Minecraft - I don't get it.

odusgolp

It's easy. Why does anyone like sandbox games? Because they are imaginative. You don't need amazing graphics to have fun with a game (I really hate when people think that...).

Why would kids like Legos? It's just a bunch of tiny plastic rectangles. Do you think to yourself, "Why would they play with that when they can go out and build a REAL house with REAL 3D GRAPHICS"? I doubt it. You think "Oh look they are having fun building things only limited by their imagination". Also it keeps them out of your hair, which is always good.

Point is, the game is fun because it is a sandbox that just gives you a world where you can do what you want. You get to build things, break things, kill things, breed things, whatever. It has aspects of a puzzle games because there's a crafting system where you have to "draw" the thing you want to make. You have to gather resources (mostly mining) to make the things you want. You get fancier items the better you get, allowing you to build bigger and better stuff, allowing you access to better resources, which lets you build better stuff... See where I'm going here? Sure it's just blocks, but that's part of it's appeal. Minecraft is charming in it's simplicity, and I would suspect even more attractive to younger kids.

I play it, I love it, and I get it. You don't have to get it, but I don't see why you have to be so disparaging about it, especially when it's something your kids love.

Also, to someone above, Minecraft isn't free either. Also as you pointed out "The Sims" is more personal relationships, very much different than Minecraft, which is more about building and creating stuff from the world around you. Sim City and such would be a closer correlation, but it's still much more complicated and not really quite the same (you don't really "live" in the world you created, rather just watch the little people run around).

Calm down, grasshopper. I don't think anyone said anything particularly negative about the game at all.

odusgolp

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Meh... I still play neopets... playing games that look like it's for children doesn't make a person immature.

I know several adults that play it! And as someone else said, I'd totally vote Minecraft over something like COD!

gonesewing

Also, it seems to be universally loved by both girls and boys. My DD does not really like traditional video games (Little big planet, skylanders etc) but loves Minecraft. My DS loves them all.

elvensnow

Calm down, grasshopper. I don't think anyone said anything particularly negative about the game at all.

How is my post not calm? I was explaining to you the values of the game. It was your OP that said

The graphics are awful

but why not then build in The Sims or something a little more graphically stimulating

And other such disparaging remarks about Minecraft... and I was just responding to them. Sorry if you take it personal.

odusgolp

Calm down, grasshopper. I don't think anyone said anything particularly negative about the game at all.

How is my post not calm? I was explaining to you the values of the game. It was your OP that said

The graphics are awful

but why not then build in The Sims or something a little more graphically stimulating

And other such disparaging remarks about Minecraft... and I was just responding to them. Sorry if you take it personal.

This is true. I (aka. Your OP) did say the graphics were awful. And... yeah, I think they are. Doesn't mean the game doesn't have value. Thank you for taking time to explain.

Followingsea

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?

The graphics are very low resolution so that lower end computers can handle the resource load.

The difference between building something in the Sims vs building something in Minecraft is basically the difference between building something with Playmobil vs building something with LEGOs. Playmobil *looks* way nicer, has much better "resolution", but it's much more restricted - if you don't want to build something that isn't one of their predefined kits, you're going to have a much reduced toolkit. LEGOs are blockier and maybe won't make as nice looking a fire station as a Playmobil, but try building an intergalatic space station with a fire station kit....

Ditto Minecraft/The Sims. If you wanna build a house, you wanna go with The Sims where you can select from a variety of windows and doors and sidings and paint colors and furniture.

But if you want to build an underwater city, or a giant tram connecting two villages, or a dungeon with a monster trap in the basement, or a castle with a moat and internal garden... Minecraft is what you'll want to use.

k8blujay2

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Meh... I still play neopets... playing games that look like it's for children doesn't make a person immature.

I know several adults that play it! And as someone else said, I'd totally vote Minecraft over something like COD!

My husband plays COD (and like games) all the time... But I just can't get into those games.. I'm just not good at first person shooters... but stuff like this where it's more strategic and creative I like... I love the Sims franchise and like I said before, Neopets... Hell, I'm still binging on Candy Crush (damn you level 147 and your stupid *kitten* bombs)... It's a great way to relax.

After reading a little more about it, I would definitely let my kids play... but my one and only is just a tad too young at the moment.

jedigrover

Digital Lego is a good analogy. When I was a kid, Legos were expensive & my dad was a school teacher. So I got maybe one small set a year from my aunt as a birthday present. I would build & build. I also had: Lincoln Logs, Erector Set, Tinker Toys.

All these toys are related to another concept all kids know: the sandbox.

Build anything you want. Use your imagination. Invent. Take stuff apart & put it back together another way. So, so soooo much better than just run around a pre-built pretty world killing stuff.

Minecraft also has the option to do the "simulation" thing and have to make your creations "survive." That's fantastic for a young mind to start working through such problems. Since you brought up The Sims....I would say, more like SimCity, the classic game that spawned The Sims.

Who cares about the graphics? That's the lego-y nature of it. It also makes it fairly simple to understand how to put stuff together.

If a kid can't be outside playing cops & robbers, imagining their own Star Wars adventure, or playing in a sandbox; this is what I would want my kid playing. Something to engage the brain.

Maybe guys (in general) tend to "get it" more than gals (in general). It is very reminiscent of many "boy" games. It is building / creating / defending...which prepares a boy for what life is all about as a man.

If you have a child who is obsessed with creating / imagining, feel lucky! You may have a future engineer on your hands! My grandmother would give me old mechanical alarm clocks for me to take apart and explore how they worked, because she saw my curiosity & wanted to encourage it. What a blessing that was! Years later, I became the 1st in my family to get an M.S. degree--in Aerospace Engineering, no less. Largely because she took the interest in encouraging my passion to see "how stuff works."

Be an encourager, not a critic--even if you don't understand it. One of the greatest mistakes I ever made was listening to my father call one of my ideas (for a clutchless manual transmission...an "automatic manual") at age 14 "stupid." 5 years later, Porsche came out with their version of exactly that idea: Tiptronic. It was then that I began to listen to myself--seeing as I had recognized a marketable idea before anyone had seen it hit the marketplace.

JenAndSome

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Enjoying a video game says nothing about maturity. I still play Mario (all of them) and I play Pokemon. :ohwell:

SpeSHul_SnoflEHk

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.

Just spend the $20 so he can go and kill stuff for life. It's a lifetime membership fee. You will never see him without a computer in his hand again though.

KimINfortheWin

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.

I laughed so hard with this. Why? Because my 9 yo boy KILLS me with this game too. Videos, epad, Xbox, constantly talking and planning about what he is going to build next. He searches videos for ideas on what to build. As another person said, a lot of the videos are questionable and lots of language. There have been many I have banned from the house due to that.

We have had to ban Minecraft talk at the dinner table. And oh, that theme song. I dream with that blasted song in the background.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

I did not expect the butthurt that has surfaced in this thread.

Lol

odusgolp

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?

The graphics are very low resolution so that lower end computers can handle the resource load.

The difference between building something in the Sims vs building something in Minecraft is basically the difference between building something with Playmobil vs building something with LEGOs. Playmobil *looks* way nicer, has much better "resolution", but it's much more restricted - if you don't want to build something that isn't one of their predefined kits, you're going to have a much reduced toolkit. LEGOs are blockier and maybe won't make as nice looking a fire station as a Playmobil, but try building an intergalatic space station with a fire station kit....

Ditto Minecraft/The Sims. If you wanna build a house, you wanna go with The Sims where you can select from a variety of windows and doors and sidings and paint colors and furniture.

But if you want to build an underwater city, or a giant tram connecting two villages, or a dungeon with a monster trap in the basement, or a castle with a moat and internal garden... Minecraft is what you'll want to use.

So true. Good point. And back when I played the Sims (AGES ago) it did get boring after awhile. Making someone pee their pants is only fun the first 50 times or so...

amluvstld

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Enjoying a video game says nothing about maturity. I still play Mario (all of them) and I play Pokemon. :ohwell:

True! Once a gamer, always a gamer. It's in the DNA. I kick butt at all of the Lego games on Xbox. LOL My kids ask me to help them get stuff, good times.

contingencyplan

You build everything yourself. It's basically like playing with legos. Only with unlimited legos. It's more about creativity than anything else. And anyone who truly honestly believes you can outgrow legos--building blocks--has a very limited imagination. What you can do with them is limitless.

k8blujay2

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?

The graphics are very low resolution so that lower end computers can handle the resource load.

The difference between building something in the Sims vs building something in Minecraft is basically the difference between building something with Playmobil vs building something with LEGOs. Playmobil *looks* way nicer, has much better "resolution", but it's much more restricted - if you don't want to build something that isn't one of their predefined kits, you're going to have a much reduced toolkit. LEGOs are blockier and maybe won't make as nice looking a fire station as a Playmobil, but try building an intergalatic space station with a fire station kit....

Ditto Minecraft/The Sims. If you wanna build a house, you wanna go with The Sims where you can select from a variety of windows and doors and sidings and paint colors and furniture.

But if you want to build an underwater city, or a giant tram connecting two villages, or a dungeon with a monster trap in the basement, or a castle with a moat and internal garden... Minecraft is what you'll want to use.

So true. Good point. And back when I played the Sims (AGES ago) it did get boring after awhile. Making someone pee their pants is only fun the first 50 times or so...

Or making them "woohoo" everyone in sight...

ElikaCousland

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Meh... I still play neopets... playing games that look like it's for children doesn't make a person immature.

This.

Saying adults who play Minecraft are immature is like saying adults who read Harry Potter are immature, or adults who watch Princess Bride are immature. Just because something can be enjoyed by children doesn't mean it cannot also be enjoyed by adults.

Followingsea

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?

The graphics are very low resolution so that lower end computers can handle the resource load.

The difference between building something in the Sims vs building something in Minecraft is basically the difference between building something with Playmobil vs building something with LEGOs. Playmobil *looks* way nicer, has much better "resolution", but it's much more restricted - if you don't want to build something that isn't one of their predefined kits, you're going to have a much reduced toolkit. LEGOs are blockier and maybe won't make as nice looking a fire station as a Playmobil, but try building an intergalatic space station with a fire station kit....

Ditto Minecraft/The Sims. If you wanna build a house, you wanna go with The Sims where you can select from a variety of windows and doors and sidings and paint colors and furniture.

But if you want to build an underwater city, or a giant tram connecting two villages, or a dungeon with a monster trap in the basement, or a castle with a moat and internal garden... Minecraft is what you'll want to use.

So true. Good point. And back when I played the Sims (AGES ago) it did get boring after awhile. Making someone pee their pants is only fun the first 50 times or so...

Or making them "woohoo" everyone in sight...

Ok, maybe it's just me, but this *never* gets old >.>

AndiGirl70

sigh...my 26 year old "boss" is obsessed with that game.
I always knew he was extremely immature but reading that everyone's 8-10 year old plays it too, proves it!

Meh... I still play neopets... playing games that look like it's for children doesn't make a person immature.

This.

Saying adults who play Minecraft are immature is like saying adults who read Harry Potter are immature, or adults who watch Princess Bride are immature. Just because something can be enjoyed by children doesn't mean it cannot also be enjoyed by adults.

Well Damn!! That makes me the most immature 43 year old I know! :laugh:

odusgolp

Digital Lego is a good analogy. When I was a kid, Legos were expensive & my dad was a school teacher. So I got maybe one small set a year from my aunt as a birthday present. I would build & build. I also had: Lincoln Logs, Erector Set, Tinker Toys.

All these toys are related to another concept all kids know: the sandbox.

Build anything you want. Use your imagination. Invent. Take stuff apart & put it back together another way. So, so soooo much better than just run around a pre-built pretty world killing stuff.

This is probably the problem at hand... I don't get the sandbox either. I never knew what to do in a sandbox. I'm seriously the least creative person ever. My mother still laughs at my inability to "tell a story" unless I'm regurgitating something from a book.

Be an encourager, not a critic--even if you don't understand it. One of the greatest mistakes I ever made was listening to my father call one of my ideas (for a clutchless manual transmission...an "automatic manual") at age 14 "stupid." 5 years later, Porsche came out with their version of exactly that idea: Tiptronic. It was then that I began to listen to myself--seeing as I had recognized a marketable idea before anyone had seen it hit the marketplace.

Just for the record, I have NO issues with him playing at all, and I'd never mock something he does. This was a serious attempt to understand it better... which frankly, I think I do now.