Minecraft Game - what is the point ?

[Cycling Dan]

my 14 year loves mine craft and would play it all day if i let . never played a game on any xbox thingy machines or a PC myself . am i missing out ? .

It depends on who you are really. I enjoy games while some can be bad and I mean bad. I would say there is a game for everyone. The kenct for xbox and like wise with other consoles really opened up to the family idea of gaming so you can have fun with the kids. As I said if you did try it I would say its easy to fine a genre that you like and the games will be there. There will be plenty who say a stright no on here but there again I suspect there from the past century (still contemplating tablets and smartphones)and would question how much if ever they have used them. Although there are plenty of such who play games on console or Pc you are by no means limited by age when it comes to gaming. My main point is gaming is accessible to all, while you may not like First person Shooters for example you may enjoy adventure or roleplaying games etc.
If you try and play for the first time the first thing you will notice is how bad your hand eye coordination really is.

 

[Arjimlad]

This game seemed innocent enough when our sons asked to have it installed on our PC. Not much violence or bad language (although some of the multiplayer's comments have to be ignored or turned off).. but....

It's perniciously addictive, my 10 yr old son leaps out of bed at 0645, wolfs his breakfast and gets in an hour of MC before school, whereas we had trouble getting him downstairs before 0730 before. He would sit on it all day long if we let him. When he gets home from school we have to be on him like hawks to get his homework & guitar practice done before he clamours to be let back on MC. 12 yr old son likes it a lot but is less addicted..

Behavioural issues & inability to sleep due to lack of fresh air, time away from screen-based entertainment & exercise, arise a great deal on wet days.

We have friends whose son is basically lost to the real world, unable to function properly in the classroom or interact socially face to face, thanks to this game & the extent to which it has taken over his life. He has turned "autistic" in his inability to cope with real life & others.

They have to turn off the modem to stop him accessing MC and have turned into the negative evil no-saying parents of doom in his eyes. Anything short of minecraft is less than interesting to him, a total waste of his time. He has an Ipad, unfortunately.

We now find whereas we used to be able to let our boys find their own activities, hook up with friends, get outside & play with remote control cars, kites, kick a football about, or enjoy wide games with the neighbouring children, we need to actively plan & deliver activities for them to get them off Minecraft.

Threatening a Minecraft ban is now the main method of addressing unacceptable behaviour . Our son is now clamouring for an Ipad and we are reluctant to let him have one. He has access to a laptop which has to be out of his bedroom by 7pm.