Notes

Is Minecraft Good For Kids?

If you are a parent of children who are who are older than 5, the chances are high that you're well acquainted with Mojang's popular online game "Minecraft." But, is Minecraft harmful for children or is it good for kids? It all depends.



You have probably dropped a few buzzwords like "Steve," "Creepers," "Baby Zombie Pigman" in an effort to pretend you have been listening when your young "Minecraft" fan prattled on about a mod or whatever-it's-called. You might have had a bright brown and green cupcake at a child's birthday celebration, and then you realized the theme was at work.



You have most likely asked that your child quit the game. Perhaps, they demanded it. Then, possibly, you hid the "Minecraft"-supplying device after all kinds of ultimatums (yours) and loud protestations (your kids') and went to bed that night still cursing the "Minecraft" name under your breath.



If you somehow managed to get away from all this... please let us know your secrets.



What exactly is "Minecraft?"



"Minecraft" is an online game for single or multi-players that in essence gives kids the ability to build their own worlds complete with houses as well as pets and resources. There are even enemies that might sneak into their homes in the night and threaten them.



With a reported 176 million copies worldwide as of May 2019 and counting, and with 200 million registered users, there's no denying "Minecraft" is a phenomenon - and for some, almost seemingly addictive.



Is "Minecraft" bad for kids?



Are they getting the keys to a kingdom that could quickly become "Lord of the Flies" in the event that the wrong hands are involved?



"Minecraft is available online as Legos," parenting and expert on child development Dr. Deborah Gilboa told TODAY Parents. "Could your child play rogue on 'Minecraft,' create something inappropriate, or focus on destruction and gore? It is possible.



"But it's not the goal or the primary goal of the game," she said, "and most 'Minecraft' obsessions make kids more creative, improve their cognitive flexibility and working memory and allow them to be proud of their geeky skills."



The TODAY Parents newsletter will keep you up-to-date with parenting stories. freddy's blog Sign up here.



The game isn't entirely bad. NBC News even used it to explain who controls the moon once. But what happens to all that screen-time?



Parents, be assured An analysis conducted in 2017 by the Oxford Internet Institute (Centre for Child Development) found that the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for managing screen time for children could be alarmist or misguided.



'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live



The AAP recommends that children limit their screen time to between 1 and 2 hours per day. However an Oxford study found that children who use screens in a moderate way over the AAP's guidelines could be more successful.



"'If anything our findings point to the larger family context, how parents decide on rules regarding screen time on their devices, and if they're actively engaged in exploring the digital world together are more important than the screen time itself," lead author Dr. Andrew Pryzbylski of the Oxford Internet Institute wrote in the paper. "Future research should examine how the use of digital devices by parents or caregivers and making it a social time can affect children's psychological wellbeing, curiosity, and the bonds between the caregivers involved.'"



While the results may be encouraging however, they do not solve the arduous task of trying to teach children to manage their lives in their virtual worlds with the realities in their real worlds. Perhaps if we were to enroll them in schools that they could attend in their "Minecraft" mods and our children will be more enthusiastic about their math homework?


Here's my website: https://frehtml5.co/