Minecraft
by Ana Beatriz & Stefany Santos
Minecraft is a game created by game developer Markus Persson (Notch). The game allows players to enter a world where it is possible to build and live in their own environment, using various types of blocks. The creation of the game started on May 10, 2009 and its pre-purchase started in June of the same year, since then, the game is a success.
The game has three modes: creative, survival and hadcore:
- Creative
This mode is dedicated for those who want to build. There is no challenge in it, the blocks are all released for the user to build what he wants.
You can choose to leave the monsters or put them in the peaceful mode that disables them. The big advantage is that you can fly and use potions to gain some effects, such as moving faster.
- Survival
Survival is the most important in this mode, as your character can be attacked by monsters, and you will have to go in search of food.
There are thousands of things that can be done manually in this mode, unlike the creative, which already comes with all the objects.
For those who don't know, there are several objectives and there is also the end of the game that I fear Ender Dragon that you will face.
- Hardcore
The player has only one chance of life in this mode, if he dies he loses everything he had and goes back to the game's home page.
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Minecraft assists in the cognitive development of children, allowing them to process information and use resources through understanding and interacting with the game.
In a totally open world, with no space limit or pre-determined maps and goals, the child learns to reason and abstract commands and instructions in a playful and fun way.
Creativity is also put into practice since the game allows the construction of the most varied objects, from small common everyday items to gigantic buildings with hundreds of thousands of blocks.
In addition, players can create prototypes and test them. Most of the time, they are never completely satisfied with the first result and end up creating new versions, stimulating even more creativity.
In a natural way, the game can be articulated with several school contents, either with mathematics for working with concepts of abstract logical reasoning or with geography for working with concepts of spatial notion.
Although it is possible to play Minecraft alone, the experience is much more fun when performed in a group. Children can play collaboratively with their friends and thus build even more impressive buildings.
The avatar, a doll controlled by the player that represents him in the virtual world, depends entirely on his interaction. The game must be played with certain regularity and it is necessary to follow specific procedures, otherwise the avatar may even die.
When the child comes to understand that that avatar depends on his care, a sense of responsibility is born in him that will be very important in the adolescence phase and, later, in the adult phase as well.