According to 2018 data, most UK children will spend an average of four hours every day staring at devices. If that’s true, and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be, it’s critical to make informed and deliberate decisions about the media our children consume. With video games accounting for a significant percentage of this screen time, it’s no surprise that many parents are interested in learning more about the popular Minecraft game. Minecraft’s ability to make youngsters smarter, act as an IQ booster, and eventually be healthy for their brain could be a source of concern.
Minecraft is perhaps one of the best nonviolent, educational games available. It may teach children the principles of programming, teamwork, problem-solving, and project management, as well as provide a wonderful setting in which to promote creativity and “out of the box” thinking. As a result, several research and opinion pieces have suggested that playing Minecraft can improve your intelligence.
A study conducted at Glasgow Academic in 2017 found a correlation between playing video games and Minecraft and future university success. When compared to the control group, participants who played the game showed higher communication, flexibility, and resourcefulness scores – all of which are considered important for graduate success. The majority of these advantages are due to the game’s design. Children are generally free to pick how they want to engage with the game due to the lack of a storyline and limited instructions on how to play.
Minecraft’s most remarkable feature is its seemingly limitless creative potential. It offers many of the same construction possibilities as LEGO, but with 921.6 quadrillion blocks each globe on average. It’s feasible to make just about anything your child can think with that much material.
Take a look at Westeroscraft if you’re still unsure. This community-based project is dedicated to recreating the continent of Westeros from George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy. It is arguably one of the most enormous and stunning Minecraft projects available today.
Almost any screenshot from this project is mind-blowing, especially when you consider the amount of work, preparation, and sheer dedication required to get this far. Although a younger child is unlikely to produce something of this magnitude, it does demonstrate how much you can make with the materials available in Minecraft. When it comes to this game, the sky truly is the limit.
