Never Enough Minecraft!

My kids have been playing a game called Minecraft for a few years now. I can't remember exactly when they started playing, but it's been a while. If your kids aren't playing, don't let them start! It's a gateway game!

They start off with the free version. Seems innocent enough. Building things with blocks like virtual Legos. Harmless, right? They play the free version for some time, then it's not enough. There are limitations in the free version, and the kids can't do what they want. Soon they will need more than the free version can offer, so they beg for the PC version.

You say no, so they save their own money to buy it, that's how badly they want it, no, need it! Then they save their money for a long time to buy a PlayStation. Guess what game they buy to play on the PlayStation? You guessed it; Minecraft.

Now they are playing the free version on your tablet, the PC version on a computer, and the PlayStation version. Then, as they are getting more and more addicted, they will start watching YouTube because there are videos so you can watch strangers playing Minecraft. Eventually, they will play Minecraft while watching a YouTuber play Minecraft! Next, they will Skype or Facetime each other from their rooms so they can play Minecraft on their PlayStations together.

Skip ahead to last night/today when your kids ask you to download mods for Minecraft. And you have absolutely no idea a) what a mod is b) what a mod does c) what to do with the mod after you download it. All you know is that it's free and your antivirus program didn't sound any alarms when you downloaded it. Oh, and even though the PlayStation version is faster than the PC version, the PlayStation version doesn't let you add mods, so that's why you need the PC version, too.

As a bonus, it's been discovered that the only PC in the house fast enough to run this game properly is Mom's computer (mine). Oh, joy. The other computers lag really badly, and it's no fun to play like that. I can sort of understand that part; we used to have a game called Doom. You'd move the mouse, and a few seconds later, your character would move. By that time, you'd be dead.

My daughter keeps telling me that she wants to teach me how to play Minecraft. I have absolutely no interest in learning, so every time she brings it up, I tell her that I'm afraid if I learn how to play, that's all I'd do all day.

Both kids have other games for the PlayStation, but Minecraft seems to be the only game they play. I've talked to other parents, and this doesn't seem to be unique to my house. From what I gather, there's a Minecraft epidemic affecting many of our children, some as young as 4!

Then, of course, there's the merchandising. A foam “diamond sword” is twenty bucks! A foam pickaxe is also $20. Figurines are about $15. My kids have none of them. They also make Minecraft Lego sets. I can get behind those, and we have them in the house. I'd much rather they play with actual Legos than virtual ones.

All from a game that started as a free download. Free indeed!