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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Minecraft obsession

25 replies

Travelledtheworld · 08/06/2013 07:42

DS age 12 is obsessed with the online game Minecraft and if he can will spend hours playing online and chatting through Skype with his friends.
He is clever at school, well motivated and polite.At home he is grumpy and uncommunicative and gets quite aggressive when he is asked to log off.

He has a 2 hobbies which get him out of the house for a couple of hours per week. Otherwise he would spend all his waking hours in a darkened room playing Minecraft. He rarely socialises with his school friends out of school and refuses to invite them round to our house.

Advice please on tactics forgetting him unplugged. Will he grow out of this or will his obsession just get worse ?

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 08/06/2013 07:48

I see your concern Travelled. I have 2 DSs who like Minecraft and they have a friend down the road who is the same. They all sit on our settee in a row with their laptops playing together on Minecraft. So in a way that is socialising. I think.

Out of all the possible games he could be obsessed with Minecraft isn't a bad choice.

I do often set the kitchen timer and when it dings it's time for them to do something else.

Oblomov · 08/06/2013 07:55

Ds1 (9) is same. Obsessed. Grumpy when you ask him to log off.
But he still invites friends round. I do all the texting and arranging actually.
Insist on that bit first. Should be easily done.

FriskyMare · 08/06/2013 08:01

Ooh, you could be talking about my ds. He has been computer/gaming obsessed since about the age of 5 when his well meaning older cousin lent him a game boy to keep him occupied on a long car journey. He has the minecraft lego and models too!

worley · 08/06/2013 08:13

it may well get worse travelled.. ds1 is 14; almost 15. his mates are all obsessed with it to. he does turn off when i tell him or when i want to join in and chat to his mates too ;)

ds2 is 7 and also loving it.

at least i know where and what hes doing i guess

bunjies · 08/06/2013 08:19

This was happening with our 14 year old ds so we banned him from minecraft during the week and have insisted he does more sociable activities instead. At weekends he's free to play it as much as he likes. He's happy enough with the trade off.

mikkii · 08/06/2013 08:22

DS(8) would not do anything else if he was allowed to. Once the homework is done, then he can play (except when daddy is in charge as he on't supervise homework and HE is too busy playing on his Xbox)

Jbck · 08/06/2013 08:30

DD1 exactly the same and if she isn't playing it she's warching youtube videos of other people playing it.
I love my Hayday farm but have a life and try to explain the importance of balance to her but I'm going to have to get hardass now we finally have some decent weather or she'll never be outdoors.
Sympathies Smile

chimchar · 08/06/2013 08:54

same problem here....with the addition of ps3 too.

Monday to Thursday are game free. Things seem to be a bit better.

I also use it as a reward or compromise during these days.

I don't know really. I think it is creative and sort of educational, and when playing online, or taking with friends on Skype whilst playing, its sociable and encourages teamwork.

Maybe i'm kidding myself Grin but you are not alone!

flow4 · 08/06/2013 09:29

My DS2 was like this last year, at 12. Now he is 13 and his Minecraft obsession is definitely waning... And he has a girlfriend! Shock

DollyTwat · 08/06/2013 09:33

My son is the same. The only rows we used to have we're when I want him to stop playing. So here is what you do

Put the parental controls on. The Xbox had a weekly or daily allowance. The PC you have to put specific times on. You can download apps for an iPad

Then they will get a warning when their time is up. You don't have to get involved and they get used to managing their time better

DeffoBossLa · 08/06/2013 09:38

Same problem here with ds8. If he's not playing mine craft he's talking about it.
dolly I didn't know you could set an allowance on the Xbox, how do you do it?

Sparklingbrook · 08/06/2013 09:39

DS2 would spend all day watching the MC videos on YouTube if he could.

katolla · 08/06/2013 09:40

Minecraft is brilliant. I haven't played in weeks, but as soon as this baby is asleep..

secretscwirrels · 08/06/2013 10:53

At 12 this is fairly normal. Minecraft is by no means the worst game. As parents I think we have to get used to the idea that they are socialising when they play online with friends and chat through skype. Where we live it's a life saver as my DCs are the only teens for miles .
Having said all that there is no way I would have let them play at 8 or 9.

DollyTwat · 08/06/2013 11:20

On the Xbox you sign into the account you want to put the control on
Along the top to the far right is a settings option
Then go to family settings
You'll see timer controls etc
You need to set a password with the controller
Then choose what you want
Grin
My son hates that I pass this on to others!

lljkk · 08/06/2013 11:30

See the positives, it only lasts until he gets a girlfriend.
My younger DC also play, even the 4yo (5 now, even). But not obsessive like the teenager is.

monikar · 08/06/2013 12:26

I think this is very normal - things are very different from when we were this age. A lot of teens' socialising is done over the internet and xbox.

Minecraft it a nice little game - there is no violence or bad language, just building like lego and collecting things as far as I can gather. DD (17) still plays it occasionally.

As others say it is a phase he may grow out of.

soontobeslendergirl · 08/06/2013 22:54

My son (12 almost 13) says I am prolonging his obsession by curtailing his use - he says that if I let him play unrestricted he would get bored eventually and go do something else........maybe he has a point....

Oblomov · 09/06/2013 08:36

Bet you, that when we all get to the 'trauma of having girlfirends era', we'll all be wishing them back onto their minecraft obsession, with longing eyes. Ha ha.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 09/06/2013 08:43

DS1 (13) used to be obsessed with Minecraft but now self-regulates to about half an hour a day.

DS2 (11) divides his screen time equally between Minecraft (and videos about it on YouTube) and strategy games (Bloons Tower Defence type stuff).

DS3 has asked for Minecraft for his 9th birthday.

Princessjonsie · 12/06/2013 14:52

My stepson has Asperger's syndrome . He is 20 and given his own way he would spend all day and night playing this game. He visits for 2 weeks each year, we live 400 miles from him and his mum, and all he wants to do when he arrives is go to his room, play mine craft and drink jack Daniels. We try to take him out but he becomes very difficult and just wants to get back. He is visiting for 11 days this year but his dad and I have to work and he is extremely happy with this as it means he is alone from 7-am till 6 pm and he can all that time of uninterrupted mine craft . It worries the hell out of me

Original poster
Travelledtheworld · 13/06/2013 13:24

Thanks for the reassurance folks. We did Actually have a pleasant walk together the other night, and ended playing a game of catch with a cricket ball in a nearby field.

So I am sure he will grow out of it eventually.......

OP posts:
LazyMonkeyButler · 19/06/2013 00:52

DS1 has Aspergers. Minecraft is everything to him Sad. You should hear the language if the broadband dares to falter for a moment.

He is 15. I sincerely hope he grows out of it (MC) soon.

Princessjonsie · 25/06/2013 05:39

See my post. DSS is nearly 21 and has spent 90 percent of his time locked in spare room on mine craft. If he isn't playing he is talking about it. Good luck

belld1 · 27/09/2013 22:09

My grandson (who lives with me) loves minecraft, unfortunately he is only sociable through games and not outside groups. Does anyone know of any Minecraft groups in or around Newcastle so he could at least socialise that way ? desperate

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