Minecraft: are our kids just playing or learning?
When I decided to write a book that might inspire my son to pick it up and read it on its own, it had to be set in a video game and there was one clear winner - Minecraft. Both my kids love playing it and I've come to enjoy family gaming sessions in the blocky world too!
‘Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and having adventures,’ says the team at Mojang. ‘It's a survival experience about staying alive in your own fantastic world that's also a creative space to build almost anything you can imagine!’ This sounds great right, but if you're anything like me with kids who spend a lot of their free time online, you may wonder if they're learning anything valuable during those hours spent crafting digital worlds.
As a parent, it's easy to see video gaming as wasted time. Especially if, like me, free time when you were a child meant running around outside and being called back in at tea time. But I've learned that as well as allowing for important downtime away from school, Minecraft can teach kids important skills and even engineering!
New to Minecraft? Here’s a primer to get up to speed
Through building, exploring, and collaborating in Minecraft, kids can develop problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, the ability to learn from failure and more. All skills that will benefit them in real life. Let's take a brief look at some of these skills:
Creativity: Minecraft allows players to unleash their creativity by building and designing structures, landscapes, and even entire cities. With an almost unlimited number of blocks and materials to choose from, kids can let their imaginations run wild and create amazing virtual creations.
Problem-solving: The game presents players with various challenges and obstacles that require problem-solving skills to overcome. From finding rare resources to navigating treacherous caves, kids learn to think critically and find innovative solutions. They develop the ability to analyse problems, break them down into smaller parts, and find strategies to overcome them.
Teamwork: While it can be played very happily in single-player mode, Minecraft offers multiplayer options, encouraging collaboration and teamwork. Kids can learn to work together, delegate tasks, and communicate effectively with others. They can join forces with friends to build elaborate structures or embark on exciting adventures. Through working as a team, they develop essential skills such as cooperation, communication, and compromise.
Resource management: In survival mode, kids learn to gather and manage resources like wood, stone, and food. This teaches them the importance of resource management and planning. They learn to prioritize their needs, make strategic decisions, and use resources efficiently.
Spatial awareness: Building structures in Minecraft requires an understanding of spatial concepts, proportions, and dimensions. Kids can improve their spatial awareness and visualisation skills by constructing complex buildings and landscapes. They learn to estimate distances, visualize shapes in three dimensions, and create structures that are visually appealing and functional.
Logical thinking: The game mechanics of Minecraft involve logic and reasoning. Kids learn to analyse cause and effect, understand patterns, and develop logical thinking skills. Redstone circuits, for example, require them to find logical solutions. By experimenting and observing the outcomes of their actions, they develop a scientific mindset and learn to approach problems systematically.
Persistence: Minecraft can be challenging, requiring patience and perseverance. Kids learn not to give up easily and to keep trying until they achieve their goals. Whether it's building a massive castle, defeating a mob, or completing a complex redstone contraption, Minecraft teaches kids the value of persistence and hard work. They learn to embrace challenges, overcome setbacks, and celebrate their achievements.
Coding and modding: For older kids, Minecraft offers the ability to create mods and customize gameplay through coding. Kids can develop an interest in programming and learn basic coding concepts. By exploring the world of Minecraft mods, they can create custom items, blocks, and even game mechanics. This introduces them to the fundamentals of coding, such as variables, functions, and logic.
Minecraft provides a platform for kids to explore, create, collaborate, and think critically. Of course, like any engaging activity, screen time in Minecraft needs moderation. I’ve had to set clear limits in the past and I’m slowly learning how to lead by example with my own technology use (a work in progress). But I believe strongly in being part of my kids’ digital landscape and learning with them, rather than blindly setting rules, plus playing together as a family is lots of fun!
Do your kids play Minecraft? Do you play with them?
Incidentally, my children’s middle-grade (8-12 years) adventure book set in Minecraft is almost out of the editing phase and I’ll be sending it off to my beta readers soon! Sign up to find out more about Tom and the gang and be notified when it is available for pre-order.
Until next time friends,
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