Wiley, publisher of a whole slew of "For Dummies" books, has some great books that help break down one of the biggest gaming crazes - Minecraft. I got to see Minecraft Construction for Dummies, Minecraft Redstone for Dummies, and Minecraft for Dummes. I really enjoyed reading through them, especially now that even my girls have gotten intrigued by the game! It's really a good game that teaches a wide variety of skills and can be played collaboratively.
I had a chance to interview Jacob Cordeiro (author of Minecraft Redstone For Dummies,
Portable Edition and Minecraft For Dummies, Portable Edition).
· Why did you decide to write Minecraft guides?
The
whole business of it was a great opportunity--I got to talk to a wide
audience about a game I enjoyed, which tapped into my strong interest
for teaching and explaining concepts. Minecraft, conceptually, is an
amazing game; it is full of interesting systems and algorithms which I
loved to write about and analyze. When I was offered the job, my only
worry was that I wouldn't complete it, or that I wouldn't do it as well
as someone else could. However, after completing my first book, I was
much more confident in my acceptances of future projects (including
Gamestar Mechanic for Dummies, which describes another interesting and
constructive game).
While
writing Minecraft for Dummies, I had two demographics in mind: new
Minecraft players, who might find the online tutorials overwhelming and
are just trying to figure everything out, and experienced players, who
might benefit from a handy guide full of complete and organized
information. However, as I read my book's reviews on Amazon, I noticed a
very prominent third audience: the parents of Minecraft fans. Minecraft
has become very popular across all ages and has grown a substantial
community, so parents often start to worry about the hours their kids
put into it. I was surprised and intrigued to see that a lot of parents
read my book to see what their kids were spending their time on, and
began to understand the constructive and creative nature of the game. It
certainly makes sense--the simplistic yet clever gameplay makes
Minecraft a very thought-provoking experience--and I'm glad these
parents found that in my book. I believe that young Minecraft players
and their parents will probably get the most out of my books, but older
players might be able to learn a few things as well.
· What benefits do you think there are of playing a game like Minecraft besides just having fun?
Minecraft is beneficial because
it is fun. It takes clever, complicated patterns and makes them
engaging to players. When people look at Minecraft, they want to
understand it, they want to make sense of it, and they want to build,
explore, battle and invent. They consider all the mindsets and thought
processes which they might find boring in school. Minecraft doesn't
advertise its educational value like other forms of
"edutainment"--instead, it simply acts as a manipulative, allowing
players to work with it for the sole purpose of having fun, while
learning a thing or two in the process. I have a couple of younger
cousins who are Minecraft fans; they love to move the blocks around,
experimenting with objects and creatures, and I've noticed them improve a
lot along the way. Similarly, while I built machines and programs in
Minecraft while researching for the Redstone book, I became increasingly
familiar with engineering and computer science, as I built things like
combination locks and flying machines. That's what makes Minecraft so
amazing: it works not only as a game, but as an art form, providing a
creative outlet for kids and adults alike. The adult players are still
inventing new and ingenious ways to enjoy the game, and the kids are
given an almost palpable environment where they can be free.
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