I'm an old lady who plays Minecraft. I'm updating my blog to try to provide information for seniors like me who might want to learn more about playing Minecraft and other video games. I'm working on producing some youTube videos that will link back to the blog.
While 'spawning' refers to mobs generating in various locations according to game algorithms, a 'spawner' refers to a particular block that generates hostile mobs in a specific area. (See Wiki).
I found a Zombie spawner in an abandoned mineshaft not far from my main base, and decided to make a farm.
The drop rate was significantly better than what I was getting from my XP tower near base. I had to wait less time to get a complete stack of flesh and smaller quantities of other loot. While the Blaze spawner farm got me only blaze rods and XP, the Zombie spawner farm got me lots of flesh, iron and gold bars, and carrots and potatoes.
Zombies go down chute, you kill the zombies, XPs come out, and drops are stored in chest.
I also got two dead chickens, which made me wonder if chicken jockeys had gone down the chute, so I replaced the three top solid blocks with glass so I could see what I was doing.
Blazes are a medium-difficult hostile mob that I have found hard to kill, but they are the only source for blaze rods, which are needed for brewing potions and for crafting Eyes of Ender. You need Eyes of Ender to activate the portals in strongholds, if you want to get to the End to fight the dragon. Potions like Night Vision and Water Breathing can be extremely helpful as well.
Blazes live in Nether Fortresses, and I had almost given up finding a Nether Fortress when I saw a Blaze far below. It turned out that the whole fortress was pretty much underground.
After I found a Blaze spawner I found that sticking torches and other light sources around the spawner did not completely stop blazes from spawning. Blazes spawn in any part of a Nether Fortress and when you fight one, they call their friends.
Before I made the walls I made sure to check the lava flow because I wanted to make sure I had the right measurements.
Checking the lava flow in the blaze trap.
The blaze rod and XP harvest was very satisfying. I no longer have to worry about dying a few times before I can get more blaze rods.
Go to Minecraft.net and download the version you want. If you are not sure your computer or device is up to the job, I recommend you try one of the free trial versions first. I downloaded Bedrock Minecraft on my older PC and got the message "This game will run fine on your device", but it crashed after 15 minutes of gameplay.
Set up screens are pretty straightforward.
I usually play Survival Game Mode, and Normal difficulty.
You can just let the algorithm select the world for you, or you have lots of other options. Seed 421387159507786265 is Old Lady's Test World on both Java and Bedrock.
If you are playing Java, I suggest you allow yourself to 'cheat' - under Game Rules choose "Keep Inventory After Death", even though it won't let you earn Achievements. If you are playing Bedrock, "Keep Inventory After Death" does not seem to be considered a 'cheat'. Also on Bedrock choose "show location" (for Java, you will have to press Shift F3 to see your coordinates).
To get practice using the controls you might want to start up a world in Peaceful Game Mode. I don't recommend starting in Creative Mode, because if you want to play Survival Mode later, getting resources might seem like too much hard work, after Creative has made it so easy.
While I previously blogged about how seniors might benefit from playing video games, I feel it is only fair to mention some possible reasons they might not want to play, and also problems that might come up.
Roadblocks to Playing:
Lack of Computer Literacy: I have a 104-year-old friend who does not have a computer or smart phone, and has no desire to get either. She is quite happy with a landline phone and a television, and I'm not going to try to push her into something that would just stress her. The number of seniors with computer literacy; however, is increasing and there is strong evidence that "older adults will learn a new tech skill when they see a reason for it." * I believe there is a percentage of older adults who learned computer skills for their jobs but never played video games that would enjoy them if they tried them.
Some Seniors Think They Are Too Old to Play Video Games: Found on Reddit "Am I too old to play video games, I'm 30?" One Redditor's answer "Dead is too old." Here are a few current and past senior Video Gamers:
They Don't Want to Buy Expensive Game Systems: If you have Internet access, there are many games you can play online or even on your smartphone.
Seniors with Vision and Hearing Impairments May Have Trouble Seeing the Screen and/or Hearing the Sounds: I can no longer play Minecraft, Pocket Edition, on my phone because I can't see well enough. I also have trouble hearing the sounds on my regular console. There are some ways to make things easier, though, which I will write about in a later post.
You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks: Not true. Granted that younger people have better reflexes and do learn faster, I believe that seniors have the benefit of experience and patience.
Downsides of Gaming:
It is easy to get too involved in the game and ignore everything else. In Red Dwarf's "Better than Life" episode they had a total immersion reality game that would lead players to ignore their real bodies in favor of a happier virtual reality. Video game addiction can be a real problem.
*Yeah, I had to learn how to take photos on my smartphone because almost everyone else in my quilt club could do it.
**GrammaCrackers was victimized by her grandson Lynix, who I think is a jerk. He also ruined his Mom's first time playing Minecraft. You can watch his videos if you don't believe me.
"People Do Not Stop Playing Because They Grow Old;
They Grow Old Because They Stop Playing"
Multiple attributions
A web search will lead you to dozens of scholarly articles explaining why seniors can benefit from playing video games, but let me tell you whyI play video games:
Understanding the younger generation: When my son was a pre-teen I bought him a computer because I felt that computers would be important for his future. When he started playing video games I started playing, too, in order to have something to talk to him about. Now that I am much older I think that playing video games has helped me have something in common with millions of other gamers of all ages. As for the younger generation, I don't think they will be asking me to join their games, but at least I have some idea of what they are doing.
Meeting people from around the world: In multiplayer worlds I have met and interacted with people from foreign places like the Netherlands, Ukraine, and New York.
Escaping the Current Reality: When the real world has seemed to be going to hell in a small portable container with a handle, I have found retreating to a 'cozy' game to be very calming.
Active Participation in Entertainment: While watching tv or movies is a passive pastime, playing video games requires you to actively participate. Many games allow you to control the narrative somewhat, so the outcome is up to you.
Releasing Anger: When I get angry, it relieves me to blow off steam by fighting monsters or aliens, while humming "You've got to kill a zombie or two" to the tune of "You've got to pick a pocket or two."*
Improving Memory, Stimulating my Brain, and Improving Hand/Eye Coordination:
'Use it or lose it'. (Any improvement is welcome).
Exercise: When we were in Covid lock-down and the gym was closed, I exercised with video games like "Walk it Out","Wii Sports", and Abba 'Just Dance', and still do sometimes.
Pretending to Be Someone Else: I have enjoyed 'just pretend'. It is not just for children. According to web sources
"Playing games by pretending to be someone else (role-playing) offers significant cognitive, social, emotional, and personal growth benefits. It provides a safe, low-pressure environment for exploring new perspectives and practicing real-world skills."
(So, when I'm playing in a multiplayer virtual world, wearing a glamorous avatar and 'living' in a mansion with a yacht docked next door, I'm learning to understand and empathize with beautiful rich people.)
Problem Solving Practice: Sometimes the problem is as simple as "How the heck do these controls work?" Other times it is "How do I rescue the Princess from the Dragon?"
Building Confidence: Games that give positive feedback can improve your self confidence. Nothing better than hearing "Thank you, you have saved (insert place name here) from (Insert name of monster or evil force here)". Some games, like Animal Crossing, may go a little overboard but positive reinforcement of any kind is nice.
Express Creativity: In a sandbox game like Minecraft I can build large structures and complex mechanical systems without having to buy a lot of bricks or batteries.
One of my old Java worlds with various structures.
Control a World: Maybe not the real world, but I can change virtual worlds.
Travel and Exploration without Leaving Home: I have been lucky enough to have done some traveling, but a series of unfortunate events have made it so that I can now only take short day trips. With video games, though, I can explore large predetermined worlds like Stardew Valley or visit almost limitless Minecraft worlds created by algorithms I don't pretend to understand.
If this sounds a bit too gung ho, the next blog entry will be on the downside of playing video games.
I am planning on linking this blog to my future YouTube channel. While "A picture is worth a thousand words", it is hard to put a thousand words on a short video. I don't expect either the blog or the videos to get many viewers, but publishing them is my way to extend my enjoyment of Minecraft and maybe helping someone else out along the way.
I'm doing the YouTube videos on a Mac with QuickTime and iMovie. Any videos are usually from the Java version of Bedrock unless marked otherwise.
About sound on the future Youtube Channel. The videos do not have a spoken narrative. I did a test run and decided to spare any viewers.
About Controls:
On my Mac (Java), the game was installed directly on the computer, but the standard Mac mouse had to be reprogrammed so it would do both left-and right-clicks.
On my PC (Bedrock) I am using either Switch or the game installed directly on my PC.
The Switch game, of course, requires you have a Switch, and the PC Version of the game requires that you download the X-Box app.
