Notes

Is Minecraft Good For Kids?

If you're a mom or dad of children over the age of 5years old, the odds are that you're familiar with Mojang's most popular online game "Minecraft." Stevelarese.com But is Minecraft harmful for children or is it a good choice 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 vibrant brown and green cupcake at a child's birthday celebration, and then you recognized the theme.



Most of all you've probably demanded that your child stop the game. Then, perhaps, you've 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 escape all of this and still remain afloat, please share your experiences.



What exactly is "Minecraft?"



"Minecraft" is a single or multi-player game that in essence gives kids the chance to create their own worlds complete with houses and pets and resources and even enemies that might sneak into their homes at night and attack.



With the game to 176 million people around the world in May 2019 and counting and with 200 million registered users, it's not hard to say "Minecraft" is a cult phenomenon and for some, seemingly addictive.



Is "Minecraft" harmful for children?



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 in child development Dr. Deborah Gilboa told TODAY Parents. "Could an individual child go rogue on 'Minecraft,' make something unsuitable or concentrate on destruction and gore? It's possible.



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



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So the game itself is not all bad. NBC News even used it once to explain who is the owner of the moon. But what do you think about all that screen time?



Parents who are conscientious, rejoice: A 2017 study published in the journal Child Development by researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and Cardiff University found that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for managing screen time for children could be a bit alarmist - or perhaps incorrect.



'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live



The AAP recommends that young children limit their screen time to a maximum of 1 and 2 hours per day. However an Oxford study found that children who use screens moderately over the guidelines of the AAP could be more prosperous.



"'If anything our findings point to the larger family context, how parents decide on rules regarding screen time on their devices and whether they're 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 be focused on how digital devices are used with parents or caregivers, and turn into a time of social interaction that can affect children's psychological well-being, curiosity, as well as the bonds formed with the caregivers."



While the findings might be comforting but they don't address the arduous task of teaching children to balance 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 with their "Minecraft" mods, our kids would be more enthusiastic about math-related homework?


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