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Minecraft is very popular among kids, however I tried hard to deny my kids to play that. Instead I redirect them to program in python and processing and javascr

by ausjke 12y ago

Minecraft is very popular among kids, however I tried hard to deny my kids to play that. Instead I redirect them to program in python and processing and javascript, that might be more boring but they can play whatever games they built themselves using the 'real' programming language. So far it worked well. I always wondered how beneficial Minecraft(and the new code Mod) could be to kids? I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids...

Ntrails 12y ago
If the child is at an age where you should be worried about their ability to handle the game, you should be monitoring their usage as well. Unless you can keep them away from all of the different ways they can find addictive games to play (hello flash player) then it seems to me better to be involved and encouraging responsible use? I don't know that minecraft needs to be beneficial. I certainly doubt super mario or sonic the hedgehog were when I was young. It's a game. It allows lots of creativity, it has lots of variety. No mod will change the fact that it's still a computer game. Treat it as such and I don't see a problem?
DanBC 12y ago
> always wondered how beneficial Minecraft It's fun and relaxing, and there's some evidence that children need relaxation. It's also potentially sociable, if you can find a suitable server. While I wouldn't want to overstate the benefits of Minecraft I do think it's a pretty awesome game that changes to fit the playstyle of whoever's using it. I've seen amazing things made in creative. Not just stuff turned into a model and imported, but built block by block. > I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids... Set firm boundaries and stick to them. Set conditions on play - "You must have finished homework before play". This also means that you have a privilege that you can withdraw if needed.
linksbro 12y ago
I would agree with you if you were talking about Call Of Duty, but I think Minecraft is a different game. The amount of potential creativeness and ingenuity that exists just in vanilla-minecraft makes the game more appealing developmentally to kids. Building structures develops spacial reasoning and 3d thinking. Collecting resources disciplines management skills. Collaborating with others and respecting their buildings both teach important social behaviors that are otherwise non-existent in most other popular games. These are just a few reasons why minecraft is both a really fun game, and a really exciting game to push further. It's the modern sandbox game, and it's just a canvas. So we are trying to bring programming to the above skill set with learntomod.
erbo 12y ago
How about playing with your kids? I have a private Minecraft server set up where I, my fiancee, our godsons, and their mother all collaborate. We use a custom-assembled modpack with a lot of different options; my fiancee has been learning to breed trees and bees (Forestry mod), while I've got a nuclear reactor going (IndustrialCraft 2 mod) and am starting to design a rail system (RailCraft mod), and one of our godsons has been building fancy houses, furnished with add-ons from BiblioCraft and MrCrayfish's Furniture Mod.
- ausjke 12y ago
  Honestly I don't know I can host Minecraft for free, maybe I can set up a server to try it out and see how it goes. What's minecraft's business model if the server is free?
  - bnejad 12y ago
    They sell copies of the games? I don't play minecraft but AFAIK they don't host any servers themselves, its all community driven servers.
    - ausjke 12y ago
      OK. Thanks. Just checked with my kids and I was told they're no longer interested in mindcraft and think it's "boring". They're doing those html5-games-for-fun and got addicted into chess these days.
      - erbo 12y ago
        Have they tried modded versions? You can add mods to Minecraft for almost limitless capabilities.
  - erbo 12y ago
    Sort of backwards to what you might expect: they give away the server and sell the client. (Which makes sense, since the client can also be used to play standalone.) The client costs $26.95; you can buy it online with a credit card, or buy prepaid game license cards in some stores. You authenticate with Mojang's central server when you play the game. Actual game servers are usually configured to reject client connections if the user isn't authenticated. (You can turn that option off, but you get a big warning message in the server logs when you do.) The same login for "vanilla" Minecraft also works with modded versions, such as those accessed through the Technic Launcher (http://www.technicpack.net http://www.technicpack.net).
ausjke 12y ago
I'm always curious on why I got a downvote here? The silent downvote for no explanation at HN sometimes drove me from curious to furious.

by ausjke 12y ago

Ntrails 12y ago

If the child is at an age where you should be worried about their ability to handle the game, you should be monitoring their usage as well. Unless you can keep them away from all of the different ways they can find addictive games to play (hello flash player) then it seems to me better to be involved and encouraging responsible use? I don't know that minecraft needs to be beneficial. I certainly doubt super mario or sonic the hedgehog were when I was young. It's a game. It allows lots of creativity, it has lots of variety. No mod will change the fact that it's still a computer game. Treat it as such and I don't see a problem?

DanBC 12y ago

> always wondered how beneficial Minecraft It's fun and relaxing, and there's some evidence that children need relaxation. It's also potentially sociable, if you can find a suitable server. While I wouldn't want to overstate the benefits of Minecraft I do think it's a pretty awesome game that changes to fit the playstyle of whoever's using it. I've seen amazing things made in creative. Not just stuff turned into a model and imported, but built block by block. > I dared not to let them play as I was told it's too addictive for kids... Set firm boundaries and stick to them. Set conditions on play - "You must have finished homework before play". This also means that you have a privilege that you can withdraw if needed.

linksbro 12y ago

I would agree with you if you were talking about Call Of Duty, but I think Minecraft is a different game. The amount of potential creativeness and ingenuity that exists just in vanilla-minecraft makes the game more appealing developmentally to kids. Building structures develops spacial reasoning and 3d thinking. Collecting resources disciplines management skills. Collaborating with others and respecting their buildings both teach important social behaviors that are otherwise non-existent in most other popular games. These are just a few reasons why minecraft is both a really fun game, and a really exciting game to push further. It's the modern sandbox game, and it's just a canvas. So we are trying to bring programming to the above skill set with learntomod.

erbo 12y ago

How about playing with your kids? I have a private Minecraft server set up where I, my fiancee, our godsons, and their mother all collaborate. We use a custom-assembled modpack with a lot of different options; my fiancee has been learning to breed trees and bees (Forestry mod), while I've got a nuclear reactor going (IndustrialCraft 2 mod) and am starting to design a rail system (RailCraft mod), and one of our godsons has been building fancy houses, furnished with add-ons from BiblioCraft and MrCrayfish's Furniture Mod.

ausjke 12y ago
Honestly I don't know I can host Minecraft for free, maybe I can set up a server to try it out and see how it goes. What's minecraft's business model if the server is free?
- bnejad 12y ago
  They sell copies of the games? I don't play minecraft but AFAIK they don't host any servers themselves, its all community driven servers.
  - ausjke 12y ago
    OK. Thanks. Just checked with my kids and I was told they're no longer interested in mindcraft and think it's "boring". They're doing those html5-games-for-fun and got addicted into chess these days.
    - erbo 12y ago
      Have they tried modded versions? You can add mods to Minecraft for almost limitless capabilities.
- erbo 12y ago
  Sort of backwards to what you might expect: they give away the server and sell the client. (Which makes sense, since the client can also be used to play standalone.) The client costs $26.95; you can buy it online with a credit card, or buy prepaid game license cards in some stores. You authenticate with Mojang's central server when you play the game. Actual game servers are usually configured to reject client connections if the user isn't authenticated. (You can turn that option off, but you get a big warning message in the server logs when you do.) The same login for "vanilla" Minecraft also works with modded versions, such as those accessed through the Technic Launcher (http://www.technicpack.net http://www.technicpack.net).

ausjke 12y ago

I'm always curious on why I got a downvote here? The silent downvote for no explanation at HN sometimes drove me from curious to furious.