It’s Not… “just another video game”

By: Kathleen Simoes

It is not unbeknownst to most that Minecraft has quickly grown over the years to become the world’s second-best selling video game of all time, Tetris being the first. So why do kids love this game so much? Minecraft is a game with endless possibilities where players have the ability to be dropped into different worlds to create anything from Castles in the sky to cabins on land or underwater, with the use of blocks and other resources. The game is endless and has no limits, which not only allows the children to build anything they can imagine, but revisit and makes changes dependent on what their creative minds can come up with from one moment to the next.

So why is Minecraft not “just another video game” as stated in the title of this article? Well, let me give you some reasons why. Minecraft is not only educational, but it also comes with many social benefits that are crucial in becoming a well-rounded member of society. Let’s take a look at some of the important skills your children are developing while playing Minecraft that they may not even be aware of.

Just on the basis of education Minecraft exposes children to subjects such as history, math, reading, writing, problem solving and STEM knowledge. During gameplay, children are able to reconstruct historical buildings and bring them into their world all while using mathematical skills to calculate things including; how much of each resource they need to construct their buildings, as well how much area (space) is needed to build their Cities or buildings. Children also get a chance to practice reading and writing skills not only in multiplayer servers where they can interact with others on the server but also during singular gameplay to read the names of all the resource options they have when bringing their creations to life.

With Minecraft’s LearnToMod software players are able to use their creative imagination to help their modification ideas come to life (in the game of course) using Java programming, giving the player more interactive options during gameplay. This software also allows players to share their mods in the multiplayer servers and share texture packs as well as schematics whether you know how to code or not. Players also learn to set up and configure their own servers, exposing them how inter-connected computers (client & server) work.

Now, let’s take a look at the social benefits to Minecraft. As a kid finding people with similar interests and making friends is not always an easy task. Minecraft is a multi-server game that allows kids in different locations to join and work together to create a world of endless possibilities, together. In allowing children to come together to work on achieving their goals, children are encouraged and rewarded for teamwork, and leadership skills as well as they get ample opportunities to develop and refine problem-solving skills.

Minecraft is an excellent game that allows children to become critical and creative thinkers while giving them the opportunity to make friends and work together for a common goal, thus also aiding in building their confidence. Minecraft is a game built for and by the innovators of the future, and thus, it’s not… “just another video game”.

At Alpha Coding, we offer a wide variety of different learning experiences in Minecraft as well as many other computer coding classes. Book free trial classes for a week with us – sign up at alphacoding.com/free-trial or call our Customer Happiness team at (416) 445-7337 for more information.