Recently, I have been trying to play video games in the same way as I would read a book i.e. I play the story or the interactive puzzles and events until I am finished or satisifed, and then move on.
I find I get very similar things from a good video game and a good book. Both entertain me, but also educate me and make me think about the world in a different way. The main difference is that each format has different strengths, books tend to change how I describe the world or find insight into ideas and things. A good game changes how I experience the world. "The Last of Us" made me really focus on the sounds around me in a way I hadn't before, "Cities Skylines" made me think of the visible and hidden networks that keep our cities functioning.
Maybe similar, but maybe not--I use video games as a way to monitor my status, kind of get an outside view of myself. If a particular video game sounds interesting, I'll play it for a while and analyze the imagery, story, music, etc. to get a sort of metaphorical read on what my interest says about where I'm at.
For example, if I am experiencing lots of stress, and feeling a deficit of power, I noticed that military tactics and strategy games seem to suggest themselves. If a really long-term, cool strategy is called for, I notice that I play games like golf. If the day is filling up with lots of busy tasks that require a deft navigation of circumstance, the classic Snake-like game always seems to sound fun to play.
Looking more objectively at the game as a learning opportunity, I find that game development is huge for me here. I develop pen and paper games of given topics (from tennis to dungeon combat) and it's interesting to map real life attributes and circumstances like charisma and "home court advantage" onto my mental model of the game. I have to develop a broader model of what makes a player successful, and this spills over into my own approach to life and its problems. For example, if I'm a skilled researcher, it should follow that the more I ramp up and employ that particular skill, the faster my luck will grow, as opposed to skills at which I'm naturally an amateur. And it follows that I probably need a diversely-skilled team to turn to, should I come up against a truly difficult problem which does not yield to my research skills easily. While I build that team, I employ and continue to deepen my research skill.
I can see how playing video games is similar to reading for entertainment, it is a good escape that requires concentration and when finished you can just walk away from it without anything material that has to be dealt with.
Minecraft is interesting in that it requires a lot of knowledge in terms of how to make things/play the game, and requires exploration for resources. The harder game modes require more tactics and strategy which are typically first learned outside of Minecraft through youtube or friends. There are a number of high quality Minecraft reference books (by Scholastic and Mojang) which are great.
As a full time kid and an ex minecraft player, I think that's a way to get into books. The only way I got into books was by trying hard at first to read on my phone (it was hard and boring for a month I was reading during boring classes at school). But now a year later I've never read any paper books, all the books I've read are ebooks.
If you haven't already, why not get (or ask for) an e-reader with an e-ink display? Reading from paper or e-ink is a lot less detrimental to your eyesight. When reading in the evenings that has the benefit of not affecting your circadian rhythm as much (which normal screens tend to do).
Realy though I wish that there was something like minecraft, but with an RTS-style disembodied god-view camera, with zoom, pan and rotate, which I think will make building things much more painless. Perhaps some mods can approximate that, but if there was something build up from the beginning for such an interface it would be a nicer thing to have for people who would rather build than walk around catching the scenery.
Not really the same game, but Factorio scratches this itch for me. I eventually stopped because it got too close to work, but for a while I was absolutely hooked.
If what you liked was solving puzzles of how to build things and accumulation of resources I recommend it. If it was building large structures out of legos, this game isn’t that though.
Not exactly what you wanted, but in Cube 2: Sauerbraten http://sauerbraten.org/ (open source) you can easily edit rooms in god view, and then use the map for a first-person shooter.
I've given some thought to making a better world editor that would interface with Minecraft through command blocks or via the Glowstone MC server. There are a few existing world editor applications but they are quite sluggish (last time I checked). If you want to build small things with cubes then you should check out the latest voxel editors.
Whenever I'm in a bookstore I am amazed at the sheer number of official and unofficial Minecraft books. I suppose someone must be buying them of they wouldn't be making more of them.
That being said, I'm skeptical that making book-related things in Minecraft will encourage reading any more than Second Life did.
with lord of the rings and starwars this was absolutely true for me. however one cannot compare movies with video games. as the book introduces the story like q bqckground info and the 3d world allows for exploration and creatively extending the story alone or with friends...
As a parent I applaud this greatly! Kids with ASD (especially boys) are very into Minecraft. Giving them a tool for getting into reading is very, very awesome and helpful, indeed.
I imagine that books could be enhanced with a virtual reality game that presents you the main characters and the place where the book develops the plot. So the line between books and virtual games becomes slimmer.
Minecraft is absolutely not helping in the war on screens. As a former educator I laugh heartily at the proposition. Although, I did use "screen time" as a gift-able and earn-able commodity, and in a small classroom of kids it works great to encourage sharing, participation, group watch / observance, and "can I please share with Timmy now so I can have more screentime later?" [success fist]
So, is it like the war on drug and war on terrorism ?
Also I remember when I was a kid, people were over my back for reading too much books, as I was supposed to “go outside”, “play with the other kids”, “make things with my hand”. I won’t use the eternal ‘I ended up fine’ argument, but in any day and age we’re grindingly pushing kids toward stuff they don’t care about for no decent reason. As a general rule you shouldn’t be at war against stuff your kids are into.
As a pre-computer kid I say blaming screens is bogus. I’d do anything not to read the stupid books school gave me.
Fun thing I actually was an avid reader, but the curriculum books were totally out of place. At 12yo “Promessi Sposi” and “Divina Commedia” is such a shitty, verbose and convolute prose it killed my interest in literature.
Funnily enough I was enjoying at the time reading Calvino and Pirandello, authors I wouldn’t find in the curriculum until five years later. And read literally a ton of comics.
So blaming “screens” to me sounds like my average teacher back then totally disconnected with the minds of kids.
I just don't get why screens are a bad thing. Find balance. Don't demonize the screens. Don't underbalance screen time. We hope all these kids will be successful enough that screens become a core of their careers.
As a current educator -- although I teach college -- I laugh at the war on screens. When I was a kid I was told more than once to put down a book and go outside. I guess my parents were waging a war on books.
[+] [-] ImaCake|7 years ago|reply
I find I get very similar things from a good video game and a good book. Both entertain me, but also educate me and make me think about the world in a different way. The main difference is that each format has different strengths, books tend to change how I describe the world or find insight into ideas and things. A good game changes how I experience the world. "The Last of Us" made me really focus on the sounds around me in a way I hadn't before, "Cities Skylines" made me think of the visible and hidden networks that keep our cities functioning.
Do others have similar impressions?
[+] [-] themodelplumber|7 years ago|reply
For example, if I am experiencing lots of stress, and feeling a deficit of power, I noticed that military tactics and strategy games seem to suggest themselves. If a really long-term, cool strategy is called for, I notice that I play games like golf. If the day is filling up with lots of busy tasks that require a deft navigation of circumstance, the classic Snake-like game always seems to sound fun to play.
Looking more objectively at the game as a learning opportunity, I find that game development is huge for me here. I develop pen and paper games of given topics (from tennis to dungeon combat) and it's interesting to map real life attributes and circumstances like charisma and "home court advantage" onto my mental model of the game. I have to develop a broader model of what makes a player successful, and this spills over into my own approach to life and its problems. For example, if I'm a skilled researcher, it should follow that the more I ramp up and employ that particular skill, the faster my luck will grow, as opposed to skills at which I'm naturally an amateur. And it follows that I probably need a diversely-skilled team to turn to, should I come up against a truly difficult problem which does not yield to my research skills easily. While I build that team, I employ and continue to deepen my research skill.
[+] [-] itronitron|7 years ago|reply
Minecraft is interesting in that it requires a lot of knowledge in terms of how to make things/play the game, and requires exploration for resources. The harder game modes require more tactics and strategy which are typically first learned outside of Minecraft through youtube or friends. There are a number of high quality Minecraft reference books (by Scholastic and Mojang) which are great.
[+] [-] lihaciudaniel|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] madrox|7 years ago|reply
This is the most mind-blowing thing I've read on HN. It really makes me appreciate generational differences.
[+] [-] Freak_NL|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kome|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] billfruit|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mattnewton|7 years ago|reply
If what you liked was solving puzzles of how to build things and accumulation of resources I recommend it. If it was building large structures out of legos, this game isn’t that though.
[+] [-] savanaly|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Viliam1234|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] itronitron|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jccalhoun|7 years ago|reply
That being said, I'm skeptical that making book-related things in Minecraft will encourage reading any more than Second Life did.
[+] [-] mattnewton|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fenwick67|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wolco|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] la_fayette|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] earthandmoon|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dumb2223|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 105e9|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sova|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hrktb|7 years ago|reply
So, is it like the war on drug and war on terrorism ?
Also I remember when I was a kid, people were over my back for reading too much books, as I was supposed to “go outside”, “play with the other kids”, “make things with my hand”. I won’t use the eternal ‘I ended up fine’ argument, but in any day and age we’re grindingly pushing kids toward stuff they don’t care about for no decent reason. As a general rule you shouldn’t be at war against stuff your kids are into.
[+] [-] LoSboccacc|7 years ago|reply
Fun thing I actually was an avid reader, but the curriculum books were totally out of place. At 12yo “Promessi Sposi” and “Divina Commedia” is such a shitty, verbose and convolute prose it killed my interest in literature.
Funnily enough I was enjoying at the time reading Calvino and Pirandello, authors I wouldn’t find in the curriculum until five years later. And read literally a ton of comics.
So blaming “screens” to me sounds like my average teacher back then totally disconnected with the minds of kids.
[+] [-] Waterluvian|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jccalhoun|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brightball|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] Moodles|7 years ago|reply