What Parents Need to Know About Minecraft
Minecraft is a video game that provides a creative landscape for its players to explore and build. It immerses kids in creative thinking, geometry, engineering and geology as they build imaginative block structures. The game also encourages social collaboration as they work with friends to erect wacky buildings, go on adventures and perform countless blocky experiments.
In a sandbox video game, the player is essentially given free rein to do whatever they want in a virtual world, which is why Minecraft is so popular with kids and adults. The game’s sandbox structure also makes it easy for kids to pick up and play, as there are no rules or instructions provided to the player. They simply start with a blank world and begin exploring it by hitting the blocks in the ground or trees until they turn into other blocks that can be used to make a building.
Once they have enough blocks, the player can then construct a house or any other kind of building that their imagination allows. The player can even create a city or town with a castle, temple and other structures that they can then populate with characters such as villagers and zombies. The game also provides a survival mode that puts the player’s skills to the test by forcing them to forage for food and fend off hostile creatures that are known as mobs (these include spiders, pigs, and the iconic creeper).
While Minecraft isn’t a violent video game, there are a few things parents need to be aware of. First, the game does have a few ways to kill non-playable characters such as traders and villagers, although this is mostly done for resources such as wool or leather, which are then used to make weapons or other building materials. The game can also be violent if players engage in predatory behavior by attacking other gamers or animals. While Minecraft does have a report feature that can be used to report players for inappropriate actions, this is only available on certain servers and is not an immediate option for kids to use.
The most important thing for parents to remember when their children are playing minecraft is that they need to be careful not to spend too much time on the game. Too much screen time can be harmful for kids’ health, and it’s important to balance their gaming with other activities such as physical activity, reading, or extra-curricular activities like art and dance. Parents should also make sure that their child is on an established server with a trusted community, as the open nature of Minecraft multiplayer can be vulnerable to predatory behaviour and offensive language. Moreover, parents should also make sure that their kids are not using any add-on software or plugins to customise the gameplay. In addition, parents should review their kids’ Minecraft settings and ensure that the mute button is active so that they can easily shut down any offending players without having to access the controls in-game.
