Minecraft - I don't get it.

odusgolp

Dear Friends,

My 7 year old is obsessed with Minecraft, and I don't get it. Not that I really "get" any video games, but particularly this one. The graphics are awful - which I understand is intentional, but... why? It seems to me all he does is build things, which is cool and imaginative and all... but why not then build in The Sims or something a little more graphically stimulating? He has sheep & cows & chickens. He has no monsters or killing stuff, so (according to his father) he's in some sort of restricted mode.

Anyhow... I don't get it. And I WANT to get it. So please explain... there's clearly something I'm missing here, and I need to up my cool factor by understanding this damn game. Is there a goal? Is there a way to "win?"


Signed,

Totally confused, out of the loop, hopeless mother.

escloflowneCHANGED

I don't get it either, it's boring as hell! My friends spend countless hours playing that game, it's lame.

amluvstld

Oh my lawd! My 3 boys love that game! They talk to me all excited about it, and I just nod and listen with my eyes glazed over. It's craziness. I don't get it, either. But that's ok, they get it and that's all that matter, I guess. LOL

RobTheGourmet

Dear Friends,

My 7 year old is obsessed with Minecraft, and I don't get it. Not that I really "get" any video games, but particularly this one. The graphics are awful - which I understand is intentional, but... why? It seems to me all he does is build things, which is cool and imaginative and all... but why not then build in The Sims or something a little more graphically stimulating? He has sheep & cows & chickens. He has no monsters or killing stuff, so (according to his father) he's in some sort of restricted mode.

Anyhow... I don't get it. And I WANT to get it. So please explain... there's clearly something I'm missing here, and I need to up my cool factor by understanding this damn game. Is there a goal? Is there a way to "win?"


Signed,

Totally confused, out of the loop, hopeless mother.

digital lego to occupy the mind with digital fantasy exploring is my best guess.

LosinItAll2012

I have 2 boys...ages 7 and 9...They absolutely love MineCraft as well....

I don't "get" it either...but they like it... It's just building their own towns and villages, as far as I can tell.

As long as they are happy...and this is one of the few non-violent games they play... I'm ok with it!!

odusgolp

Oh my lawd! My 3 boys love that game! They talk to me all excited about it, and I just nod and listen with my eyes glazed over. It's craziness. I don't get it, either. But that's ok, they get it and that's all that matter, I guess. LOL

I totally smile and nod too... "Oh that's cool, honey." ***no clue what i'm looking at***

skullshank

my 10yo is also obsessed. OBSESSED. he plays it on both xbox and ipod, watches videos about it on youtube, aspires to MAKE videos about it on youtube, insagrams screenshots of it.

i prefer this over, say COD, though. i look at it as digital legos...its creative, and its pretty open-ended.

do i get the draw? i can see how its fun, sure....but i dont understand the obsession.

odusgolp

Don't get me wrong, I have NO problem with him playing it. He has times he's allowed and times he's kicked out to go play outside *LOL* But I just wish I understood it better. I'm a total accountant and I like everything to have an answer. I need answers!!!

luvJOJO

My 9yo is obsessed with Minecraft too. He plays constantly and when he's not playing it he's on youtube watching the minecraft videos. I don't get it either.

capnrus789

I am very happy not knowing what minecraft is. I'm very happy that my kid only has a Nintendo DS (which was my wifes anyway), but hasn't played it in over a month. I'm very happy that my kid would rather go outside and play frisbee than play video games.

That said, he can't get enough of his Beyblade tops.

amluvstld

My 9yo is obsessed with Minecraft too. He plays constantly and when he's not playing it he's on youtube watching the minecraft videos. I don't get it either.

Yes, the videos, too! Srsly? LOL

Tony_Brewski

Digital Lego's? So that's what I've been missing out on?! Why didn't anyone tell me!? Now I have to get this on Xbox thanks!

Gearjammer71

I didn't get it either. The graphics absolutely disgusted me. My 9 year old is enthralled by it, and I did not understand at all. I tried to play it and realized that he is quite a bit more creative than I thought. Instead of mindless blasting things to bits in a FPS type game he is spending his game time putting together virtual assemblies and constructing things of his own imagination.

It suddenly seems somewhat cooler.

odusgolp

I am very happy not knowing what minecraft is. I'm very happy that my kid only has a Nintendo DS (which was my wifes anyway), but hasn't played it in over a month. I'm very happy that my kid would rather go outside and play frisbee than play video games.

That said, he can't get enough of his Beyblade tops.

How old is he? I have about 20 my boy doesn't play with anymore

odusgolp

And, I'm totally glad I'm not alone here. I'll quit wondering and just accept it as "digital legos" and carry on with my life

Thank you

darkguardian419

My 11 year old is obsessed with it.

I like it, it's fun to explore, and see some interesting combos... but, it only goes so far before you HAVE to make it interesting.

The game is open-source, so with some understanding of programming you can change what you want... establish "rules" to make the game more challenging, etc etc.

JenAndSome

My kids play it all the time, too. I like video games, but I really don't understand Minecraft. However, my kids, especially my six year old are determined to teach me about this game so it is all they talk about. Ever. So far this is what I know about Minecraft:

There are creepers and creepers are bad and possibly like large spiders. They will kill you and/or blow up your house.

There are mods and there are a lot of them, but I still don't know what that means.

Your name is Steve.

Herobrine is the main bad guy and he has a thousand lives and you can't beat him.

Herobrine looks like Steve except his eyes are white because he is a ghost.

You build stuff and look for gems like obsidian and diamonds.

There are two modes. In creative mode you are given all the supplies you need to build whatever you want. In Survival mode you must find the things you need.

Don't fall into lava or you will die.

You can get eggs from chickens, but you need fire to cook the eggs.

You can kill sheep.

darkguardian419

I didn't get it either. The graphics absolutely disgusted me. My 9 year old is enthralled by it, and I did not understand at all. I tried to play it and realized that he is quite a bit more creative than I thought. Instead of mindless blasting things to bits in a FPS type game he is spending his game time putting together virtual assemblies and constructing things of his own imagination.

It suddenly seems somewhat cooler.

Graphics are part of a gimmick, but also... you are able to interact with literally EVERY SINGLE THING in the game... if you were to try to apply a better image (picture, vs windows 98-era pattern) most computers would not be able to handle the game.

BlueBombers

My two boys LOVE that game. They have tried to explain how it works to me and I still don't understand it.

odusgolp

My 11 year old is obsessed with it.

I like it, it's fun to explore, and see some interesting combos... but, it only goes so far before you HAVE to make it interesting.

The game is open-source, so with some understanding of programming you can change what you want... establish "rules" to make the game more challenging, etc etc.

I'll just go on record and say I prefer the Sims... making people dance and cry and stuff. But that's not free, so there is that :ohwell:

JenAndSome

My 9yo is obsessed with Minecraft too. He plays constantly and when he's not playing it he's on youtube watching the minecraft videos. I don't get it either.

My kids do this, too. It's so annoying.