Did you know Minecraft is actually rather educational? NO? Let me explain.
Learning in Minecraft is so much simpler for children, because they don’t realize they are learning!
These are some ways I feel Minecraft is educational.
Social Interaction: I used to have social problems, I was afraid to talk to people, I stuttered or didn’t ask for help when I needed it. In school I had many issues because I couldn’t do class speeches . Now since playing Multi-player and interactive games I have developed a lot of confidence and have become 100X more social and confident in my social abilities.
Reading: A lot of reading is required in order to keep getting better at the game. Many minecraft gamers love reading any website that has to do with Minecraft, especially if it has to do with modding, which takes some patience. because its a lot of reading.
Writing: On PC there is a book and quill feature and Xbox uses signs for communication with others, and older children who work on pages in the web such as the wikipedia page, learn to work in an collaborative, multimedia environment.
Math: Crafting is the most basic of math, (ex: I need 3 sugar cane for 1 piece of paper ) which then leads to multiplication ( 3 Paper and 1 leather for a book, and 3 Books for a bookshelf, so I need 9 Paper and 3 Leather altogether).
Geometry: Of course the world is all cubes but many players make cubes,triangles, domes, spheres and more, also counting the number of blocks that were dug out when making a 2x2x2 cave can help multiplication skills and understanding volume and area, at even a basic level.
Foreign Languages: On the option menu the language can be changed, so when the item is recognized by site the word is easier to pick up meaning they learn some words in a new language.
Other: Improve eye-coordination, problem-solving and memory. Since I was 18 I started playing Minecraft and certain other video games, within almost 3 years my hand eye coronation had improved 25%(felt like 25% :P).
So while parents always tell kids that video games will get them no where in life its partially not true, Even the simplest of games like Tetris or even Minecraft teach us something, We just don’t know we’re learning it. Share this to someone who think they are just playing, when they are actually learning. Just look at Notch.
“A few years ago, 32-year-old Markus “Notch” Persson of Stockholm was an unknown and bored computer programmer. Today, he is a multi-millionaire international icon.”
“Here Markus opens up for the first time about his life. About his old Lego-filled desk at school. About the first computer his father brought home one day.” Read more…
