Minecraft and My 5 Year Old

I've been playing video games since I was young. I first picked up a controller at the age of 8 or 9, playing Mario 64 obsessively, but even before that I remember being in daycare and seeing someone play Pokemon for the very first time. I was fascinated; I was hooked. I had to have my own.

Since then, I've never really stopped playing. I was a voracious reader when I was young as well. Video games soon took over reading, simply because those worlds I imagined when reading were suddenly right before my eyes! And I could interact with them! The characters, the worlds, the quests-it all held so much fun and interest for me.

I've been so lucky as a female to have found a man who I can game with. My husband is just as, if not much more, of an avid gamer than I. I typically play for the story, while he enjoys a good meta.

We have a son together. He's five years old, and we introduced him to video games early on. We're not ashamed to be a "gamer" household, although I would tell you I'd be ashamed to use the term "gamer" in any sense of the word when relating it to us.

Anyhow, when my child was just 4 years old, I downloaded Minecraft on the Switch. Now, this is a game I had played with vigor back when it was ONLY on the PC. Back then Minecraft didn't have Realms, or bees, or even things as simple as underwater monuments. The Nether was red, with Zombie Pigmen wandering aimlessly around. The only reason to go to the Nether was for quartz or Netherack. I remember when the end was just that-The End. There were no cities. Diamond was the strongest metal.

In other words, I'm an old person.

I've come back to Minecraft off and on throughout the years. Long before I ever thought I'd have a child, I played with friends on a server. Then, years and years later when Discord was just becoming fashionable, I joined several servers through there. Texture packs became a thing; I couldn't believe how beautiful a tree could look.

Minecraft is one of those games where you really can leave for a couple months, or even years, come back and the game feels completely new each time. Every time I've come back to it, it truly feels like I'm learning the game all over again.

Anyone with a son will know that Minecraft is a pretty high tier game on their list. Ranging from Kindergarten all the way to college, I've noticed that the one of the only other games that manages such a wide variety of ages is Pokemon.

My 5 year old has been playing Minecraft for well over a year now. He's so much better at it right now than me, that it's almost sad. He even corrected me and directed me to an area the other day and I had to sit there and think "is this real life right now?" Pretty jarring when a toddler knows more about a game than you do.

We have bonded immensely over this game though. Especially during these hard times of COVID-19, building houses, exploring caves and fighting raids together has been an absolute joy to engage in.

Perhaps more parents could stand to join in with their children in the act of gaming. Whether it's Minecraft, Fortnite or good old fashioned Mario, try picking up a controller with them and learning about what they enjoy doing.