Probably, there is not a single person in the world who has not heard about Minecraft. More than 130 million active players play it every month, most of them children and young people.
Not all adults are able to appreciate Minecraft. “What's so special about this game?” — Many people ask when they first see her graphics. However, how it is drawn is not the most important thing. The essence and “highlight” of the game lies in the process itself — to extract blocks and use them to create anything you want.
The game has two modes: the “survival” mode, where you have to fight off other players and computer-controlled creatures, and the “creative” mode, which allows you to create and build for fun. Thus, it is the simplicity and the possibility of creativity that make Minecraft attractive to players — the game is easy to understand, and it is so addictive that you can play it for hours.
Like members of other large online communities, Minecraft players use their own slang that can be fully incomprehensible to the “uninitiated”.
If your kids or students are obsessed with Minecraft and you too want to keep up to date with what's going on in this digital world, there are a few key terms you should know.
Mob
A creature that is controlled by a computer.
The word “mob” is Latin and means “crowd”, but in Minecraft it is more technical in origin.
Richard Bartle, co-author of one of the first Minecraft games, used the term “mobile unit” to describe computer-controlled players. The mobile unit was eventually reduced to “mobile” and finally became a simple “mob”.
There are 31 types of mobs in the Minecraft world, some of which are quite recognizable: zombies, spiders, etc. Mobs have different qualities and skills. Some mobs are hostile, others are neutral. Perhaps the most famous mob that can be seen on various items (backpacks, T-shirts, and books) is a creeper, a gloomy dark green humanoid that explodes at the most inopportunity moment.
In “survival” mode, mobs attack players, so they need to withstand attacks and try their best not to die.
Server
In Minecraft, players can team up and create separate worlds using servers. A server is a kind of online database that stores information about the game. The server moderator (mod) has some control over the various settings and rules of this Minecraft world.
By the way, the Progkids online school recently opened a new course on creating servers and plugins (extensions) for Minecraft.
Mod
The word “mod” has two meanings in Minecraft:
- Server moderator
- A modification or change that a player makes to the game.
Mods can be downloaded or created using code.
Skin
As you already understood, Minecraft can be modified and infinitely customized as you wish. This is what makes the game so interesting and fun, as well as useful in terms of learning programming, for example. You can create various modifications, mini-games, and other projects in the game.
So, players are very fond of changing skins. The skin is the player's appearance, avatar, and what the player looks like in the game.
Griefer
Someone who maliciously destroys other players' creations or steals their goodness. This is not very pleasant and that is why a lot of moderators don't allow it. They can even get banned for such crimes!
Ban (ban)
Restriction. A Minecraft violator is deprived of the opportunity to join the server.
Obby (obby)
Short for obsidian. This is one of the most durable materials in Minecraft, with which you can protect yourself and your buildings from griffers and hostile mobs.
Obsidian is a type of black volcanic glass.
Biomes (biome)
The natural areas into which the Minecraft world is divided. These can be forests, jungles, deserts, taiga, mountains, and others. Each biome can be home to its characteristic mobs and contain specific blocks. Biomes replicate real natural zones with different climates, so you can study the geographical features of our planet through the game.
Dungeon (dung)
Short for the English word “dungeon”.
These are some structures in the game that can be generated naturally in the game world. You can often find chests with valuable resources in dungeons, which is why they are also called “treasures”. Dungeons can also be passes to new worlds.
Wipe (wipe)
Cleaning up worlds and server databases Minecraft. It involves removing all the things and buildings that the player had. A full wipe means that the server is cleared to its original state and your game starts all over again.
Herobrine
This is a mythical character created by the Creepy Pasta gaming community. Herobrin is a character with a human skin but white eyes. This character never existed in the official version of the game.
Notch
The nickname of the creator of Minecraft.
If you want your child to learn to code, sign up for free trial lesson to Progkids online school. All lessons are held in an individual format, as well as at a time convenient for you and your child, which makes them as comfortable as possible. Experienced teachers take a unique approach to each young talent and encourage students to understand any creative enemies. Our school has an internal educational platform where you can learn programming in a game format. More, your child can create art using AI, learn to start their own blog, or create animated music videos. By the way, our school has its own online space where students share news, creative projects and achievements, participate in competitions, and play Minecraft and other games with teachers.
