I’m one of those adults that really does not “get” Minecraft.

Every kid I know, including X-Man, loves Minecraft.

I don’t know what it is but, I don’t get the appeal. For me, it’s probably the “crude” or “old school” graphics used in Minecraft. They remind me too much of the days when computer graphics were pretty rough. After all, my childhood video games consisted of “Pong”.

For me, watching a Minecraft game brings up memories of Atari. All great memories but, definitely not the best graphics.

But maybe it is this simplicity that appeals to kids.

Don’t get me wrong. I do understand that Minecraft is fun and educational.

I’ve read many articles detailing all the skills children can hone just by playing this popular video game.

For example, Minecraft encourages kids to use their imagination, explore their creativity, and collaborate with fellow players.

The deeper you look into Minecraft, the more you realize that, as far as video games go, this is the one you would prefer to have your kids playing.

Like I said, X-Man and his friends absolutely love Minecraft. The conversations this game creates amongst this group of friends is always animated.

Excited shrieks often fill the room when those special diamonds are found.

X-Man tries hard to explain what’s going on in the game while he’s playing.

Problem is, my old brain has trouble truly understanding the appeal of this game. I know I’m not the only one. X-Man’s dad doesn’t get it either. I know other parents who don’t.

Often it goes back to those graphics. Sometimes I can’t even make sense of what I’m looking at on the screen.

The kids, on the other hand, know exactly what they are looking at, and what they are doing!

So, not long ago, I sat down with X-Man and asked him if he would mind trying to explain Minecraft to me from his point of view. I told him I wanted to understand it better.

I think he did an exceptional job of breaking it down for me.

Please note. I have not verified any of these “facts” about Minecraft. After all, who am I to doubt the words of a Minecraft “expert” like X-Man, when I know nothing.

So here, in X-Man’s own words, is…

An Adult’s Guide To Minecraft

• Minecraft is like an online LEGO game.
• It’s a game of imagination.
• You can build anything in Minecraft.
• There are no rules in Minecraft.
• The possibilities are endless.
• Game play is based on mining and crafting things.
• There are 3 different survival modes.
• Minecraft has multiplayer capabilities so friends can play together.
• Kids enjoy the “freedom” of Minecraft. You can be creative with the unlimited amount of blocks – you can build whatever you want.
• You can use your imagination to build stuff like houses and tree houses.
• Minecraft is a game of survival. You have to craft, mine, grow trees and chop wood.
• If you die, you have to restart. You also have to try to find the stuff you dropped when you died.
• In Minecraft you collect things like wood, stone, iron, gold, and diamonds.
• You cannot mine your blocks. You need to use the right tool for the right job. For example, you cannot mine with your hand. You can mine with a pick axe and there are 5 versions of pick axe’s: wood, stone, iron, gold, diamond.
• Favourite thing about Minecraft? Mining in deep caves because there is a lot of chance to find lava. You can look around in caves of lava and find diamonds. Diamonds are close to lava pits.
• It’s better to play Minecraft with friends rather than by yourself. With friends you don’t have to do everything at the same time yourself. Friends can help you bring wood and other things.
• You can pause your game – in case you need to go to the bathroom or get a snack!
• Adults don’t like the graphics on Minecraft because they are all squares. Kids like the graphics and so do young teenagers, like famous “YouTuber” DanTDM TheDiamondMinecart.
• You cannot play Minecraft online on a Playstation but, you can play Minecraft online on a PC.

Personally, it’s the musical score that I like about Minecraft. It’s a welcome relief to sit and listen to the calming Minecraft music as the kids play. It sure beats the machine gun fire and revving engines found in many other video games!

Next up on my gaming agenda…Googling this “YouTuber” guy DanTDM…and trying to understand the appeal of chasing Pokemon!

Are your kids into Minecraft? Do you understand Minecraft? Do you play it?