There has been a wide held belief that all video games rot the brain. Recently Jane Mavoa, PHD candidate at University of Melbourne, and Marcus Carter, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures at the University of Sydney would argue that their research finds children are mimicking real world play in the digital space. Meaning screen play can help substitute for what kids may be missing out on during the pandemic.
Research shows playing on a screen builds many of the same skills as playing off screen, including spatial and cognitive skills, as well as learning and creativity.
Their survey of 753 Melbourne parents showed 53% of children aged 6 to 8, and 68% of children aged 9 to 12, were actively playing Minecraft. More than half of those played more than once per week.
In the game Minecraft, players build, fight for survival or engage in imaginative play, using the digital landscape as a kind of virtual playground. It can be played offline or online, alone or with other people, on a range of devices. Since the survey, we have been studying in depth the Minecraft play of 6-8 year-old children from ten families across Melbourne. We interviewed children and their parents and recorded many hours of Minecraft play. We saw children engaging in many types of important play.
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