Is Minecraft Bad for Kids

Is Minecraft bad for kids?

If you have children older than 5, chances are you are familiar with Mojang's online game "Minecraft." Is Minecraft suitable for children or bad? It depends on the individual.

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 may have enjoyed an enticing green and brown cupcake at a child's birthday celebration, and then you noticed the theme in play.

Most of all you've probably demanded that your child stop the game. Perhapsthey asked for 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've managed to escape all this... Please share your secrets.

What is "Minecraft"?

"Minecraft" is a game for one or more players that in essence gives kids the ability to construct their own worlds complete with houses and pets , resources, and even enemies that might sneak into their homes at night and attack.

With 200 million registered users and reported sales of 176 million copies globally, "Minecraft" is an international phenomenon.

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Is it giving them the keys to an empire that could turn into "Lord of the Flies" in the wrong hands?

"Minecraft" is an online Lego game Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a expert in child development and parenting, told TODAY Parents. "Can children play rogue with 'Minecraft' and create something unsuitable or concentrate on destruction and gore? It's possible.

"But that's not the purpose or the main focus of the game," she said, "and the majority of 'Minecraft' games make kids more creative, increase their working memory and cognitive flexibility and allow them to feel proud of their abilities as a nerd."

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So the game itself isn't all bad. NBC News even used it once to explain who is the owner of the moon. But what about all that screen-time?

Parents, rest 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 in children's lives may be a bit alarmist or misguided.

'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live

While the AAP recommends the restriction of screen time for young children to 1-2 hours a day, the Oxford study found that moderate use of screens above the AAP's recommended limits might actually contribute positively to the wellbeing of children.

"Our findings suggest that the wider family context, including how parents set rules about digital screens, and if they are actively exploring the digital world together, is more important than the screen time," Dr. Andrew Pryzbylski, lead author at the Oxford Internet Institute, wrote in the paper. "Future research should be focused on the ways that using digital devices together with parents or caregivers and making it an opportunity for social interaction can impact children's psychological well-being and curiosity, as well as the bonds between the caregivers involved.'"

Although these findings could be encouraging, they will not solve the problem of teaching children how to balance their virtual and real worlds. Perhaps if we were to enroll students in schools they could attend in their "Minecraft" mods, our kids would be more enthusiastic about math-related homework?