Honest question: is my 8yo too young for Minecraft?

Jan 2·1 min read

He's been asking and his friends are all playing it. I know it's not violent or anything but I'm worried he'll just sit there for 8 hours building stuff instead of doing literally anything else. Can he actually 'lose' or 'fail' at Minecraft or is it just open-ended? Also how hard is it to set up parental controls?

5 comments371 views

Comments(5)

FFrank T.RegularJan 4

My 8yo has been playing for 2 years now. Zero downsides for us. He's built some genuinely impressive stuff and I've seen his problem solving skills improve.

DDan M.RegularJan 4

Make sure you set parental controls and turn off the multiplayer stuff if you're worried. The Java Edition is probably overkill but the Bedrock version on Xbox or Switch is super manageable for his age.

KKevin M.RegularJan 4

Start him in creative mode first. He can't die, nothing is scary, and he can just build whatever he wants. That's the best introduction to the game.

JJosh E.RegularJan 5

Not too young at all. Just set some time limits and maybe play with him a couple times to see what it's about. Way better than a lot of other games out there.

VVincentRegularJan 5

Eight is actually the sweet spot for Minecraft IMO. That's when most kids can handle the controls and start building cool stuff instead of just wandering around confused.