Few games are as versatile as Minecraft. It is the ideal sandbox for imagination, collaboration, and creativity to bloom. From classrooms to couches, Minecraft challenges all ages to enjoy being a kid again.
Since its public release in 2011, Minecraft has captivated all-ages of gamers. As a sandbox game, Minecraft’s true meaning lies in its name. Players mine for items and materials and craft whatever they want our of those materials. The objectives of the game are set by the player.
Want to build a house from wood you cut down? Do it.
Want to fight monsters at night and go digging for gold in the day? Sure.
Want to find a dragon with your friends? Go for it.
The Minecraft setting is a world made up of plain, pixelated blocks. There aren’t amazing graphics or cinematic events vying for a players attention. The focus of the game sits entirely on the player and what they envision in the block world.
This simple game has proven to be astonishingly powerful. As recently as September 2022, Minecraft boasts nearly 173 million active players monthly, according to activeplayer.io.
Who Can Play Minecraft?
Sometimes, us gamers will say “anyone” can play a video game that we love. But, we often forget about the creepy boss level or the challenge to level up. We get caught up in the excitment of playing and forget to realize how gameplay impacts other ages.
On the other hand, the accessibility and safety of a video games are often the first things on a parent or educator’s mind. Thankfully, Minecraft is a paragon for “all-age” play. The block-shapped world is non-threatening and easy for children to learn. Different gameplay modes, like “peaceful mode” allow even greater ease and relaxation for younger players.
According to the Minecraft website, cross-platform play [is] available on Xbox, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, and Windows. This makes Minecraft playable solo or with friends from around the world.
It is important to note, games that utilize online communication features do open your children or students to potential interactions with strangers. However, like many other popular online games of today, there are ways to keep online interactions strictly between known friends (such as friend-only and password protected lobbies.
What Can You Do In Minecraft?
We know we’ve mentioned the “you can do whatever you want thing” a lot already, but, that is undeniably the core of Minecraft’s success and joy. We do have some ideas to help both players and parents or educators think about their Minecraft experience.
For solo players (or a small group of friends playing together), one of our favorite projects in Minecraft involves building a castle or replica of a famous landmark. For example, these players ended up creating some massively impressive structures in-game – like the whole Eiffel Tower, to be specific.
For educators or parents, there is also Minecraft for education. This version of Minecraft allows teachers to design lesson plans inside the game. Commonly, Minecraft is used in classroom settings to recreate historical events with active class participation or to teach economic, agricultural, or science lessons in a manner that engages and encourages collaboration.
We mean it, you can do whatever your mind imagines in Minecraft. If you are more interested in games with a narrative element, however, the Minecraft franchise also offers different games with variations on their sandbox mechanics.
If you are interested in learning about our Minecraft offerings (including educational camps) visit our Minecraft page.
Minecraft is the delight of childhood imaginations. Fit for players of all ages, the sandbox title reminds us all about the power of creativity.