Minecraft Mania
anyone else have kids that are just totally goo-goo (or gaa-gaa, if you prefer that vernacular) over the Minecraft game?
All 3 of our ladies are really into it. The youngest 2 especially. 1 of them even has the commemorative t-shirt.
If I remember correctly, their first exposure to Minecraft was back in Summer/Fall 2012. One of their friends showed it to them, and they almost immediately got hooked.
in fact, these days when our youngest is bored (such as last night at the football game), she asks for the iPhone so she can play Minecraft. Our middle daughter does the same thing when we're walking around an antique store.
I myself have not played it at all. but, I do have several sessions of "hey dad, watch this" under my belt, where they have called me over to sit and observe them work on their creation.
For those of you not familiar with what Minecraft is, here's some basic basics, based on what I have been able to glean during the "hey dad" sessions.
at the start of play, the game generates a "world" for the player. Oftentimes, this is a tropical, jungle-ly island with lots of beach, terrain and water features.
When it is day during the game, the player gets to use their imagination and creativity to improve their world. build buildings. make below-ground bunkers. flatten land. start a farm. beautify the island.
During the game's night period is when things really get interesting. ZOMBIES! "CREEPERS"! scary stuff tries to find you and take care of you, so that you don't see the dawn of a new day.
as you can see above, the graphics aren't stellar at all.... resembling pixelated legos, in my opinion. reminds me a lot of the graphics on the first Nintendo system. compared to some of the awesome 3D graphics available on video game systems today, it's somewhat shocking that such basic, blocky graphics can hold such a fixation on kids.
but with "sky the limit" on what kids can do with those blocks, I think that's really what is grabbing the attention of our girls. they've done amazing things with their islands. complexes of buildings. amazing treehouses. mansions built over water. even a McDonalds restaurant!
if you search online, you can find examples of what others have done. the guy who built the spaceship has been the one that impressed me the most.
there are players who have even recorded a tour of their island, set the tour to music, and put it out on YouTube. some of the videos out there are a real hoot. my fav: "Don't Mine at Night", a parody of a Katy Perry song.
I've looked online for anyone suggesting parental caution about this game and there's really nothing out there, other than the standard warning to monitor how much time kids spend online.
there is no foul language. and no sexual stuff.
the violence is very tame (when a "creeper" or zombie attacks, it's not gruesome at all).
there is a way to communicate ("chat") with other players around the globe, but that can be turned off.
it's an amazing little game that really makes the girls open up and think, design and get creative. time well spent... so much better than other games that do nothing to stimulate creativity.
plus, it's always fun to take out a zombie!!
out for now.....
Matt
