Minecraft - I don't get it.
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My kids obsess over this game ... We have had to put limits in place to keep it from taking over theire entire life.
That said, the graphics aren't horrible, they are intentionally retro. You actually need quite a sophisticated machine to run it smoothly.
Think about this... I bet your kids think MFP, Facebook, and candy crush are just as pointless.
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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.
Replace 10 year old with 5 year old and you have my son. lol
I agree with the digital lego description. Seems harmless so long as the creeps and zombies are kept out of it.0 -
I have two teenage boys and not only do they both play MC, but I play it with them. I'm not going to try to defend the game, but it is fun! No way you'd ever get me to play the Sims. It's not unusual to see my kids research building styles of different northern European cultures and then building areas with similar design elements (with lots of discussion that spills into dinner time etc, so I can relate to some of the comments I've seen from others).
They have figured out how to use redstone to approximate digital circuitry and coming up will all sorts of diabolical traps and automatic structures. This also lead to actual discussions of digital circuitry with actual components and soldering etc.
Their building efforts have included construction of massive buildings/cities/ and above and below ground areas.
Usually we are all tied to the same LAN server and can build areas that neighbor each other. I think it's a pretty creative activity as well as being a lot of fun.
All of their computer game time is restricted to one evening a week, so it never gets to be a major time sink for them, but I don't mind the time they spend on MC or any computer game.0 -
My 16 year old son and all his friends play it! Like you, I just don't get it, the graphics are rubbish, square sheep - really?? However, it's quite an involved building game, I hadn't thought of it that way before, but like someone else said it's virtual Lego. With the "interest" of quests to find the right stuff to build with and the added attraction that you can play online with a whole group of friends. Personally I just think it's a waste of time, spending hours on a website, interacting with people on line......................oh!! This is completely different!!!
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I don’t get the obsession either, but my son (9yrs) loves it as well as my daughter (11). My daughter isn’t as diehard though as my son as he can spend an awful lot of time watching videos, facetiming his friend on the iPAD while playing online on the laptop. If I didn’t limit the time he would be on there all day. It’s crazy. But it is very creative and fits into what my son likes i.e. building things, so I may not get it, but my kids do & that’s all that matters to me.0
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I spent hours as a kid on The Elder Scrolls Construction Set building daedric ruins, fortresses, characters, storylines, factions, quests, and so on. Anything that I could imagine within the realm of Morrowind I could put together in the Construction Set and test out with my in-game character. I loved it!
Perhaps, it's the same for minecraft (but with worse graphics). There is little limit to the freedom of gameplay and expression.0 -
Homer just shared this with me and I have to pass it along. It's pretty fabulous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvBYRMYfSA4
That is pretty cute. My son loves all of the Minecraft parody songs. He is constantly watching them on YouTube. I will have to show him this one. Thanks!0 -
Mine loves the YouTube vids as well. I just nod, eyes glazed, wow awesome sweetie lol. We are already planning his Minecraft birthday party for October o.O.0
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Mine loves the YouTube vids as well. I just nod, eyes glazed, wow awesome sweetie lol. We are already planning his Minecraft birthday party for October o.O.
If you need Minecraft invitations, I know someone that does amazing work. Seriously, I can PM you her Etsy page if interested.0 -
Same...but mine are 11 and 8.
It could be because I won't let them play other "more fun" games...
...or because I won't buy them anymore of those horrible Skylanders characters. (Now <--- *that* is a truly evil game. Hundreds of dollars to "catch 'em all"*)
* Yeah, I know, wrong game...but shut up...because don't care.
^^ wait! your kids don't want all of everything? like EVERYTHING?? I still have to buy stupid skylanders.0 -
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.
Well, one thing I hope you can understand and respect is that when it comes to things that require creativity, you never really can outgrow them. You may not be able to do it yourself because you're not creative, but creativity in and of itself transcends age.0 -
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.
There's no winning, it's hugely creative. (He's in creative mode, btw. That's why no monsters.) Look at it this way. Minecraft is legos you can't step on or have to pick up. And be happy he's not obsessed with a first person shooter simulation. No one ever went nuts chopping pretend trees, and building pretend barns to put chickens in. Also, pity those of us who have it worse than you. My 8 year old, 5 year old AND husband are obsessed. We are going to Minecon for family vacation this November. I've sworn that I'm NOT attending, but I will be renting a kayak and exploring the Everglades those two days. They don't care.0 -
Minecraft? Never heard of it.
But your icon... ...I call shenanigans. *narrows eyes*
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Lol. Yes it is digital legos! My kids like it, they even have an android app. Minecraft everywhere.0
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Same...but mine are 11 and 8.
It could be because I won't let them play other "more fun" games...
...or because I won't buy them anymore of those horrible Skylanders characters. (Now <--- *that* is a truly evil game. Hundreds of dollars to "catch 'em all"*)
* Yeah, I know, wrong game...but shut up...because don't care.
^^ wait! your kids don't want all of everything? like EVERYTHING?? I still have to buy stupid skylanders.
Oh, they *want* everything...
...but in no way does that equate to my having to actually *buy* anything...
...because parent.0 -
Have you tried playing it yourself? I have a lot of friends my age obsessed with it.0
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Its legos in a video game.. what is NOT to love. :laugh: I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with it but I do enjoy playing it once in awhile. I think its more fun to play with people rather then by yourself though.0
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My boys all love it--they're 8, 10, & 11. I have never played it myself--if I play a video game it's generally New Super Mario Bros. They watch all the videos as well. Last Christmas I made my 10 yo a 2 foot tall Creeper & Enderman.0
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I don't get how someone could not get it.0
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Minecraft? Never heard of it.
But your icon... ...I call shenanigans. *narrows eyes*
:laugh:
I, uh....I don't know what you're talking about. ...yeah.
I mean, I don't spend my free time rebuilding movie sets as Minecraft maps or anything. That would be crazy. 0
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