Minecraft is a widely popular video game available on multiple platforms, including PC, tablet, and video game console! Officially released in 2011, this game has grown to become the best-selling and most popular game of all time, selling over 200 million copies and boasting over 126 million active players around the world!
Many people see Minecraft as "just another kid's game." STOP SAYING THAT! It can't be further from the truth! Do you like LEGO? Do you like to be creative? Do you like exploring, building, and listening to oddly relaxing music? You will like Minecraft. This is an all-ages game! Have you seen some of the amazing builds made by people of all ages? Check out this link. I encourage you to sit down and explore this game with your child if you haven't already. Let me give a quick overview.
Minecraft is an infinite 3D world made up of blocks. Players can "mine" these blocks to "craft" tools, armor, food, potions, structures, and more, all while exploring beautifully diverse biomes with villages, caves, temples, abandoned mine shafts and pirate ships, and other cool discoveries. Minecraft refers to their in-game characters as "mobs." Some are helpful and some are hurtful! The most famous mob that you've most likely seen is the creeper (pictured below). Watch out - get too close and he explodes, destroying almost everything around him! Click here to see a full list of mobs.
There are plenty of educational, brain-working benefits to playing Minecraft. It is a sandbox game, meaning that players roam around an endless map with a great sense of creative license, choosing what they would like to accomplish (versus a video game with a linear storytelling mode). Players can play in creative mode or survival mode (the latter having more goals). Creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and even coding are all included in this game! Click here to view an article about other educational benefits of Minecraft.
Got any questions about Minecraft? Want to talk about the game? Visit Youth Services and come find me (Callie!) I'm a regular player on console and can offer my tips and tricks! I'm no expert on mods and PC gaming, but I can recommend some resources!
I said there'd be a superlist, right? The library has a huge selection of ALL things Minecraft! From how-to-build guides all the way to comics and fiction, there's something for every player here! Not to mention, of course, our video games themselves! Click any title below to view it in our catalog.