5 ms·

Minecraft is one of the few games that I think everyone should try. It's not just "another video game", but something quite unique. It hits a certain part of th

Minecraft is one of the few games that I think everyone should try. It's not just "another video game", but something quite unique. It hits a certain part of the brain in both "creative expression" and "exploring the unknown" that we exercise so rarely in day to day life (or in other games). It's no wonder it really sticks with kids and becomes a way for them to express imagination. Make sure you sit down and try playing with them at some point, it'll be a fun learning experience for everyone involved.

jsilence 7y ago
What would be a sensible minimum age for minecraft?
- tVoss42 7y ago
  As soon as they can use a mouse and keyboard or controller. Seriously though, there's no mature themes in it at all, and if the gameplay is too difficult there's always creative mode which is literally digital legos. There's also a multiplayer where they can connect to servers and play with other people. That's where you might want to use some discretion, as the experience will vary from server to server.
- sandworm101 7y ago
  Solo modes: whenever they can manipulate the interface. Online/shared server modes: when they understand the evils of the internet well enough to be safe. Setup and admin a server yourself. Watch how they play. Dont let it get too big. A dozen or two per server. Dont let them play with thousands of total strangers. That always ends in tears.
  - retube 7y ago
    Can a server be hosted at home, or does it need to be on a proper hosting platform? Windows or linux?
    - allannienhuis 7y ago
      You can host the java version of the server on any machine. You can also just expose any client's game instance to your local LAN - that's all I do when playing with my grandkids. There are ways of doing multiplayer on your local LAN with a single account as well by simply editing your name in a single config file per machine. Google is your friend there. :)
    - m_t 7y ago
      The server is in java, so can be run where you want really. You can check this out: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/ https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/
    - aeorgnoieang 7y ago
      I've used this: - https://gamocosm.com/ https://gamocosm.com/ to host an Internet-accessible server pretty easily (on a DigitalOcean droplet).
    - vidarh 7y ago
      On top of what others have mentioned: There are basically two version of Minecraft at this point. The "classic" Java version, and the MCPE version, which is what you get on Apple devices, Android and the "native" Windows 10 version. The latter has "realms", where you can just pay to have Microsoft host it for you, and is tied into Xbox Live.
      - RHSeeger 7y ago
        I play what I thought way the recent version and I can play with my daughter (on the same LAN) by selecting Friends and clicking her game.
      - AgentME 7y ago
        The official names of the different versions are "Java Edition" and "Bedrock Edition". Java Edition is the one that lets you run your own server, is more moddable, and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Bedrock Edition is the one that works on Windows, consoles, and mobile. People can invite people into their own world as long as they're online. Your only private server option is Realms, which is a subscription service. (Edit: Apparently there is finally publicly-available server software for Bedrock Edition. I doubt it's very moddable though, so don't expect to be able to run a public server with all the modded tools you'd expect if you were familiar with running Java Edition servers. Also, I don't think the console versions of Minecraft can join arbitrary servers.) The Java Edition and Bedrock edition are not cross-compatible with each other. They are fully compatible within each-other though. Bedrock Edition supports cross-play between different consoles and PC, etc.
- fhbdukfrh 7y ago
  As soon as they always want the tablet you're better off compromising on Minecraft than fighting screen time head on
- pnutjam 7y ago
  My littlest were scared of the zombie pigmen. I'd say around 7 or 8.
  - FooHentai 7y ago
    You can set the difficulty to 'peaceful' to get rid of all the scary stuff.
- softawre 7y ago
  For playing alone in the game? 5 years old. For playing with random internet people? 30 years old
- ds206 7y ago
  My daughter started around 4 after she could hold an Xbox 1 controller. She could hardly push any buttons or move the characters around in the beginning, but within a few weeks she had mastered the common stuff. She usually sticks to creative mode because the monsters used to scare her. She got over that too after learning how to spawn them herself and then it became: how many skeletons can I fit in my house? It's been amazing to watch her growth.
earenndil 7y ago
I don't know; I tried minecraft, and just...couldn't get into it. I did play dwarf fortress briefly, though, and I think that gave me some of the feelings people who get really sucked into minecraft get.
- nyolfen 7y ago
  most people find it more engaging with friends (like most games), but df will definitely scratch a lot of similar itches
  - pnutjam 7y ago
    I prefer to explore alone, no creative mode. I let my kids in my world sometimes.
jordache 7y ago
the tedious mining is definitely unique... holding down the mouse button to mine is creative expression?
- edraferi 7y ago
  There’s always Creative mode if you don’t like the resource constraint dynamic. The mining in Survival mode is a challenge to think your way out of. You have to be smart to know the most productive ways to get the resources you need. You have to evaluate trade offs between your ideal structure and materials against what’s available in the environment. Sometimes you have to strike out to explore for greener pastures. It’s way better than automated skinner boxes that pretend to be games...
- recursive 7y ago
  You might have missed the point.
- andrepd 7y ago
  >holding down the mouse button to mine And football is just kicking a ball in a pitch, and racing games is just going in circles in a track. Obviously there's more to it than that simplistic reduction. In particular, you have to think where you mine, how you organise your explorations. Then, you can run into myriad things as you explore: caves, water, lava, dungeons, monster spawners, many types of ore and rock... And if you don't fancy that and just want the equivalent of a bottomless box of legos, just fire up creative mode.
  - zimpenfish 7y ago
    > you have to think where you mine Never straight down. Or straight up. Ye gods, the lava.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
fhbdukfrh 7y ago
You should give slime rancher a go. It has some neat mechanics while still being somewhat open world.

jsilence 7y ago

What would be a sensible minimum age for minecraft?

tVoss42 7y ago
As soon as they can use a mouse and keyboard or controller. Seriously though, there's no mature themes in it at all, and if the gameplay is too difficult there's always creative mode which is literally digital legos. There's also a multiplayer where they can connect to servers and play with other people. That's where you might want to use some discretion, as the experience will vary from server to server.
sandworm101 7y ago
Solo modes: whenever they can manipulate the interface. Online/shared server modes: when they understand the evils of the internet well enough to be safe. Setup and admin a server yourself. Watch how they play. Dont let it get too big. A dozen or two per server. Dont let them play with thousands of total strangers. That always ends in tears.
- retube 7y ago
  Can a server be hosted at home, or does it need to be on a proper hosting platform? Windows or linux?
  - allannienhuis 7y ago
    You can host the java version of the server on any machine. You can also just expose any client's game instance to your local LAN - that's all I do when playing with my grandkids. There are ways of doing multiplayer on your local LAN with a single account as well by simply editing your name in a single config file per machine. Google is your friend there. :)
  - m_t 7y ago
    The server is in java, so can be run where you want really. You can check this out: https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/ https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/
  - aeorgnoieang 7y ago
    I've used this: - https://gamocosm.com/ https://gamocosm.com/ to host an Internet-accessible server pretty easily (on a DigitalOcean droplet).
  - vidarh 7y ago
    On top of what others have mentioned: There are basically two version of Minecraft at this point. The "classic" Java version, and the MCPE version, which is what you get on Apple devices, Android and the "native" Windows 10 version. The latter has "realms", where you can just pay to have Microsoft host it for you, and is tied into Xbox Live.
    - RHSeeger 7y ago
      I play what I thought way the recent version and I can play with my daughter (on the same LAN) by selecting Friends and clicking her game.
    - AgentME 7y ago
      The official names of the different versions are "Java Edition" and "Bedrock Edition". Java Edition is the one that lets you run your own server, is more moddable, and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Bedrock Edition is the one that works on Windows, consoles, and mobile. People can invite people into their own world as long as they're online. Your only private server option is Realms, which is a subscription service. (Edit: Apparently there is finally publicly-available server software for Bedrock Edition. I doubt it's very moddable though, so don't expect to be able to run a public server with all the modded tools you'd expect if you were familiar with running Java Edition servers. Also, I don't think the console versions of Minecraft can join arbitrary servers.) The Java Edition and Bedrock edition are not cross-compatible with each other. They are fully compatible within each-other though. Bedrock Edition supports cross-play between different consoles and PC, etc.
fhbdukfrh 7y ago
As soon as they always want the tablet you're better off compromising on Minecraft than fighting screen time head on
pnutjam 7y ago
My littlest were scared of the zombie pigmen. I'd say around 7 or 8.
- FooHentai 7y ago
  You can set the difficulty to 'peaceful' to get rid of all the scary stuff.
softawre 7y ago
For playing alone in the game? 5 years old. For playing with random internet people? 30 years old
ds206 7y ago
My daughter started around 4 after she could hold an Xbox 1 controller. She could hardly push any buttons or move the characters around in the beginning, but within a few weeks she had mastered the common stuff. She usually sticks to creative mode because the monsters used to scare her. She got over that too after learning how to spawn them herself and then it became: how many skeletons can I fit in my house? It's been amazing to watch her growth.

earenndil 7y ago

I don't know; I tried minecraft, and just...couldn't get into it. I did play dwarf fortress briefly, though, and I think that gave me some of the feelings people who get really sucked into minecraft get.

nyolfen 7y ago
most people find it more engaging with friends (like most games), but df will definitely scratch a lot of similar itches
- pnutjam 7y ago
  I prefer to explore alone, no creative mode. I let my kids in my world sometimes.

jordache 7y ago

the tedious mining is definitely unique... holding down the mouse button to mine is creative expression?

edraferi 7y ago
There’s always Creative mode if you don’t like the resource constraint dynamic. The mining in Survival mode is a challenge to think your way out of. You have to be smart to know the most productive ways to get the resources you need. You have to evaluate trade offs between your ideal structure and materials against what’s available in the environment. Sometimes you have to strike out to explore for greener pastures. It’s way better than automated skinner boxes that pretend to be games...
recursive 7y ago
You might have missed the point.
andrepd 7y ago
>holding down the mouse button to mine And football is just kicking a ball in a pitch, and racing games is just going in circles in a track. Obviously there's more to it than that simplistic reduction. In particular, you have to think where you mine, how you organise your explorations. Then, you can run into myriad things as you explore: caves, water, lava, dungeons, monster spawners, many types of ore and rock... And if you don't fancy that and just want the equivalent of a bottomless box of legos, just fire up creative mode.
- zimpenfish 7y ago
  > you have to think where you mine Never straight down. Or straight up. Ye gods, the lava.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

fhbdukfrh 7y ago

You should give slime rancher a go. It has some neat mechanics while still being somewhat open world.