{"id":3075,"date":"2022-02-07T09:14:05","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T09:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forbes.co.il\/e\/?p=3075"},"modified":"2022-02-07T09:14:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-07T09:14:06","slug":"mindcraft-for-the-masses-why-your-kids-should-play-more-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forbes.co.il\/e\/mindcraft-for-the-masses-why-your-kids-should-play-more-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindcraft for the Masses: Why Your Kids Should Play More Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Contributors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality of video games<\/a> is far from the all-too-common perspective that views them as brain-melting garbage. Video games and Esports offer a host of benefits that are not explored in media and news nearly as frequently as they deserve to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Social Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest misconception about video games is that gamers are antisocial. What is your image of a gamer? Maybe a 20-something-year-old still living in his parent’s basement, chugging Red Bull, with Dorito dust all over his hands and keyboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decades of bad press from advertisements, media, and pop culture have implanted that picture in many people\u2019s brains. As a result, parents today worry that buying their children an XBOX is a slippery slope leading their children to social isolation. Luckily the reality is far from this pessimistic fantasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The biggest misconception about video games is that gamers are antisocial | Photo: Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In today\u2019s world games are played online, with friends, real friends.\u00a0Gaming has become far more social and as a result, games are driving players, (especially youngsters) towards social connection rather than away from it. In these games, Children are building social skills just as they would be by playing in the real world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who doesn\u2019t play video games themselves, here\u2019s a common scenario, kids will run into while playing together. In Minecraft, a sandbox-type video game that allows great creativity for players, there is a special dimension that players can only reach by building a portal. This portal requires different materials, and the players will need materials to survive in the new dimension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say three kids are playing together. They will need to communicate and coordinate with each other: who is gathering the obsidian, who is getting the lava, and who is creating the armor and weapons they need. Then they need to decide on a meeting position where they will come back to build the portal itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relatively simple aspect of the game reinforces several communication lessons that are invaluable in the real world. The benefit of video games is having children learn these skills in a fun and engaging way.\u00a0You aren\u2019t going to have to force your child to play Minecraft, and they won\u2019t even realize that they are developing crucial real-world communication skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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