Since its introduction in 2009, Minecraft has dominated the sandbox genre. Thriving on creativity and imagination, the game has achieved major popularity amongst young kids. But should parents be concerned with their child’s Minecraft addiction? Or is it a step in the right direction?
Nearly a decade after its initial launch, Minecraft is still a glimmering token of pop culture. The faces in elementary school classrooms have changed, yet the students eyes remain glued to LCD screens. For better or for worse, children of the youngest generation are immersed in digital technology almost from infancy. Rather than growing up with the internet, they’ve grown up on it. As a result, a lot of their base lessons are fed to them via smartphones and computers. While ’90s babies were handed books or plopped in front of television screens to cease their whining, modern children are handed tablets and smartphones.
Developers are meeting that demand, shifting their attention towards application-based software more and more. In particular, mobile games for iOS and Android have rapidly risen in popularity. As a result, video games are more accessible than ever. Rather than gaming exclusively on their Xbox or PlayStation after racing home from school, today’s kids are carrying their primary console everywhere they go, because that console is their pocket-sized cell phone.
Pulling up a game on their smartphone is pretty much second nature for today’s children. To meet this demand, developers are creating games that translate well across all platforms. The idea of a game that plays the same on console, computer and smartphone was a wild concept ten years ago. Today, it’s almost to be expected — standard, it would seem, for consumers. This gives kids an all-access pass to real games at the tips of their fingers. With a simple click of that ‘download’ button, kids as young as 5 can boot up games like Fortnite and Minecraft… but is this a good thing? As an educational philanthropist and gaming consultant, I tend to think so!
The universal accessibility of Minecraft makes it a fantastic tool in and out of the classroom. All a player needs to join in on the fun is the most popular console or their smartphone. (And realistically, who doesn’t have a smartphone in their pocket, or in their hand, already anyway?) Based in a sandbox-style world, Minecraft allows players to have as much fun as their imagination will allow them to. From trekking through unique worlds created by other players to manning the title of ruler of their own little world, Minecraft gives gamers the opportunity to do whatever they want!
The creators of Minecraft have registered its educational potential. That’s why Minecraft: Education Edition is taking students and teachers by storm. The base game is already loaded with the potential for lessons about building and basic math, but the Education Edition takes it all a step further. In this version of the game, the Minecraft world is preloaded with levels geared towards the classroom. These levels act as lessons, but students will hardly feel bogged down by typical academic antics when they feel like they’re playing a game! These lessons turned levels integrate subjects like:
- Language Arts
- Reading and Writing
- Theater
- Animals
- Geography
- Social Good
And so much more! There’s even a lesson called Verona Adventure which revitalizes the story of Romeo & Juliet with a modern, digital twist. This particular level is geared towards students ages 14 to 18, which proves that Minecraft: Education Edition can reach and teach kids of all ages. From text-based story games to architectural challenges, there are lessons to be learned by all grade levels in Minecraft: Education Edition!
Check out more educational opportunities in gaming with the Allen Chi Gaming Scholarships & Sponsorship for 2019: https://allenchi.org/allen-chi-scholarships-sponsorships/
