Minecraft is a kind of Lego for the computer or tablet, where you can create your own world from virtual blocks with a lot of creativity and skill.
The game world in Minecraft consists mainly of cubes or blocks. These are always the same size, but is procedurally generated and thus looks different in each run. The world in Minecraft is made of different materials, for example, wood or earth. In different modes, these cubes are used differently:
In creative mode, players combine these cubes and build houses, models, or even working computers. In this way, they create their very own world, which they shape creatively and change constantly. This function is now even used by schools for learning. The materials used do not have to be collected, they are directly available to the players and can be used infinitely.
In survival mode, thanks to the tools, players can fight monsters and hide at night in the hut they built themselves. The big difference to the creative mode here is that the materials have to be collected by yourself and additionally a hunger bar and life bar have to be managed. Also, many of the items, such as chests, swords, doors, stoves, etc. must first be made. The level of difficulty can be adjusted so that there is something for every age group. This can be adjusted at any time in the game menu.
Minecraft can be played online with others, or offline alone. The current version of the game is 1.20.1.
Despite the simple graphics, which consist only of large pixels, Minecraft is very popular among children from about ten years old. Minecraft sets no limits to creativity. Players can create their very own virtual world and get excited about constructing landscapes and buildings and acquiring the raw materials they need. Playing with others especially challenges competition and strategy, but creating worlds together can also be a lot of fun and requires that you coordinate with each other.
Minecraft is released by the USK from the age of six. How well children cope with the game depends, among other things, on the game mode they choose: While Creative and Adventure modes are easy to handle, Survival and Hardcore modes are more about defense and survival. Here you have to overcome obstacles such as encountering monsters, which brings a certain tension.
Since the game doesn’t set its own limits, e.g. through different levels, it tempts you to play endlessly and lose yourself completely in the virtual world. Also, the control of the game can be difficult for inexperienced.
Minecraft offers in-app purchases, e.g. via the “Minecraft Marketplace”, the “Minecraft Marketplace”. This is a platform where gamers can buy skins, mini-games and other content. One popular offering is PvP maps, where players compete against each other in game worlds according to the “player vs. player” principle. Such paid elements are appealing to kids and teens because they enhance the gaming experience.
Some paid offers are unsuitable for younger children, for example, the “Scary Mods”, which makes the game environment more exciting with creepy creatures, gloomy environments, eerie sounds and events.
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The game is designed to encourage creativity and problem-solving skills. In Sweden, it’s even on the curriculum. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind as a parent:
Younger children should be accompanied while playing in the beginning and should rather use the creative mode or easier difficulty levels of the survival mode. For older children, the hardcore mode may come into question later.
As always with media use, keep an eye on how much time your child spends playing. Make sure to adhere to set media use times and discuss together as a family which modes your child is allowed to play. Make sure the content is age-appropriate and control what content your child is allowed to purchase and use. Some offers in the “marketplace” are not suitable for younger children.
Players can communicate with each other in Minecraft using the chat function. In the process, children are exposed to communication risks such as conflicts, cyberbullying, but also cybergrooming. Talk to your child about being respectful in chat, encourage them to block and report inappropriate messages. This way, your child can protect themselves from harassment. Explain to your child that he or she should not disclose personal information such as name and address in the chat.
Using the Parental Control feature of a Microsoft account, communication functions can be restricted to friends only or disabled completely. Access to in-game purchases can also be controlled via the control function.
The game was tested for accessibility as part of the Gaming without Borders project. In the areas of comprehension, control and hearing, Minecraft already does a lot right in terms of accessibility, according to the test results. The game is quite suitable for children and young people with impairments. However, some hurdles were identified in the “vision” area, making it difficult for people with visual impairments to use. However, Mojang as a developer studio is also interested and working to build accessibility.
Building your own worlds from building blocks, taking on imaginative roles and completing exciting missions – the online game platform Roblox is currently very popular with children and young people.
The two words Robots and Blocks together make up the name of the Roblox gaming platform. Here, virtual worlds can be created and played with in Lego style, which especially excites children and teenagers who are 14 years old and younger. Roblox is a mixture of game world and social network and is reminiscent of Minecraft.
After registering on roblox.com, players receive a pre-made game character (avatar) that they can customize as they wish. Clothes or a different hairstyle are free of charge. Some extra accessories cost money in the form of their own currency Robux. Functions such as creating games as well as playing games themselves are freely available.
Many children love the game because they can easily create their own games. Registered users can create their own games with the “Roblox Studio” building tool and share them with others. Simple structures can be designed, but also complex worlds of experience such as cities and amusement parks. In the Roblox community, children and young people can creatively let off steam and chat with each other.
Roblox is known as a platform for young game developers and entices them to earn money with their own games: If your child creates a game that is well received by others so that they invest money in it, with a bit of luck your child will also receive a share as a developer.
Because people can contact others through Roblox, there are risks such as cyberbullying, cybergrooming, and hate speech. Roblox is repeatedly accused of not sufficiently moderating both the content and the communication among users and of not being consistent enough in dealing with violations of the community guidelines.
It can be tempting for kids to invest real money in a fantasy currency or sign up for a paid membership to have more options in the game. When exchanging objects among players, cheating may occur, since not all players offer real Robux. Those hoping to make a lot of money developing their own games on Roblox will be disappointed. Roblox has been criticized for exploiting young game developers and retaining most of the profits itself.
Stiftung Warentest put the game under the microscope in 2019 and rated it “unacceptable”. Not all content is suitable for children, and the huge selection of games includes shooters that are not suitable for children. Roblox also received deductions for data protection.
The provider emphasizes on its platform to take security and data protection very seriously. There is a reporting system for inappropriate chat messages and a chat filter. After registration, an account in “privacy mode” is automatically created for users under 13 years of age. Younger children will not have access to social media plug-ins or some notification messages, for example. Some games are also only released from a certain age. Moderators check whether uploaded images and video material meet the requirements for child-friendly content. Inappropriate content is actively filtered and deleted. However, all of this assumes that the age information of the players is securely checked during registration.
You can find out more information on the “Parents’ guide” web page. Roblox offers several safety features that help you keep better track of your child’s play.
Register and create a profile together with your child and discover the Roblox game world together. Sit down with your child regularly to talk about his or her play experiences. Ask to see what your child looks at and plays, and ask why he likes certain games and who he connects with.
Set the account to show only age-appropriate games to your child. Use a parent PIN so that only you can change the settings. Advise your child not to share private data via the platform. Educate your child about communication risks online and encourage them to block and report suspicious or unpleasant contacts. Chat options can be limited or even disabled and age visibility can be turned off. You can also find all important steps for parental control at Roblox on medien-kindersicher.de.
Children discover the world and learn more and more about how it works over time. This also includes rules and values on how people treat each other. Media help them to understand the world. As a place for information and orientation, they answer many everyday questions and support children in their personal development.
Children and young people need role models to guide their own personal development. They look for these not only in their immediate environment, but also in films or social networks, e.g. on YouTube or Instagram. But computer games can also provide orientation, because in them stories are told and roles are tried out.
In computer gaming, you have a character, an avatar, with whom you can act as you wish – at least as far as the programming of the game allows. Because someone has thought about what is possible and set certain rules of the game. In play, even children and young people understand what happens when they act in a certain way. The advantage is: Here they can try themselves out without it having any consequences for their real self and the real environment. You need to make decisions that make a difference, but in a protected space. In some cases, the experience gained in “real life” can also be used.
Most computer games don’t work without following rules – even if not all of them can be easily applied to your own life.
Popular among young people, Minecraft can be played in creative mode so that players build a world together. To do this, they must agree on rules in advance so that their shared world does not end in chaos. Perhaps there are also ideas about how this world should look – whether, for example, everyone lives together or everyone has their own house, whether there is a mayor or everyone decides together. Here, children and young people can already learn how politics works and why it is important for our lives with other people.
In other games, the roles of the characters are predetermined, such as Monument Valley (Part 2). In this puzzle game (for mobile devices) you have to go through abstract worlds in several levels. The characters, a mother and her child, have to find a way out – sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs. The game is played alone. Unconsciously, certain values are conveyed, such as overcoming hurdles or support from the mother. Children can experience how it feels to have to overcome an obstacle alone, but with the support of their mother.
Community, trust, tolerance: sometimes there’s more to computer games than meets the eye. Play together with your child and see if certain values, such as role models, are conveyed. Use this to talk with your child about it and consider whether it fits with your and his ideas about life.
(This article is partly based on the results of a scientific paper by Karolina Kaczmarczyk, see also here.)
