Using Minecraft As an Educational Tool
Minecraft is a three-dimensional sandbox game where players can build anything they can imagine using blocks. It was created in 2009 by Mojang, a Swedish video game developer now owned by Microsoft. It is not only a fun, engaging and creative tool, but it has also become an educational platform for young people. Many schools have even begun to incorporate it into their curriculum. Minecraft allows creativity and learned play to coexist in harmony, allowing students to explore and develop their own ideas while still learning implicitly from the mechanics of the game.
The game has a number of different modes that vary in difficulty, but the most popular is Survival mode. This mode is challenging and puts players’ skills to the test, forcing them to forage for resources and use them in order to survive. The objective is to collect materials like wood and dirt and to hone those blocks into the necessary tools for progressing through the game, such as an axe or pickaxe. Players must also be able to create shelters to protect themselves from the elements and monsters such as zombies, creepers or skeletons that spawn at night.
While some of the underlying mechanics can seem complex, it is important for kids to understand that there are simple solutions to most problems in Minecraft. For example, if a player is running out of space in their inventory to hold more items, they can turn the game on its side and place blocks vertically across the screen, making more room for new additions to the inventory. This can be especially helpful when building houses or navigating the wilderness, as the vertical view makes it much easier to see what is going on around you.
One of the most useful tools in the game is a crafting table, which is accessible by pressing E on PC/Mac or B on Xbox. It is used to craft almost any object in the game, including beds, which can be placed anywhere in the world to provide a safe spawn point. Beds require three blocks of wool, which can be obtained by killing a sheep (killing a pig or chicken will also net you wool). Once the wool is in the crafting table, it must be lined up in a horizontal row with three pieces of wood planks to make a bed.
In Survival mode, players must also create a torch in the crafting table by placing a solid piece of wood into the top slot of the furnace and any flammable material such as coal or sticks into the bottom. Torches can then be used to light up houses and keep the monsters at bay, as well as serve as a respawn point.
Minecraft supports multiplayer, allowing children to collaborate with their friends to erect buildings and go on adventures together. However, it’s important to talk to your child about the risks of playing with strangers online and to set rules around their gamertag and username. You can also teach them about safe internet practices and the importance of not sharing personal information in chat rooms.
