Coding for Kids
So, you’re interested in Minecraft, huh? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or someone who just wants to learn more, this guide is for you. We’ll cover everything from the basics of gameplay to the latest updates, as well as the different versions of Minecraft and its expanding community.
Table of Contents:
- What is Minecraft?
- Versions of Minecraft
- Getting Started with Minecraft
- Expanding Your Minecraft Experience
- Conclusion
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game where players can build anything their imagination desires. You start with a randomly generated world. You can mine for resources, craft items, build structures, explore caves, fight mobs, and even tame animals.
Minecraft has two main editions: Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. They both share the same basic gameplay elements but have some differences in features, modding capabilities, and cross-platform compatibility. This means they’ll each appeal to different groups of people.
Why Minecraft is so Popular
Since its release in 2011, Minecraft has become a global phenomenon with millions of players worldwide. There’s a thriving Minecraft community that creates content, shares ideas, and organizes events.
But what makes Minecraft so special? What sets it apart from other games?
- Creativity: It provides an open-ended environment where you can build anything you can think of. The only limit is your creativity.
- Exploration: Its world is vast and varied. Minecraft features a range of biomes and dungeons waiting to be discovered, which always encourages exploration.
- Community: A huge community of passionate players share their creations, tutorials, and gameplay experiences. Minecraft is known for its welcoming nature. You can even submit your own feedback to the Minecraft feedback site to help improve it.
- Educational Value: While it’s entertaining, it can also teach problem-solving, critical thinking, and even coding skills.
Versions of Minecraft
As mentioned before, Minecraft comes in two primary flavors: Java and Bedrock. Which version you choose will affect the devices you can play it on, who you can play it with, and whether or not you’ll have access to mods. You can also buy Minecraft gift codes so the Minecraft player in your life can choose which game or items from the marketplace they’d like.
Java Edition
This is the original version of the game. You can buy and play Minecraft Java Edition on PCs running Windows, macOS, or Linux. Java Edition is highly popular amongst modders, allowing for extensive customization.
Bedrock Edition
This version of the game, known as Bedrock Edition, offers cross-platform play. Players using consoles, mobile devices, and Windows PCs can all play Minecraft together if they’re running this edition.
Getting Started with Minecraft
With all that out of the way, let’s look at the practical aspects of playing Minecraft. If you’re new to this game, it can feel a little overwhelming. But don’t worry; it’s actually quite straightforward.
Choose Your Edition
The first step is choosing between Java and Bedrock Edition. Consider which platforms you want to play on and whether you plan on using mods. Think about whether you’d prefer to run a dedicated server or not.
Create Your World
Once you’ve downloaded and launched the game, you’ll need to choose between “survival mode” and “creative mode.” In survival mode, you start with nothing, gather your resources, craft your items, and battle dangerous mobs that come out at night.
In creative mode, you start with unlimited resources. There are no monsters, and you have the ability to fly. This mode allows you to freely explore and create incredible things without the fear of getting attacked. You’ll even find guides online that will show you how to improve your buildings and make incredible town halls.
Learn the Basics
After making a world, you’ll want to learn some Minecraft fundamentals. You should start by exploring the surrounding areas and finding some trees to chop down.
That wood is a resource you’ll turn into wooden planks. Those wooden planks will turn into a crafting table. From there, the world is your oyster. Follow beginner tips as a launching point to get yourself comfortable with the interface.
Once you have the crafting table built, there will be plenty of possibilities for crafting more advanced items. For example, one of those items might be a wooden pickaxe, which will allow you to start gathering stone, another very important building material. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore.
Expanding Your Minecraft Experience
Once you feel at home within the vanilla versions of the game, there’s a whole wide world out there waiting to be experienced. The Minecraft Wiki is a great place to start.
The Minecraft Marketplace
Within this exciting marketplace, players can get Minecraft add-ons, thrilling new worlds to explore, cosmetic upgrades for your avatar, and many other community-made adventures. You can even shop for collectible avatars.
Minecraft Dungeons
This one’s an action-adventure dungeon crawler where up to four players team up to defeat mobs, collect items, and defeat the Arch-Illager. This offers a slightly different pace from vanilla Minecraft while remaining kid-friendly.
The ESRB gave it a rating of E10+ for Fantasy Violence, making it perfect for kids aged ten and above. There are even achievement counters for different activities you do in-game like “Plethora of Potions”, which tasks you with collecting one-hundred unique potions. You can see the entire achievement list for Minecraft Dungeons online.
You can find Minecraft Dungeons for all modern gaming consoles, so playing this one with friends is a blast. The Ultimate Edition comes bundled with all the post-release downloadable content (DLC). Some DLC has even added cross-platform play for some operating systems such as Playstation and PC, making it even easier for friends to play together, although some caveats still apply.
Minecraft Legends
This action strategy game released in 2023 has an ESRB rating of E10+, similar to Minecraft Dungeons. This time for fantasy violence and mild suggestive themes. The main draw is being able to control armies of golems in epic battles. Buy Minecraft Legends for all modern consoles. They even released Minecraft Legends Deluxe Edition, which features an extra six new skins.
Minecraft Education
Minecraft isn’t only for fun. It’s an incredibly useful tool for learning that’s been deployed across classrooms around the world.
Teachers are using the educational version of Minecraft to help kids explore, collaborate, and even develop their coding abilities. This version even comes with pre-designed lesson plans, so you don’t need to be a computer wizard to guide the classroom. You can download a demo for Minecraft Education, which provides a basic tour of some of its capabilities for educators.
The Minecraft Community
Joining a gaming community is one of the best ways to get better at any game. You can pick up a bunch of little-known tips, discover hidden strategies, or even have experienced gamers walk you through the hard parts. Minecraft has a large and active presence on places like the Reddit app.
Luckily for all of us, Minecraft has one of the largest, most vibrant communities in the gaming world. Many players love showing off their amazing creations. The Minecraft community even hosts regular “town halls” to go over the latest community happenings. You’ll also be happy to know that Windows has an app you can download to take you right into the Minecraft community, allowing you to chat with your fellow Minecraft players. Use the Minecraft Discord to learn more.
Conclusion
There’s so much more we could explore with Minecraft, but hopefully, this guide gave you a strong foundation from which to build on. It doesn’t matter whether you want to play Java, Bedrock, or something completely different. The joy of exploration and the excitement of building and creating your own worlds make Minecraft an unforgettable experience for players of all ages.
