Minecraft Madness. Should Parents Worry?

Minecraft is being played by millions of children worldwide and at some point, it becomes their way of life.

11:21 31 March 2015

Minecraft is a computer game where players can build anything under digital cubic blocks. Unlike Lego, this game doesn’t run out of blocks and they never topple over. When compared to other online games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, Minecraft is peaceful, wholesome, and innocent. 

 

But with all the hours that children are spending on this game day after day, should parents worry? 

 

Gabrielle Wacker, the mother of 11-year-old son said: "It's all consuming. It's become a way of life. He would be on it before school given the chance. I've had to hide the device in the morning."

 

"He doesn't do any clubs any more. At weekends, one of the first things he says when he gets up in the morning is, 'We're not going anywhere, are we?' because clearly he wants to be at home where he has got access to the devices."

 

Dr Richard Graham, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, says that Minecraft becomes a serious habit for children because it’s “hyper-reality” making the external world “slower, paler, and less stimulating.