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parent of child on minecrack.:(

2

Comments

  • #32
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    i fuflly intend to when i get time! looks fun!


  • #33
    Seanokelly123
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34 ✭Seanokelly123


    My brother plays minecraft and loves it. He is 12 years old. I have watched him playing it a few times. If I was his age I would have loved to played it. I have to admit I do play his minecraft a few times and I can see the addiction.


  • #34
    BloodBath
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,283 ✭✭✭✭BloodBath


    Have you seen what the weather is like outside? They are young and in school so yes limit their time to something reasonable but if the alternative is watching tv then by all means let them play games.

    It requires some brain power at least.


  • #35
    SeantheMan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,912 ✭✭✭SeantheMan


    horace456 wrote: »
    i know even less about footbal than minecraft and it seems even silllier although good excersise im sure.

    You don't have to know about a sport for them to play it. Have them join a local team, or club, or a sport they like enjoy . Football,tennis,rugby,boxing etc..

    At the very least have them do something social where they are with people face to face. I know gaming 'IS' social...but not to the same extent as real interaction with people is.

    This is a valuable time in their life, and I know for a fact that if I was a kid now...although I'd probably want to play games all day...I'd look back in 15 years time at a childhood wasted.

    My best memories (even though I had an Atari/Megadrive/PS1 etc) are of being out with my friends, playing kick the can and being a kid. I have little to no precious memories of the actual times sat in front of my games.


  • #36
    RoyalMarine
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,824 ✭✭✭RoyalMarine


    horace456 wrote: »
    Thanks, that sounds reasonable. may i ask would you think that say an afternoon once or twice a week would e better than say a half hour a day. it looks like you need a fe3w hours to work on building etc. and at the moment thats what ive been doing but it seems to frustrate the kids a lot. do you let them on for three hours a day every day or just sometimes? thanks

    he gets 3 hours a day as long as he spends 3 hours a day doing good healthy activities...

    so if he only reads for an hour and plays outside for an hour, then he only gets 2 hours to play computer games :)

    works very well I think.
    On weekends, it's the same. but I put a limit of 4 hours video games as I don't want him spending too long doing it.


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  • #37
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    ok thanks that sounds reasonable to me! i will copy that strategy and see how it works out. over and out everyone and thanks again for the great feedback.


  • #38
    ZeroThreat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,339 ✭✭✭ZeroThreat


    what's the attraction of the game exactly? I just don't seem to get it.


  • #39
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    i think the attraction is that you can build anything so its like having really fast lego you can make a house a farm a slide a lot of things that you couldn't do in real life without a lot of lego and you can fly and its to me, really like a fantasy life so i think it appeals to all those who like those farm games or life games where you build a shop or a civilization and it also appeals to quest gamers cos you can kill dragons and it also appeals to shooty type gamers cos of the creepers who try to kill you. it seems like a really good all rounder and the fact the graphics are so retro i think may allow the game to have more than just flash graphics. to be honest it appeals to me. the only game i like is spore. so perhaps it appeals to a less gamerish demographic and a more general audience.


  • #40
    RedXIV
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 8,559 ✭✭✭RedXIV


    Honestly, you couldn't pick a better game for your kids to be addicted to. Aside from the fact that there are now proven benefits from playing games. Minecraft in particular has been shown to improve focus, concentration, creativity and planning.

    Yes you shouldn't leave them on it all day but as someone else pointed out, it's getting wintery, outside is less of an option and games are far more engaging than TV


  • #41
    iColdFusion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 997 ✭✭✭iColdFusion


    I'm pretty sure they can play splitscreen Minecraft on 360, not exactly a solution to your problem though!


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  • #42
    BloodBath
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,283 ✭✭✭✭BloodBath


    You can build far more advanced things than basic houses in minecraft.

    You can build fully functional 8 bit and 16 bit computers inside minecraft that can do basic calculations. You have kids designing their own basic processors inside the game. That's fairly advanced but it shows minecraft is more than just a lego type kids game.

    You can learn to do some pretty incredible things with the game tools.


  • #43
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,811 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    I can't get into the game myself, but my son loves it.
    It was all he could talk about for the last year or two.
    That said, he has kinda moved on to Terraria and is showing an interest in playing Skyrim, the latter being a proper game with a seriously involving campaign.
    He's only 10 but has been playing games since he was 3, my bad :(
    He finished a fair few too, with the likes of the Skylanders games just lasting hours, enjoyed DQIX though.


  • #44
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    Do u mean in the game u can make a computer? That is amazing! I'm gonna have to find out how to do that. I was delighted enough with the houses!!!


  • #45
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    sea_monkey wrote: »
    YOU DIG STUFF THEN YOU BUILD STUFF

    Nope, you DIG stuff and just keep on digging. I try to get underground as soon as I possible can and stay down as long as possible.


  • #46
    cherryghost
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,151 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost


    I got over my addiction to Minecraft.

    Unfortunately I have another addiction which is Dota 2. That and crack.


  • #47
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    horace456 wrote: »
    Do u mean in the game u can make a computer? That is amazing! I'm gonna have to find out how to do that. I was delighted enough with the houses!!!

    This is an interesting article to read which goes to explain that Minecraft is really like no other game that there has ever been for gebnerating human interaction between players who are as young as 6 or 7.

    The latest article I read said that there are over 2000 schools in the UK using Minecraft as a method to teach kids and is especially popular with socially maladjusted kids who have had difficulty participating with others (In Real Life).


  • #48
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    great articles links vids I've been watching today about it and I'm actually really excited about it now. I'm really glad i posted about this because i am now totally hooked and loving it! you may get posts from my kids soon wondering how to pay the esb bill coz their mom is in the never.


  • #49
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,811 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Every year or two the media pop out some social interest Story about how games or computers are doing a therapists job.
    Right now its Minecraft but it was the Wii three years ago and it'll be something else, like the Oculus Rift, in another few.


  • #50
    SeantheMan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,912 ✭✭✭SeantheMan


    horace456 wrote: »
    great articles links vids I've been watching today about it and I'm actually really excited about it now. I'm really glad i posted about this because i am now totally hooked and loving it! you may get posts from my kids soon wondering how to pay the esb bill coz their mom is in the never.

    Send them all to the minecraft forum section ;)http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1477


  • #51
    horace456
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22 ✭horace456


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    Every year or two the media pop out some social interest Story about how games or computers are doing a therapists job.
    Right now its Minecraft but it was the Wii three years ago and it'll be something else, like the Oculus Rift, in another few.

    well i dunno about mine craft yet but i know social media like fb has been a blessing and a curse, certainly cheaper than a therapist. the idea that mine craft is educational is true. my kids seem to know all about it in so little time. and its obviously a great vehicle for information in a format they take in.... i admit it annoys me that they couldn't use the laws of physics of this universe but then it would probably be as tedious as real life if they had. and it seems theres a good bit of overlap. so lava turns into obsidian when it cools quickly which is true!! i never knew that! and the amount they relate to the real world is great.... "thats just like a crafting table" they said when they saw cement turning to stone! I'm really liking it more and more.


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  • #52
    CrazyRabbit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,659 ✭✭✭CrazyRabbit


    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    I can't get into the game myself, but my son loves it.
    It was all he could talk about for the last year or two.
    That said, he has kinda moved on to Terraria and is showing an interest in playing Skyrim, the latter being a proper game with a seriously involving campaign.
    He's only 10 but has been playing games since he was 3, my bad :(
    He finished a fair few too, with the likes of the Skylanders games just lasting hours, enjoyed DQIX though.

    Ssshh...don't mention Terraria or even Starbound. The OP will never leave the computer and will die from starvation/thirst.


  • #53
    Grimebox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,997 ✭✭✭Grimebox


    horace456 wrote: »
    well i dunno about mine craft yet but i know social media like fb has been a blessing and a curse, certainly cheaper than a therapist. the idea that mine craft is educational is true. my kids seem to know all about it in so little time. and its obviously a great vehicle for information in a format they take in.... i admit it annoys me that they couldn't use the laws of physics of this universe but then it would probably be as tedious as real life if they had. and it seems theres a good bit of overlap. so lava turns into obsidian when it cools quickly which is true!! i never knew that! and the amount they relate to the real world is great.... "thats just like a crafting table" they said when they saw cement turning to stone! I'm really liking it more and more.

    If you could somehow get them interested in Kerbal Space Program...


  • #54
    Temptamperu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,303 ✭✭✭Temptamperu


    Im introducing my 5 year old nephew to it at the moment... he is ruining my world but enjoying the crap out of it.


  • #55
    Kirby
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,084 ✭✭✭✭Kirby


    horace456 wrote: »
    My friend advised me try minecraft as a deterrent for free to play games like galaxy life. Now i'll admit minecraft is awesome. But my six and eight year old are now being assimilated into some ghastly hive mind. They speak of nothing but minecraft they wake up they go to sleep they dream mineccraft. And I like a fool have an xbox lined up for Xmas. And I'm just thinking will I ever see my children again? Has anyone ever come back or is this a serious thing? Should I limit the amount of minecraft to a small time frame or just once a week as a treat? i also think my son who watches "snuffy long nose" videos about playing minecraft is emotionally attached to this man. Any advice appreciated.

    If he likes Minecraft, I say let him play it. Play it with him, get involved in it so it's an activity you share instead of an activity you feel you have to police. Just don't allow him to obsess over it and spend every waking hour playing it.

    Playing football or reading a book isn't inherently better or worse than playing a computer game......it's just different. It requires different skills, and uses different parts of your body and brain.

    The "Games are bad, get him playing sports" advice being thrown around in here is old fashioned and incorrect in my eyes. It's no healthier to have him play football for 12 hours a day, every day than to have him play a game for 12 hours.....and I say that as a football fan and somebody who coaches kids football. I find it puzzling that the practice of kicking your kids out of the house at 10 am and not seeing them again until it gets dark is thought of as good parenting.....and people even hark back to how that was better. Obsessive behaviour is obsessive behaviour even if its a positive activity...not to mention the fact that these parents had no idea what their kids got up to and the idea that they are "outside" makes that okay is ludicrous.

    In my opinion if a kid shows an interest in something you should encourage it and allow them to express themselves no matter what the interest is. But you have to remind them that they can't spend all their time doing it. Moderation is the key here, no matter what the past time. Reading is hugely beneficial to a child but it's not going to help them socially if they spend all day doing it.


  • #56
    Eoin247
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 832 ✭✭✭Eoin247


    I love video-games , more than most people even, but these kind of things annoy me. As a young kid a couple of hours a day is more than enough (that includes time obsessing about it while not playing).

    1 - People saying ''Minecraft is educational''. Documentaries are educational. Building square houses out of blocks is about as educational as drawing a picture of a square house. People say minecraft is educational without even knowing why.

    2 - This has been said by a few people but i'll quote the last person to have said it. ''Playing football or reading a book isn't inherently better or worse than playing a computer game''. Football gives you exercise which by the looks of all these fat kiddies today is exactly what they need. I'm 19, when i was in secondary school there were a surprising number of people who couldn't read effectively. Their spelling was atrocious and they took far longer than other students to do homework or study. Only the hardest workers out of them got decent exam results. The common denominator? They never read books and magazines when they were young. They were brought up in a house where it was okay to watch as much TV and play as much PlayStation as they wanted.


    3 - ''Playing with others on minecraft so its sociable''. Not a bad thing, but certainly not a replacement for real social interaction. I wouldn't think that any reasonable person on here would actually suggest that people act the same online as they do in real person interactions.

    I'll leave it there to stop my post getting too long. However in conclusion i ask parents out there to use a their common sense and keep in mind that the benefit of minecraft is fun and only fun. There's nothing wrong with playing it a bit, but trying to justify addictions to it by saying it has other benefits is simply fooling yourself and harming your kids.


  • #57
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,811 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Whoa there.
    Minecraft is "educational" in the same way that Lego is.
    It's essentially a creative sandbox that allows the user to both play a game and engage the noggin to build creations that can withstand the travails the game throws at them and also demonstrating a token economy, exchange system, where the player engages in resource management.
    It encourages exploration, co-operation and, on another level, acts as a gateway to both landscaping on a grand scale, and the sharing of your work with others as well as a gateway to mod creation, where whole new rulesets and ingame artifacts can be crafted before being published.
    So, yes it's educational.

    Of course, you're right to say, Everything in moderation, including Minecraft, it hoes without saying really.

    Tbh, even without those features it'd still be educational, given it's a form of play which is, in essence, an educational process.


  • #58
    nc19
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,395 ✭✭✭nc19


    BloodBath wrote: »
    You can build far more advanced things than basic houses in minecraft.

    You can build fully functional 8 bit and 16 bit computers inside minecraft that can do basic calculations. You have kids designing their own basic processors inside the game. That's fairly advanced but it shows minecraft is more than just a lego type kids game.

    You can learn to do some pretty incredible things with the game tools.

    The thought of all that hurts my head.....ill stick to GTA thanks


  • #59
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,912 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    Eoin247 wrote: »
    I love video-games.

    That reads like "I'm not a racist but..."

    There's nothing wrong with playing it a bit, but trying to justify addictions to it by saying it has other benefits is simply fooling yourself and harming your kids.

    Who in this thread has been justifying addictions? Minecraft as Ciderman says is much more akin to lego rather than a traditional video game and playing Minecraft online is just like playing lego with friends. I don't know of any other game which has penetrated the classroom to the extent that it has and have had firsthand experience in the USA seeing how the game can bring together troubled/disadvantaged kids.

    Jane McGonigal has a great talk on how video games are more than just fun that's well worth watching.


    Of course it can never replace real-life social interactions but for some young kids they don't have any social interactions and are unable to form such relationships. Minecraft is a wonderful way for young children to build confidence in the online world which we hope builds their confidence in the real world.


  • #60
    CiDeRmAn
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,811 CMod ✭✭✭✭CiDeRmAn


    Viewed as an aid to socialisation it is an excellent tool for support teachers to introduce the social rules to people on the autistic spectrum, it contains both a simple, consistent ruleset that provides grounding and security while it challenges as the gamespace is shared with others, necessitating cooperation, I speak as someone who has worked in the field for over 23 years.


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  • #61
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,709 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    Eoin247 wrote: »
    I love video-games , more than most people even, but these kind of things annoy me. As a young kid a couple of hours a day is more than enough (that includes time obsessing about it while not playing).

    1 - People saying ''Minecraft is educational''. Documentaries are educational. Building square houses out of blocks is about as educational as drawing a picture of a square house. People say minecraft is educational without even knowing why.

    2 - This has been said by a few people but i'll quote the last person to have said it. ''Playing football or reading a book isn't inherently better or worse than playing a computer game''. Football gives you exercise which by the looks of all these fat kiddies today is exactly what they need. I'm 19, when i was in secondary school there were a surprising number of people who couldn't read effectively. Their spelling was atrocious and they took far longer than other students to do homework or study. Only the hardest workers out of them got decent exam results. The common denominator? They never read books and magazines when they were young. They were brought up in a house where it was okay to watch as much TV and play as much PlayStation as they wanted.


    3 - ''Playing with others on minecraft so its sociable''. Not a bad thing, but certainly not a replacement for real social interaction. I wouldn't think that any reasonable person on here would actually suggest that people act the same online as they do in real person interactions.

    I'll leave it there to stop my post getting too long. However in conclusion i ask parents out there to use a their common sense and keep in mind that the benefit of minecraft is fun and only fun. There's nothing wrong with playing it a bit, but trying to justify addictions to it by saying it has other benefits is simply fooling yourself and harming your kids.

    More kids read today than ever before to be fair thanks to smart phones, internet etc....also drawing a square house on a piece of paper is educational. Education does not rely solely on absorbing facts and figures nor does it take place exclusively in schools.

    I agree with you about exercise of course but in the right circumstances there's no reason why a child can't be healthy and play lots of minecraft. Like a lot of things in life its all about balance and downplaying the actual benefits of something like minecraft doesn't do anyone any favours imo.


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