This might turn into a set of blog posts or something some day, but for now it’s just me dumping notes on things I’ve found setting Minecraft games for my kids.

I especially wanted some notes for people who don’t want to spend hours watching Youtube videos - busy parents don’t have the time!

Information sources

Microsoft have a parent’s guide to minecraft which is a good basic guide to Minecraft, including a lot of links to settings. There’s also a huge Minecraft Wiki - with far too much information!

Good starting points in the Minecraft Wiki:

  • Gameplay for a basic overview
  • Tutorials which has a great “Newcomer Survival” section - essential reading

Java vs Bedrock

It’s worth noting there are two similar but different editions of Minecraft - the original Java, and the newer Bedrock.

Both keep getting updates and they are quite similar - but they can’t play together (well, there are hacks to try to get them to work together but they aren’t perfect)

Java is older, and has a big community making add-ons - but it only works on Windows PCs and Macs.

Everything else runs Bedrock - phones, tablets, consoles, etc. So for kids you probably want Bedrock.

Multiplayer options

Minecraft can be played solo, but it’s most fun multiplayer. There are several options:

  1. Split-screen - on bigger consoles like the Playstation and XBox you can play with 2 players on one screen. It’s fun but the screen is a bit crowded!
  2. Local network - two or more players on the same wifi network can usually play together. One starts a game, and the other can join it. (I’m not sure if this works between different kinds of computer)
  3. Online - someone hosts a game on a server, and players join. Microsoft run a commercial system called Realms which is easy and not too expensive. You can rent a private realm for up to 10 players for a monthly fee.

For online games on a console you need to pay for Playstation Plus or Xbox Live or Nintendo Switch Online - for some reason online play is an extra you need to pay for. I don’t think this applies to Android or Apple phones and tablets.

Game settings for kids

There are several settings that make the game much easier for kids - some of these are in the basic game menu, some need extra commands to run.

Survival vs Creative

The game has two main modes.

In Creative mode, the game is a free-play game where you can make any block, fly through the air, do what you want. It can be a lot of fun, kind of like an infinite Lego world. But it doesn’t have many challenges.

In Survival you need to deal with mobs (enemies and monsters) and risks and constraints. Most people find it more fun, in the long run. Most of this page assumes you are playing Survival.

Basic settings

Set difficulty to “Easy”. There is a “Peaceful” setting which you can also use, but the game will be very much less challenging - it might be fun if you just want to play a building game.

You can start with “Always Day” - mobs generally only appear in the dark, if it is always day you will only get mobs in caves or if there is a thunderstorm. Eventually you’ll want to turn this off though as you really need a day/night cycle for the full game experience. Put down lots of torches to stop mobs spawning, and fences or walls to protect your bases!

Keep Inventory

This is essential. Normally when a player dies they drop all their equipment, and half their experience, and re-spawn at the last bed they slept at, or the start point if they haven’t slept at a bed.

In advanced game settings you can select “Keep Inventory” which turns this off - when you die, you keep all your stuff. It makes the games a lot easier. The only downside is this is under “cheats” and means that players can’t get achievements if it is on.

Show Coordinates

Another vital option - with Show Coordinates on, players can see their X/Y/Z Coordinates, which makes it harder to get lost.

TO BE CONTINUED…