Should Minecraft be considered an educational tool (that increases creativity)?

Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in the world. In Minecraft, you can build and create your map however you want to survive in the game, or explore and learn skills while playing. The majority of the people who play Minecraft or know about Minecraft would agree that Minecraft boosts creativity, but do teenagers from Curie think so too?

Describe the main issues you are going to cover.

What are the 5 main topics that you are going to be discussing? Describe them here.

  • Skills

  • Disadvantages

  • Features

  • Benefits

Survey Results

96% said yes and 4% said no.

Those who voted yes and plays Minecraft said it taught them how to create things like pickaxe and shelter. The others who also voted yes said it's a game where players build and create their own world.

Interview Summary

The purpose of this interview is to get a single opinion of their thoughts on this topic. My interviewee is Mandy who is a 17 year old Chinese female. She is very straightforward to the questions. One important question was What makes a game educational? and her response was “The game can be creative since you can build many things and some teamwork for mini games”. Another important question is How should schools use Minecraft for educational purposes?, her response was “Schools can use for art and build what they want to create”. Her response to Why would Minecraft not be safe to play was “Because people online can write bad comments in chat or build inappropriate things”. I learn that Minecraft has a good reputation and is considered a good game for educational purpose by a lot of people. One thing that is unsafe is that Minecraft have too much freedom for their players and that can make things chaotic.

Personal Opinion

Yes, Minecraft should be considered an educational tool that increases creativity because you can build and design your own personal map however you want, and you can design your own minigames or play games created by other players with your friends. When talking about video games people, especially parents, would point out and say that it's violent and terrible for our physical and mental health, but not all video games are like that. In Minecraft there are no winners or losers, it's who you play with. Minecraft not only can increase one's creativity skills but can help teachers teach subjects to students in a more engaging environment. Teachers in European countries have been using Minecraft Education Edition as a tool to teach their classes, and they all have said positive reviews like how useful it was, more student engagement, teamwork, and many more. Teachers should use the Minecraft Educational Edition if they choose to use it to teach classes because it was designed for teachers to use to teach almost any subject, like physics, biology, history, and math. In a virtual game, students that don't usually talk in class might be more sociable in the game. I think it's a good idea for elementary teachers to use Minecraft as an educational tool to teach classes because the students would be able to learn to be creative and code at an early age. It might inspire them to be interested in STEM.

Although video games like Minecraft can be very addicting and may have negative impacts on players, nevertheless, Minecraft should be used in schools for educational reasons because it can boost students' creativity and develop skills.


A professor in Canada Research Chair in Technologies and Education named Therry Karsenti wrote: “The students showed a heightened motivation towards school, stronger computer skills, greater problem-solving skills, expanded reading and writing skills, a development in creativity and autonomy and increased collaboration with classmates”. Based on the findings, Mr. Karsenti suggests that Minecraft makes students have more motivation in school, and develop many educational skills, such as problem-solving and reading skills, and teamwork. Mr. Karsenti also wrote: “Creativity, student engagement and collaboration between users are just some of the aptitudes that are known to be developed through gameplay”. As explained by Mr. Karsenti, video games like Minecraft can help students develop aptitudes just by playing them.


A company called FunTech that teaches kids to learn how to code wrote on their website: “The elements involved with Minecraft can help to teach not just technical skills, but also simulate business skills including trading and relationship-building. Used the correct way, Minecraft could help give your child a solid background in core STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects; all of which are critical in the 21st century workplace.” The article highlights that not only does Minecraft can help students develop educational skills but also business skills, which adds to the reason why schools should use Minecraft because it helps prepare the students for their future career pathways. Funtech also added “If a child is motivated to advance in the game of Minecraft, they’ll need to have a good understanding of the written guides that appear on-screen. If they’re also playing with classmates, they’ll need to use the chat function to read and write messages back and forth as part of team play”. It is clear that Minecraft has a feature that allows students to socialize with their peers throughout the game, which can help develop social skills and make it mandatory for players to read guides in order to advance to the next level.


Heba Soffar wrote “Minecraft is customizable, It is an incredibly flexible game, with options that allow you to tailor it to the abilities of your kids and the way they like to play and learn, It is a game that can grow with the player as they become more skilled and knowledgeable”. This proves that Minecraft is suitable for almost any ages and can be school appropriate to be used in schools because it’s customizable. Karsenti wrote, “While becoming deeply engrossed in gaming is sometimes depicted in a negative light or only associated with addiction, in fact, this state can be harnessed to support or advance learning goals”. Based on the ideas of Mr. Karsenti, he suggests it is possible to use that gaming addiction for school purposes because students can learn through an environment they’re often in.


Overall, Minecraft has a lot of educational benefits because it helps students develop skills, be more creative, and while it can be addicting it can be used for learning. I think elementary schools in America should start using Minecraft: Education Edition to teach.

Write your bibliography here. MLA style