Minecraft - anyone has anything NOT positive to say about it?

[Return2thebasic]

I've seen people overwhelmingly have tons of positive words about Minecraft - for creativity mainly. Anyone out there who has had any NOT positive thing to say about it?

Both DH and I are no-game people. We've both gone through the age when games were appealing. But at the end of the day, we at teen years both decided it's a bit of waste of time. Both of us felt better to use the time doing something else.

My cousin's daughters have played Minecraft for years. But in their case, they were left to play games whenever they want. So the two girls would be happy not going out for sports or other activities so that they could spend time to do Minecraft. This also led them to spend hours and hours on Youtube watching how other people play Minecraft.

I'm not saying their case is typical. But could it be particularly distracting or even attention/mind absorbing to certain kids that it becomes a negative element in daily life?

DS is 8 and has a record of being complete absorbed into TV or any screentime. He could have tantrums whenever the screentime got reduced/taken away as consequence for any misbehaviour - not very often, honestly! So DH and I are extra cautious about the idea of letting him exposed to games. - He currently could use 30 minutes everyday to use between some low key online game and his chosen TV shows.

Since I got no reply, I assume it means most of the families found the game positive all around.

I found this article and put the link here just in case anyone else has the same question.

www.dailygame.net/videogames/top-reasons-why-minecraft-is-a-bad-video-game-for-your-child

Our only issue has been playing online with friends, that sometimes they will take items or destroy things, which has led to tears.
Playing alone generally fine, and though they love playing together online and it’s usually a very positive experience - especially during lockdown, it has had its moments!

You have to listen to lots of really fucking boring monologues about Minecraft.
When your child isn’t monologuing it’s because they’re watching Dan fucking TDM playing Minecraft on YouTube.
Then you have to listen to monologues about DanTDM’s pugs as well.

Tbh I'm not really sure what you're wanting from your thread OP. What do you want people to say?

Minecraft is the bloody business. I'm a professional woman in my early 30s and I play it of a weekend with a group of pals. Have been playing it since first release in 2011.

Best game ever made.

When dd was 12 we deleted it.
Best thing we did.

I have nothing negative to say, but would suggest you would have fewer tantrums if he didn’t have to choose between television and computer.
With regard to minecraft, yes occasionally things get destroyed by others which can be fruyfor an eight year old. My 24 year old twins and 36 year old ds use it to unwind and keep in touch.

I tried to play with my daughter, drowned within two minutes and lost any lingering claim of being cool.

My daughter certainly learned a lot about mythology.

I like it because my kids don't constantly pester me to buy extras or anything (we dabbled very briefly in roblox, and it felt very different). Yes, they're not always that keen to turn off, but we have consistent and reasonable limits, and the kids know these limits.

I have absolutely no understanding of how the game works but DD10 loves it and has created some amazing things on it. She does not play it online at all. It’s certainly a lot better than Roblox which appears to be complete nonsense.

The article you linked is not well thought out. The reasons it lists as to why Minecraft is ‘a bad video game’ are either not Minecraft specific or potentially a plus point. For example the having no levels is a massive plus for my son who struggles with emotional regulation and easily becomes frustrated if he can’t get past a level. With Minecraft he can choose the level he wants to play at. There are always new ways to challenge yourself in Minecraft.

Yes, you do get arguments sometimes when playing with friends who might steal/destroy your things but actually I find these issues help children to learn how to resolve conflict.

@gamerchick

Tbh I'm not really sure what you're wanting from your thread OP. What do you want people to say?

Exactly this.

I feel like whatever we say you are looking for reasons to not allow it.

Gaming has been really positive in our house. My 16 year old DD found it a really positive way of keeping in touch with her friends during lockdown (and before to be honest).

My husband and I play together sometimes. He has to keep flying over to help me put fires out on my ranch cos I experiment with lava I'm sure he and DD will play together when older.

I personally think games are often more valuable than passively watching TV for teaching a lot of things, and they're a good tool to teach regulation, both of emotions and time. But some people are quite snooty about games and think they are all shoot-em-ups or remember playing Sonic years ago and think they're all like that. Modern games can be pieces of art in their own right, with narrative, decision-making, character growth and development, world-building etc.

I work with families and young people with SEN in a support context and I can't think of a single issue anyone has ever raised with it, other than it being a bit addictive if you're in the middle of a big build... Probably every other game you could mention has caused issues for someone I've worked with (Roblox being the worst offender!). Actually, to be fair, FIFA is generally ok as well, just the odd issue with the learning to lose with grace side of things. But Minecraft only ever comes up as a positive, or at worst mildly annoying if the young person picks it up as a special interest.

My DD told me that last night's Minecraft championship had more viewers than the Olympics!

We've never had an issue with it here, it's like virtual Lego. DD loves it but isn't obsessed with it.

Minecraft is pretty cool. It's up to you to regulate screen time but it's quite interesting and has dome educational value in that it gets them thinking about how things work - like farming and feeding animals etc. And consequences.

It's better than the free online games. They are mindless in the main.

[quote Return2thebasic]Since I got no reply, I assume it means most of the families found the game positive all around.

I found this article and put the link here just in case anyone else has the same question.

www.dailygame.net/videogames/top-reasons-why-minecraft-is-a-bad-video-game-for-your-child[/quote]
That's a particularly vacuous article! You could apply that to pretty much anything if you wanted to. TV, books, films, monopoly...

You have to listen to lots of really fucking boring monologues about Minecraft.

“In Minecraft, ...”

I encourage DC to bore each other and leave me out of it

Minecraft is a waste of life imo, but it’s a waste of life that they share amicably most of the time.

You'll have whole conversations that you don't understand.

Some people who enjoy gaming will become overly occupied by it, but is that really different then any other hobby?
People who enjoy knitting might spend hours knitting and watching YouTube tutorials.

People who enjoy a sport might spend hours looking up different techniques, equipment or players.

People who enjoy reading can might spend hours trying to get to the end of a series.

Why is one hobby more worthy then another? Any interest can become obsessive, it's your job to help him manage his time and have a range of experience.

@zoeydollie

You have to listen to lots of really fucking boring monologues about Minecraft. When your child isn’t monologuing it’s because they’re watching Dan fucking TDM playing Minecraft on YouTube. Then you have to listen to monologues about DanTDM’s pugs as well.

This. In spades.

Otherwise, it’s grand. Just be thankful it’s not Roblox.

DS would say it’s not as good as Terreria.

Enderman terrifies DS age 6 but he just stays in creative mode where there is no enderman.
I was very very anti but I was confusing minecraft for fort nite. Fortnite is the one that turns your kids into monsters apparently!

I'm shit at Minecraft and find it tedious, but my kids love it.
My DP hates it.

I was brought up playing video games and my dad built computers from way back in the late 70s so I've always lived with computers and used them. I have no issue with Minecraft.

And frankly most kids will need skills with computers at the very least and coding an absolute plus - in ways we as adults don't. All of this should be looked on as positive.

Our 8 year old got a bit addicted by it and regulating screen time is a challenge. Having for a few days has helped his behaviour.

I will warn about Nintendo switch through. To play with friends over the Internet needs a switch online account at 18 pounds per year. That opens other things up too so Parent controls comes in, and the layers of minecraft (Microsoft) plus Nintendo accounts is a real nightmare.

Then there is a bug where the load time grows ( we are at 25 minutes) and the only fix is to delete all save data. So all the worlds get lost. So use another platform until they fix that.