Minecraft Modding: What Parents Need to Know

I’m sure your kids talk about Minecraft and modding non-stop. But what is Minecraft modding? What are the problems with traditional modding? And what are your kids learning from modding?

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is an online game where players build and explore worlds made of 3D blocks. It’s often compared to Legos, and if you play Minecraft, you’ll see why. Players can truly build anything that’s in their heads. The open-endedness of the game has created a culture of imaginatively dreaming up new things to make, then persevering and trouble-shooting to bring them to life.

What is Minecraft modding?

There’s a huge difference between Minecraft and Legos: Minecraft is digital! Did you ever want a magical LEGO block that can float in the air or a block that teleports you to a different room when you touch it? You can easily make these things happen with Minecraft modding.

Modding can involve superficial changes, like making rainbow-colored chickens, or deeper changes to the rules that govern the game. Modding also makes it easy to build vast structures with code instead of building one block at a time. You can make your own games within Minecraft by programming a whole new set of rules and situations!

The problems with traditional Minecraft modding

Modding is not user-friendly and can be challenging if you’re not a programmer. Here’s what you often get when kids try to learn modding through traditional sources, many of which are quite expensive:

• Kids are not learning to code
• Kids download pre-made mods online and just copy files instead of modding creatively
• There’s no progression or structure that helps kids evolve as modders and programmers
• Parents need to get involved to set up files and pay for servers
• Servers may not be secure or safe

Here’s how Tynker is different: It turns modding into coding!

Our mission, first and foremost, is to teach kids to code in a way that is fun and creative. We want them to see coding as a tool they can use to bring anything in their imagination to life.

With Tynker’s Minecraft modding, you’ll find that:

• Kids are actually learning to code
• Everything is taken care of, from tools to servers, so you don’t need to get involved
• Kids learn at their own pace, starting with simple tutorials and building up to complex games
• Kids experiment and learn with friends in their own secure and private environment
• There are no additional or hidden costs

With Tynker, kids can focus on the best part of modding: experimenting with code and tweaking their programming logic in order to create whatever’s in their imagination.

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