What Makes Minecraft such a Fun Game to Play

Everyone who grew up playing video games likely had a lot of fights with their parents. Although it’s true that sitting and playing video games is not good for your health, parents very often have additional concerns related to this habit. Some might think that games are mind-numbing, likely to make their kids more violent or anti-social, and also parents might think that games don’t have a positive impact on kids. Well, this to apply to a few poorly designed games, it does not apply one bit for a game like Minecraft.

Minecraft is popular among the younger audience, but even grown-ups who play the game cannot deny it’s loads of fun. Furthermore, playing Minecraft can be truly beneficial for mental development. I would like to explore the topic   

Educational

As we all know, Minecraft has no clear goal or progression, as there is no win condition in the game. Since this is the case, it is up to players to decide what they want to do. They can gather resources, band together in order to overcome obstacles, and build things. So, right from the get-go, we see that Minecraft incentivizes collaboration, creativity, and maybe most importantly self-direction. 

We can all agree that resource management is also a key to a positive gameplay experience, which means players need to rely on math and organize their time. On top of that, the whole building aspect of the game can help kids develop a sense of geometry. The best thing about all these skills is that their application feels natural. A child might seem disinterested in a particular subject without seeing the clear application for a given lesson. In Minecraft, it is all seamlessly incorporated into gameplay.     

Creativity and Problem-Solving

This is an in-game environment that lets you create pretty much anything. Real or fictional cities, places, statues, and structures are just some of the building possibilities. In fact, the game has been around for so long someone has probably built it already and kids can find a tutorial online how to do so. This in a way facilitates the growth of an inquisitive mind and willingness to learn new things. Furthermore, all of these structures were most likely built by their peers, which sends a clear message to the kid that he or she can do it too. 

The game also has a so-called survival mode, where the player needs to figure out how to survive. For those of you who have not played the game, you are thrown into different environments and need to think on your feet in order to build weapons or shelter, and collect food. This requires strategy or problem-solving in order to be successful. 

I am pretty sure that Minecraft veterans did not uncover anything new about the game from this, but truth be told the article was mainly aimed towards those who have not tried Minecraft up until now. Moreover. it is also meant for parents who are worried if their kid is spending too much time playing Minecraft, or those who would like to know what is the ideal game for their toddler. Hopefully, the article sums it up pretty well, and if you never tried this game I highly encourage you to do so.