DS6 and DS8 are obsessed. I have to monitor their screen time very closely.
Positives: They have learned about minerals and mining through the game, which uses real minerals. They then ask us questions, such as what does it mean to smelt ore, or where is bedrock and what does that mean, which lead to interesting and educational conversations. My FIL is a geologist so we've had some fun asking him questions and he loves this.
It seems good for visual spatial skills.
They can "join" with other kids. This was great on a recent extended family trip where we had 5 boys playing together in the same world. Led to real-world tantrums when one cousin "killed" another though.
Negatives: the mod videos on YouTube are seriously annoying, but all the kids seem to know about them and want to watch them. Again, parental monitoring and restrictions required.
Overall, I think that it develops visual spatial and math skills, and can be really fun for them to play in groups.
I personally hate all video games and think they are time wasters and brain cell killers, but it seems Minecraft is better than most.
We have PE for iPad and PC versions.
