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Forums - Gaming - I'm sorry, but Minecraft is not an educational game.

 

Is Minecraft educational?

Yes, it teaches common core academics. 21 22.58%
 
You can learn from it, bu... 22 23.66%
 
Minecraft has no educational value to it. 23 24.73%
 
Kids could be learning in... 10 10.75%
 
Zelda Wii U is now going ... 17 18.28%
 
Total:93
Chazore on 19 January 2016

Also I completely forgot that team work is also an important and educational experience, something that happens a lot in Minecraft and can also teach others to team up and work together.



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jason1637 on 19 January 2016
JWeinCom said:
qwertyDANIELqwerty said:
This is just my opinion, so don't lose sleep over it, but as amazing as it sounds that Minecraft is going to be used in schools for "educational" purposes now with a new edition, I just can't help but slam my head on the keyboard as I process this idea through my head. I swear people will do anything to get kids engaged in education, and this is one of the saddest excuses. I'm sure if any other game that had PG material in it and was as popular with kids as it is as minecraft, then that game would be shoved on school computers for "education" I think it is good for a group-bonding activity as kids cooperate and build together, but school is for learning academics, isn't it? What common core subjects are being taught here exactly? Coordinates of blocks is the only slightly technical educational thing I can think of. Oh well, I guess now I can say I am learning when I start playing games in my classes. "Minecraft? A game? No, it's an education tool!"

...

Social skills are a HUGE part of education, especially with younger grades.  Learning how to work as a team is majorly important.  

And depending on how you use it, it absolutely can be educational.  In the last school I worked with, they used Minecraft as part of a unit on explorers.  The task was to build a ship.  So, they had to plan out and model it, create all of the different parts of a ship (mast, aft, cabin and whatever), and cooperate to build it.  By the end, the kids had a very clear understanding of the different parts of a ship.

I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, that you're viewing education strictly as acquiring knowledge.  But, that's imo an outdated view.  The most important things for students to learn are lateral thinking and problem solving skills.  This is a skill that videogames can be really effective in teaching.  There are a TON of games that can be used for educational purposes.  Advance Wars, Wario Ware (could be great for English Language learning), Pokemon, Scribblenauts, Codename S.T.E.A.M., and even stuff like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie.  

There's an interesting (though not exactly scholarly) book on this topic.  I believe it's called Everything Bad Is Good For You.  If you're interested, it gives some intriguing points about why things like reality TV and games are actually good for the mind.

 

Basickly this 



Mike321 on 19 January 2016

I didn't know they were going to use minecraft in that way, but I belive it can work if it's targeted to the right skills.



                                                                                     

Zkuq on 19 January 2016

I'd like to add my contribution with one word: mods. There's even a mod that teaches quantum mechanics! Not to mention all the mods that feature energy and resource management, as well as resource refinement.



Azzanation on 19 January 2016

I was one of the haters of Minecraft until I played it. Yes it has educational skills.



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kooltrex on 19 January 2016

Couldnt have said it better.



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midrange on 19 January 2016

The logic that goes behind the redstone systems is actually crazy and would be helpful to introduce computer logic. Without the redstone system, I would have agreed with you



Cloudman on 20 January 2016

I think Minecraft can make for a pretty good learning too. If anything, it really allows people to get really creative with it, and it's a good way to draft and design various things, from buildings to landscapes. You can use levels and redstone to make a lot of cool automated systems as well. So I think it has many uses as an educational too, and it's fun!



 

              

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Sharpryno on 20 January 2016

umm it can be. I had a computer class grades 1-8 where half of it was learning computers and the other half was playing games. would have been dope to have minecraft back then where we were all on one world.

but I played chips challenge, helicopter, curveball and some flash tower defense games. Those were the days.



QUAKECore89 on 20 January 2016

Someday... I will teach my son with this, instead of Minecraft education.