings/top-20-pc-games/ Webwise. (n.d.). A Parents’ Guide to Minecraft. https://www.webwise.ie/parents/a-parents-guide-to-minecraft/