Most adults are totally confused, and maybe a bit overwhelmed, by kids’ interest in and devotion to Minecraft. The majority of adults have no idea what kids are doing while playing the game. Even gamers who don’t know Minecraft very well have a difficult time following along when they observe a child playing. Players are knocking things down, building something by piling things together, or searching for materials to complete a project — and it all happens very quickly. So, how can parents and teachers learn about Minecraft?
While you can ask your kids to narrate what they’re doing in the game, and I strongly suggest you do so, it’s beneficial to have a little bit of your own Minecraft-for-adults knowledge. If you choose to try Minecraft on your own, you might manage to get into a world quickly. You might just as quickly get stuck. Moving through the game space may seem impossible. Gathering the material you’ll need to build stuff may be mystifying. I have Minecraft installed on my iPad, but most of my ingame progress has been made with the help of kids. Fortunately, there are some practical and fun ways for adults to learn about Minecraft.
1. Go to camp. No, really, there is a Minecraft camp for parents. At Connected Camps’ Summer of Minecraft, you will learn the basics of Minecraft, how to play with your kids, and how to talk to them about their Minecraft engagement. Campers/parents do not need to have any Minecraft experience at all, but it is suggested that you to spend a few hours per week practicing your Minecraft skills. You are guaranteed to be able to connect better with your Minecraft playing kids. The program costs only $25 for four weeks, and runs between July 6 and August 2 of 2015.
2. Watch Minecraft videos. Your kid may spend a lot of time watching Minecraft videos, but did you know they exist for adults too? If you stick to the fastpaced A Parent’s Guide to Minecraft or this cute kidmade video on Minecraft for adults, you’ll learn some basic information about playing the game without sitting through hours of secondhand gameplay.
3. Read up. There are some great websites that explain how to play Minecraft for adults. You’ll read about how Minecraft is like LEGO and the difference between Creative and Survival modes. You can also find Minecraft projects to work on with your children in many LearningWorks for Kids Minecraft posts.
