Minecraft Children's Mental Health
Movie review by .....
Minecraft + Children's Mental Health
age 8+
Minecraft is to a large degree about having unique experiences that nobody else has had. The levels are randomly generated, and you can build anything you want to build yourself.
PG
2022
102 minutes
Parents say
age 8+
Kids say
age 8+
1.Basics
Minecraft is an “open-world” video game available on a variety of platforms and devices. It has been around for decades, and millions of children around the world play it, often for hours every day
.
A popular way to play is “Creative Mode,” in which the player mines for different types of blocks (similar to virtual Legos), and can then build characters and objects, such as houses, machines, and cities.
2.Pro’s
Creativity and Collaboration: Young people can work together to build anything they can imagine [1]
Stress relief: A safe place to escape and roam free [2,3]
3.Con’s
Can be violent, “Survival Mode” involves characters dying
Can be addicting; Some kids prefer their imaginary Minecraft world over IRL (in-real-life) existence. [7]
Our Editors Recommend
Game Name
Sci-fi adventure/tender family drama has scares, peril.
age 8+
About Us
Dr. Jeremy Chapman Started This Project
During his child and adolescent psychiatry training, when he realized that talking about screentime activities was the key to getting his patients to open up and share their lives/thoughts with him, so he was able to build rapport and best treat them.
4.Recommended videos
a. “Minecraft and Mental Health | Screen Therapy”: https://bit.ly/3vZCvdk i. An excellent video by the YouTube channel “Screen Therapy” that discusses how Minecraft relates to children’s thoughts and emotional experiences.
b. “How I use Minecraft to help kids with autism | Stuart Duncan”: https://bit.ly/3qrimvI i. Stuart Duncan explains some amazing ways he uses Minecraft with kids on the autism spectrum.
5.How to talk to kids about it
a. Come from a point of curiosity and ask your kids questions, express genuine interest, and invite them to teach you about it. Sometimes, a simple open conversation can go a long way.
b. Try it yourself! This will help you become more well-versed and ask educated questions, and better understand your child’s experiences.
6.References
a. [1] “Crafting minds and communities with Minecraft”: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
b. [2] “The use of Minecraft in the treatment of trauma for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder”: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6427.12297
c. [3] “The role of Minecraft on social-emotional and behavioural outcomes of children with Hearing Loss or Autism : perspectives of parents and children”: https://bit.ly/35PAoOI
d. [4] Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/minecraft
e. [5] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft
f. [6] Minecraft Website: Minecraft.net
g. [7] “Video Game Addiction: Past, Present and Future”: https://bit.ly/3w82ak6