We live in a media world, Its generally the media and/or government that tell us parents that we should shelter our kids more and not let them make mistakes by themselves. Also the lack of discipline within schools has changed children's behavior over the last 40 years, much more than computer games or scary films.
just my 2cent
No disagreement from me... media is media and does include TV, games, news, music, photographs, billboards, public service announcements. For example... Hearing about other teachers being brought up on charges of abuse on the news has probably prompted, to some degree, a fear in other teachers of disciplining their students at the school. Our "culture of fear" has become, I think, somewhat of a vicious circle.
As another example, some parents here have expressed the concern that other parents here might consider them to be "bad parents" by allowing their younger children to play Minecraft... even though they personally see no big problems with it. Also, some parents are afraid to ignore anything that looks official... such as an ERSB (or is it ESRB?) rating of 10+ (which is almost paranoically conservative IMO). In Peaceful mode, nothing attacks the player (unless the player attacks a wolf first); so you essentially just have a bunch of animals running around that might, at worst, occasionally bump into you. Since the advent of shears and since food has essentially no meaning in Peaceful (even after this update), they certainly don't have to be killed at all.
Did you know that many Lego sets are rated 7+? By 7, my son was handling several basic tools (hammers, saws, drills, chisels, etc.) and had probably even used a power saw (albeit under reasonably close supervision). By 7 also, he had pretty much lost all interest in his Lego. By then, I was certainly not worried that he would poke out an eye or cut himself on the little plastic Lego swords. However, because somewhere in the world some 7-year-old probably has managed to poke an eye out with a Lego sword, we're stuck with a 7+ rating... probably more because the manufacturer is fearful of getting sued than anything else.
Kids should know the difference between a game and reality. I would tell my kid that anything you see in a game, stays in the game. Don't do it. I wouldn't want to see my kid try to mine a rock.
Think about it, if you are brought up to be aware from an early age that food comes from animals you accept it. If you leave it too long, they wonder why they are only just finding out. I say teach them as soon as they can learn it. Good parenting isnt about hiding facts, its about how to deal with the information you know. Kill pigs for food, teach them the sausages they eat are pigs, let them decided if they want to continue to eat it lol Will it taste any different knowing where it came from? No. If you find out something later do you think why was I lied to?
I pretty much agree with everything you said there upupaway, but those age tags on lego sets, aren't those simple guidelines that indicate the average age for a child to be able to construct the set on their own?
But anyway screw age tags, every child is unique and today the world doesn't takes individuals into account anymore, everything is divided into groups with an average for each group.
Hence the less-educated ones (due to paranoid making media) and weak indirectly punish the strong and healthy, moreso than in the past
Yes, they are guidelines; but they are very conservative guidelines. You said it yourself... "able to construct the set on their own." So, the manufacture recommends not buying it until they should already know how to build with it. So, how do they learn to build with it, then unless the parent at some point ignores the guideline, buys it, and then teaches the younger child to play with it appropriately. I think Minecraft lends itself well to parents actively teaching the younger children how to play video games. IF the level of fantasy violence is a concern for them and, say, their 4-year-old, they can simply turn the game to peaceful mode. Then they can use the game as a tool to teach their children about construction, orienteering, cooperative effort, sportmanship, honesty... and on and on. On the XBox, with the splitscreen, they don't even have to worry about going online to play in the same world as their kids.
If the mild fantasy violence isn't a concern for them, then they should be able to enjoy a giggle or two over a creeper exploding without having any worries about being labeled a "bad parent." I just think it's a bit of a shame that some cautious parents will read the rating at 10+ and not investigate any of the possibilities the game has to offer for younger children.
As a father of two a 10 and 7 year old and a big gamer myself I have come to the conclusion that MC has maybe one thing that could be of concern and that would be the online part of the game because of the people that you can meet, how ever if you are responsible enough you should know that you can limit how your kids interaction is online in terms of friend request and or online time... My kids and I play all sorts of games together from FPS to family style games and as long as you are smart and clear about reminding kids how games and real life are nothing alike, there should be no problems at all!
Having said that, there is games that of course are not at all appropriate for children due to language and some of their content, but a lot of games now come with filters for gore and even strong language.
But as far as Minecraft goes I think you could say it 100% child safe
Funny story: I got a creeper hoodie recently as a gift. Wore it to the grocery store a few weeks ago, and a grade-school aged kid recognized it and smiled shyly. I "hissed" back, and got a gleeful screech from the child, and a very dirty look from the parent. I don't think they got it. Apparently they don't pay any attention to what the kid plays, which is sad.
Also, I feel old. I grew up playing Atari. Nobody worried about our games.
Funny story: I got a creeper hoodie recently as a gift. Wore it to the grocery store a few weeks ago, and a grade-school aged kid recognized it and smiled shyly. I "hissed" back, and got a gleeful screech from the child, and a very dirty look from the parent. I don't think they got it. Apparently they don't pay any attention to what the kid plays, which is sad.
Also, I feel old. I grew up playing Atari. Nobody worried about our games.
Off topic as hell but this made my day.
My nephew watches me play and whenever I am taking him home to his mothers he does the creeper want hug walk and hissing boom sounds as he calls them.
Back on topic: Kids today are not that simple and naive, my nephew is 3 and can work the Ipad by himself; plays games and listens to music. This game is just a joy to him, he does not play it but he watches me play, he understands that I kill the pigs for the chops and the cows cause they are annoying!!
I am a parent of a 6 and 4 year old who both LOVE Minecraft. They love to watch and we have done a little 3-player split screen though they are not as good at it as they need to be yet.
We have been raising our children to know where food comes from (animals) and my kids have a firm understanding of fantasy vs. reality. I agree with all the posters that state "good parenting trumps everything" or something similar. If you are raising your children to not hurt others, love and respect people, and be empathetic when others are hurting video games should not be a problem.
My kids love to watch me play games, but yes I do limit their intake on occasion. With something over the top like Borderlands it's not that big a deal, but I won't let them watch The Walking Dead (Show or games) and I make sure that I drive nice and don't run over the hookers if they are watching GTA. (And avoid any story cut scenes!)
It all comes down to parental choice and what age you want your kids to see the stuff...because they will see it sooner or later. My daughter and son are the coolest little kids...she loves Pokemon (and knows every one!) and he loves Luigi. They play mario bros. together, Skylanders, Scribblenaughts, and beg me to play Minecraft and other games. Hell they even got a kick out of Dark Souls with the giant bird at the beginning and the skeletons. The important thing is that we talk to them about what they see on TV and games and help them understand what is right and wrong. I think that having games in their lives has helped them more then it would ever hurt them, and that is because they have parents who care and explain things to them.
Before my wife and kids video games were one of the best parts of my life, now my wife and kids ARE the best part of my life...and I get to share my games with them which makes it all that much better. (No my wife is not a gamer, but she is in love with one)
My kids try to have fun at my expense -
I'll be playing and my wife will need my help IRL in the kitchen or something, so I'll hide Steve behind a closed door and just leave the game running.
My kids, however, will go hide around the corner from the kitchen (again IRL) and wil start making the "Steve getting hurt noise, Ow Ow Ow " thinking that I'll come running to see what's happening in the game. To my shame, they have gotten me at least once with this tactic.
How about you don't kill the pigs in the first place? you don't need to kill them if you play on peaceflul because your health regenerates and no monsters come out.
I think Minecraft is good for just about any age. Yeah there is some aspect of violence, but its so toned down that it almost doesn't matter. The only thing I would be concerned about would be not getting any sleep because my kids are having Creeper nightmares! (I don't have kids yet. Just sayin')
Why? Why does being a late-teen or adult suddenly grant you the priviledge of playing online?
It's probably less about privledge, and more about maturity and exposure to a variety of real world elements. I'm concerned about children who are raised by television and video games. Not because of the content (though sometimes that matters), but by the lack of variety in their mental stimulation, which in turn determines the neural networks forming in their brain, which in turn shapes their ability and interest in solving problems.
If you expose your kid to growing plants, raising animals, doing manual tasks, building real things with blocks, making art and music then your kid will have a better well rounded view of the world and the kinds of activities they might enjoy. Their brain will be better adapted to handling real objects in real space and coming up with solutions. If all your kid knows is a game controller and how to shoot things, don't expect much variation in the solutions they propose from that model.
It might be a bit extreme to completely withhold computers and the internet from your kid until he comes of age. But exposure to these technologies should be moderated and reduced at inverse proportion to their age.
As to age appropriateness of MC or Legos for example, consider the guys behind Freakonomics and their observation of child raising books. The books themselves don't necessarily help raise a better child, so much as the kind of parent who is concerned and involved enough to buy and read said book actually has the desirable traits to make sure they raise their kid better. The same thing goes for Ratings for games. A parent who actually pays attention to the ratings and limits access to such product for their child is likely doing a better job at parenting. I've seen parents who are totally clueless that they are buying a stripper rape game for their 8 year old kid, despite the fact that the box says "hey! don't buy this for young children, it has strippers and rape!". That's the kind of parent who gets surprised their their kid is getting setup to star in a kiddie porn video by a child molester because they are not actively monitoring and raising their kids.
Which ties into the "lack of discipline" in schools today. Your kid is gettting a crappy education in school today, because other kids have crappy parents. These problem kids don't care about education because their parents don't care aboud education or even about their kids. In turn, these kids cause problems in class. These problem kids aren't just one or two bad kids, they are 50% or more of the classroom. The teacher is overwhelmed and not supported by the principals in disciplining them because the teacher SHOULD eject the problem kids from class, but the principal doesn't have a "jail" large enough to hold them all, so they send them back to the classroom.
Discussions with parents lead to such wise responses as "I don't think it's a big deal if my kid fails Algebra 1" or you find out the kid has one or more parents in jail for a drug crime. My wife and other friends work in the school industry. The problem is the parents that are failing to raise their kids. Lettting your kid play GTA (whether harmful or not) is a sign of lack of parenting.
On the other hand, the OP asking questions about what to worry about in MC for his kid shows a parent who is trying to do a good job. A parent who is trying to do a good job (whether they make all the right choices or not) helps improve the chances that the kid will grow up good.
For those who played GTA and still turned out OK, congratulations. You have suceeded DESPITE the mistake made by your parents. it is possible that letting you play innappropriate games was their only mistake in raising you, and, thus their other good choices helped keep you on the path to success. It is less likely that they abused you, rented you out, gave you drugs, had you sell drugs for them, AND you still turned out OK. It's all about probability of success/failure, and not absolutes that any one factor causes an outcome.
its a great way to explain the circl of life. we fish for food. pork chops come from pigs. leath for our cloths comes from cows, chik-ucks lay eggs, and zombies give us feathers. nothig to be concerned about with that. lol.
but on the serious side. they wouldnt have to kill pigs. if they chose not to. they could harvest wheat and make bread for food.
i find no use for leather armor.
and you can use shears to get wool from sheep.
the only real concerns parents should have would be the same one they should. with any game. be aware of who they are communicating with.
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No disagreement from me... media is media and does include TV, games, news, music, photographs, billboards, public service announcements. For example... Hearing about other teachers being brought up on charges of abuse on the news has probably prompted, to some degree, a fear in other teachers of disciplining their students at the school. Our "culture of fear" has become, I think, somewhat of a vicious circle.
As another example, some parents here have expressed the concern that other parents here might consider them to be "bad parents" by allowing their younger children to play Minecraft... even though they personally see no big problems with it. Also, some parents are afraid to ignore anything that looks official... such as an ERSB (or is it ESRB?) rating of 10+ (which is almost paranoically conservative IMO). In Peaceful mode, nothing attacks the player (unless the player attacks a wolf first); so you essentially just have a bunch of animals running around that might, at worst, occasionally bump into you. Since the advent of shears and since food has essentially no meaning in Peaceful (even after this update), they certainly don't have to be killed at all.
Did you know that many Lego sets are rated 7+? By 7, my son was handling several basic tools (hammers, saws, drills, chisels, etc.) and had probably even used a power saw (albeit under reasonably close supervision). By 7 also, he had pretty much lost all interest in his Lego. By then, I was certainly not worried that he would poke out an eye or cut himself on the little plastic Lego swords. However, because somewhere in the world some 7-year-old probably has managed to poke an eye out with a Lego sword, we're stuck with a 7+ rating... probably more because the manufacturer is fearful of getting sued than anything else.
Yes, they are guidelines; but they are very conservative guidelines. You said it yourself... "able to construct the set on their own." So, the manufacture recommends not buying it until they should already know how to build with it. So, how do they learn to build with it, then unless the parent at some point ignores the guideline, buys it, and then teaches the younger child to play with it appropriately. I think Minecraft lends itself well to parents actively teaching the younger children how to play video games. IF the level of fantasy violence is a concern for them and, say, their 4-year-old, they can simply turn the game to peaceful mode. Then they can use the game as a tool to teach their children about construction, orienteering, cooperative effort, sportmanship, honesty... and on and on. On the XBox, with the splitscreen, they don't even have to worry about going online to play in the same world as their kids.
If the mild fantasy violence isn't a concern for them, then they should be able to enjoy a giggle or two over a creeper exploding without having any worries about being labeled a "bad parent." I just think it's a bit of a shame that some cautious parents will read the rating at 10+ and not investigate any of the possibilities the game has to offer for younger children.
Having said that, there is games that of course are not at all appropriate for children due to language and some of their content, but a lot of games now come with filters for gore and even strong language.
But as far as Minecraft goes I think you could say it 100% child safe
Also, I feel old. I grew up playing Atari. Nobody worried about our games.
Why? Why does being a late-teen or adult suddenly grant you the priviledge of playing online?
Off topic as hell but this made my day.
My nephew watches me play and whenever I am taking him home to his mothers he does the creeper want hug walk and hissing boom sounds as he calls them.
Back on topic: Kids today are not that simple and naive, my nephew is 3 and can work the Ipad by himself; plays games and listens to music. This game is just a joy to him, he does not play it but he watches me play, he understands that I kill the pigs for the chops and the cows cause they are annoying!!
We have been raising our children to know where food comes from (animals) and my kids have a firm understanding of fantasy vs. reality. I agree with all the posters that state "good parenting trumps everything" or something similar. If you are raising your children to not hurt others, love and respect people, and be empathetic when others are hurting video games should not be a problem.
My kids love to watch me play games, but yes I do limit their intake on occasion. With something over the top like Borderlands it's not that big a deal, but I won't let them watch The Walking Dead (Show or games) and I make sure that I drive nice and don't run over the hookers if they are watching GTA.
It all comes down to parental choice and what age you want your kids to see the stuff...because they will see it sooner or later. My daughter and son are the coolest little kids...she loves Pokemon (and knows every one!) and he loves Luigi. They play mario bros. together, Skylanders, Scribblenaughts, and beg me to play Minecraft and other games. Hell they even got a kick out of Dark Souls with the giant bird at the beginning and the skeletons. The important thing is that we talk to them about what they see on TV and games and help them understand what is right and wrong. I think that having games in their lives has helped them more then it would ever hurt them, and that is because they have parents who care and explain things to them.
Before my wife and kids video games were one of the best parts of my life, now my wife and kids ARE the best part of my life...and I get to share my games with them which makes it all that much better. (No my wife is not a gamer, but she is in love with one)
Great thread!
Your kids are truly awesome!
It's probably less about privledge, and more about maturity and exposure to a variety of real world elements. I'm concerned about children who are raised by television and video games. Not because of the content (though sometimes that matters), but by the lack of variety in their mental stimulation, which in turn determines the neural networks forming in their brain, which in turn shapes their ability and interest in solving problems.
If you expose your kid to growing plants, raising animals, doing manual tasks, building real things with blocks, making art and music then your kid will have a better well rounded view of the world and the kinds of activities they might enjoy. Their brain will be better adapted to handling real objects in real space and coming up with solutions. If all your kid knows is a game controller and how to shoot things, don't expect much variation in the solutions they propose from that model.
It might be a bit extreme to completely withhold computers and the internet from your kid until he comes of age. But exposure to these technologies should be moderated and reduced at inverse proportion to their age.
As to age appropriateness of MC or Legos for example, consider the guys behind Freakonomics and their observation of child raising books. The books themselves don't necessarily help raise a better child, so much as the kind of parent who is concerned and involved enough to buy and read said book actually has the desirable traits to make sure they raise their kid better. The same thing goes for Ratings for games. A parent who actually pays attention to the ratings and limits access to such product for their child is likely doing a better job at parenting. I've seen parents who are totally clueless that they are buying a stripper rape game for their 8 year old kid, despite the fact that the box says "hey! don't buy this for young children, it has strippers and rape!". That's the kind of parent who gets surprised their their kid is getting setup to star in a kiddie porn video by a child molester because they are not actively monitoring and raising their kids.
Which ties into the "lack of discipline" in schools today. Your kid is gettting a crappy education in school today, because other kids have crappy parents. These problem kids don't care about education because their parents don't care aboud education or even about their kids. In turn, these kids cause problems in class. These problem kids aren't just one or two bad kids, they are 50% or more of the classroom. The teacher is overwhelmed and not supported by the principals in disciplining them because the teacher SHOULD eject the problem kids from class, but the principal doesn't have a "jail" large enough to hold them all, so they send them back to the classroom.
Discussions with parents lead to such wise responses as "I don't think it's a big deal if my kid fails Algebra 1" or you find out the kid has one or more parents in jail for a drug crime. My wife and other friends work in the school industry. The problem is the parents that are failing to raise their kids. Lettting your kid play GTA (whether harmful or not) is a sign of lack of parenting.
On the other hand, the OP asking questions about what to worry about in MC for his kid shows a parent who is trying to do a good job. A parent who is trying to do a good job (whether they make all the right choices or not) helps improve the chances that the kid will grow up good.
For those who played GTA and still turned out OK, congratulations. You have suceeded DESPITE the mistake made by your parents. it is possible that letting you play innappropriate games was their only mistake in raising you, and, thus their other good choices helped keep you on the path to success. It is less likely that they abused you, rented you out, gave you drugs, had you sell drugs for them, AND you still turned out OK. It's all about probability of success/failure, and not absolutes that any one factor causes an outcome.
but on the serious side. they wouldnt have to kill pigs. if they chose not to. they could harvest wheat and make bread for food.
i find no use for leather armor.
and you can use shears to get wool from sheep.
the only real concerns parents should have would be the same one they should. with any game. be aware of who they are communicating with.