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Hello Enthusiasts,
Today I will be discussing one of the most popular toys of all time, Lego's, and how it compares with one of the most popular video games of all time, Minecraft. Is one better than the other? Should a parent looking to help their child develop creative skills lean towards one of these options over the other? These are some of the questions to answer.
For anyone who has somehow not heard of these two things, a quick recap for you. Minecraft is and open world RPG that allows the player to craft nearly any structure. There is a dungeon exploring element to the game as well, and Forbes lists Minecraft in the top five highest grossing video games of all time (http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/07/08/here-are-the-five-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time/#aeeb5ff2deea).
Lego's, on the other hand, are small plastic building blocks that have been on the market for almost a century. New sets of this toy will come out for big movie releases, and I remember just having a whole foot locker of assorted pieces that I would play with on a pretty consistent basis. Back in 2014, Times Magazine listed Lego as the most influential toy of all time (http://time.com/3089384/influential-toys/).
So, how do these two compare? They both encourage building, rather than destruction or violence. Both of these also allow creative juices to really come out as well, letting the players both young and old to build whatever structure they want. It can take time, patience, and sometimes a little ingenuity to get it just the way you want it, but I've seen astounding things built with both.
While these two do share a good number of similarities, they aren't exactly the same thing. Minecraft does have the benefit of having a nearly infinite number of pieces for a player to usd, allowing for the player to really make any kind of structure they can imagine. I may have had a footlocker full of Lego pieces, but that was multiple generations of the toy all thrown in one box. In terms of big structures and projects, Minecraft is definitely more cost effective. However, by that same token, Lego's can have a bit more of a focus on problem solving. If I want to build something, and I don't have the piece that I know would work, I can try to make a few other ideas work. In an instance like this, I feel that Lego's inspire a bit more ingenuity for someone who's determined to get something built.
Lego also offers more than structures that can be built. A player van build a car that can roll around, a boat that will actually float when put into water, and design these things however they want. Minecraft does have a small wooden boat that can be constructed, or a mine cart that can roll of tracks, but these are pre-designed and just require that a player collects the resources. However, Minecraft does have the benefit of letting a player's creations, like a boat or a teleportation device, work without just using their imagination.
So, if you had to pick one to buy your kid, what would it be? Well, despite my love of video games, I would say that Lego's offer more overall. Yes, buying enough pieces to make anything you can come up with ends up costing far more than the cost of a game (and a game system if you don't have one). However, a small (but not tiny) Lego set could run you twelve or fifteen dollars, and comes with enough to build a couple of things. Also, Lego's have the added benefit for children of helping them work all of the muscles in their hands as they work to put together and pull apart those tiny pieces.
However, though I generally consider the Lego to be a better choice for kids, it's not by much. Minecraft is still excellent for both the young and the old. If you already have a console/decent PC/smartphone, it may be more cost effective for you to go down the Minecraft route. I say Lego, but a strong case can be made for either. These are both excellent mediums for creativity, construction, and a lot of fun.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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