Class Reflections #8

 vs. 

How wide is the Generational Gap?

Over the past 2 years, I've seen my 9 year old son go through a metamorphosis. His Minecraft hobby has turned into a minor obsession. Now, I'll admit I remember investing some time (probably a lot of time) into the world of Zelda when I was his age. As my son delved deeper into Minecraft, I began investigating the game and its concept a little closer.

After investigating, I realized there isn't much of a difference between the games. Its difficult to argue against the popularity of the game. According to Microsoft, Minecraft has been downloaded over 100 million times (Molina, 2014). I'll admit, I do like the game's promotion of creativity and forward thinking. 

There is one subtle (maybe not so subtle to some) difference between Zelda and Minecraft. For me, the one glaring difference is the objective. In Minecraft, there are endless downloads, modifications, and resources for the player to experience. Whereas Zelda (the original NES version), there was one objective, which was: Save Princess Zelda from the Evil Ganon! (the chief antagonist of the game). 

Sometimes students (young gamers included) have too many options and sometimes too many resources (digital included). These endless options can bog us down and distract us away from our objective, not to mention there are limited resources for us to accomplish our goals. 

In the end, kids are kids and I don't wish for my son to give up his hobby of Minecraft, but there are times when I simply want him to: Get his bag ready to leave, empty the dishwasher, or practice his math. In other words, sometimes we just need to "Save the Princess".