Minecraft! Guide and tips for distraught parents!

Your daughter has asked you to play MINECRAFT and you are asking yourself thousands of questions: Are video games dangerous? Is this a game for girls? What is the goal of this game? At what age can we play it?

oh yes, when your daughter asks you to be able to play Minecraft, you have to think

I’ll be honest with you, the day my daughter said to me: “Mom, are you playing Minecraft with me, come on mom please?” I replied: “Yes, of course, honey” … oops.

And there, thousands of questions jostled in my head:

What is the aim of the games? Why is it an infinite game? Why is the graphics “weird”? Why does she need youtube “? How am I going to understand and help her?

We have put together some game basics for you to “understand” what your child does when playing Minecraft.

You will also find at the end of the article a set of Minecraft products / gifts that will make your daughter happy.

1- Who can Play Minecraft?

This is one of the first questions parents ask themselves. According to the PEGI signage (classification on the age at which a game is suitable), Minecraft is recommended from 7 years and throughout life…

2- MINECRAFT explained to parents:

Minecraft game versions

Minecraft offers two different versions, the normal version on PC and consoles and the Pocket version which works on phones and tablets .

The game is currently released on PC, OS X, Android, Windows Phone, Windows 10, iOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and more.

Type of games:

Minecraft is one of the games known as sandbox games . That is to say that it integrates “tools” to shape its own game world. The player can build almost anything he wants. There is no real objective of the game, it is a free environment .

Many qualifiers have been given to Minecraft: video game, virtual LEGO, universe creator, mine simulator, graphic adventure.

Minecraft is not a realistic game, and its cube-based graphics are reminiscent of Lego toys.

Graphics:

Unlike today’s games which are increasingly with hyper realistic graphics, Minecraft is made up only of cubes and pixels .

Almost everything is in the shape of a cube: the blocks of wood, earth, stone, iron, but also the characters and the various creatures.

It’s like giving away a super, state-of-the-art toy and your kid prefers toy with the packing carton … if you know what I mean. Children love it!

Principle of the game:

The principle of the game, in appearance, is simple. When the game begins, the player is in the middle of nature. Mountains, trees and fields stretch as far as the eye can see.

The game immerses the player in a world made up of blocks/cubes which represent materials such as earth, sand, stone, water or lava or ores which form structures: trees, mountains, caves, temples, and animals or monsters like cows, sheep, zombies, and skeletons.

The main world is composed of a surface and undergrounds more or less filled with stone. Structures like dungeons also appear randomly on the map, on the surface or in the undergrounds.

The player can modify this world at will by adding or removing blocks and trying to survive as long as possible thus allowing him to build constructions.

The player is represented by a character, whose appearance can be customized on the official website, but by default he has an appearance named Steve, owning blue jeans and a turquoise jacket, or one named Alex, with brown jeans, a green jacket, and long red hair.

It has a life and food gauge . If his health bar reaches 0, the player is resuscitated .

In the game, you can break a tree, recover it in your inventory, and put it back where you want. As you acquire skills, you can break things that are more and more solid.

The world contains around 300 different types of blocks , most of which represent building materials or elements of scenery.

The blocks can be solid or not (air, torches, etc.), transparent (glass, ice, etc.) or opaque, fluid (water, lava), and often require a special tool to be recovered.

For each action, the player can or must bring a tool to accomplish it, or accelerate its accomplishment shovel, hoe, etc. Some tools can be made with different minerals or materials or with a unique recipe.

Many creatures inhabit the game world . The player can interact with them to defend themselves or to stock up on resources.

There are four types:

• passive creatures which never attack the player ( cows, pigs, chickens, etc. ), – neutral monsters which do not attack unless they are provoked (zombie pigs, wolves, Endermen, etc. ),
• aggressive monsters that attack the player on sight ( zombies, Creepers, skeletons, etc. )

-The friendly and summoned creatures like iron golems or snowmen that accompany and help the player.

Some animals can be tamed through various items, such as bone for the wolf, raw fish for the ocelot, or wheat for the horse, which also allows them to reproduce

3- Points of vigilance :

Violence

Certain modes of Minecraft involve carrying out fights against adversaries (spiders, zombies, skeletons… or the famous Creepers, emblematic creatures of the game).

These fights are however not really realistic, in a “cartoon” style.

In-app purchases

You can buy packs to enrich your gaming experience. New cards, character appearances ( skins ) inspired by famous movies, series and games ( Star Wars , Fallout , Final Fantasy , Doctor Who …) , or textures to optimize your creations …

Be careful, the temptations can be numerous!

Multiplayer mode

Minecraft offers many interactions with other players in cooperation, which allows for example to embark on a large-scale construction, or in confrontation.

It is important to know who children are chatting and interacting with.

It is best if they play online with people they know in real life.

In Minecraft, you get bored quickly on your own . Once everything is built, destroyed, it’s a bit like the Legos.

4- Advice for parents

Your kids spend hours on Minecraft. They spend their time creating more bizarre things than the next. Have you already taken a look but find this universe “strange”?

Here are some tips to help you better understand and help your kids when playing Minecraft:

Familiarize yourself with the game: watch!

Take the time to watch your child play, ask them questions, familiarize yourself with graphics, Minecraft worlds

Document yourself: learn!

Thanks to the internet, Youtube, or even books, you can find explanations or tips for understanding and playing Minecraft.

Help your children: a watchword “perseverance”!

You can help your children by offering them creations for example.

Create your own world:

To enjoy the game with your family, you can use your own server, a Minecraft world: your world!

You manage it. You have total control over your universe: you can choose when to turn it on and off, what it looks like, and which monsters inhabit it.

5- From virtual Minecraft to real life there:

Your kids love Minecraft so why not do some Minecraft activities with them?

Applying knowledge developed in Minecraft, such as creativity, to real-life can be fun and will prevent your kids from spending hours in front of the screen.

Draw Minecraft characters:

Learn to draw elements using the pixel art technique, then to put them in volume using the grids provided.

– Read books about Minecraft:

Official Minecraft novels for 7-10 year old’s, comics or guides, there are many books on the market

– Minecraft board games:

Games Uno constructions Legos or even Escapes Box , you’ll find lots of games associated with Minecraft

6- Gift ideas for your Geek Girl:

You want to please your daughter. Why not buy him some Minecraft merchandise?

Here is a small list of clothing, books, games, or even decorative objects to please your child. So for a birthday, a party, Christmas or just to make him happy, we have selected some products at affordable prices. You just have to click on the images 🙂

PS: We opted for, and bought, the pink Minecraft t-shirt for our daughter, she loves it!