my kid keeps torturing animals in minecraft - help!

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

My 2 older kids begged and begged for Minecraft for Christmas, so I finally gave in. I installed it on a PC that is not connected to the Internet so that there was no chance they would end up interacting with some weirdos online.

I set the game to creative and peaceful mode, so that it would essentially be a "lego-esque" game of building and creativity, and not some sort of "man vs wild" survival experience.

Our 3 kids, including my 5 year old, have gotten pretty decent at creating constructs in the game. The trouble is that my 5 year old is now bashing animals. He has been burning and killing them. I saw him this morning set a bunch of them on fire, then cover them over with rocks so they would suffocate.

Of course I'm now worried that this thing is training him to eventually be a psychopath.

Isn't there any way to make it so that he can't torture and kill the animals? I grew up on a farm, so I have no problem at all with raising animals and killing them for meat to eat. However, I really don't want him virtually torturing and killing animals for no reason. I don't want to uninstall this and ruin it for his older 2 siblings, but I'm worried that this might be the only way to keep him from doing this over and over and over......

If anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate your suggestions!

 

[WiseUp216]

Sounds like a major catastrophe brewing.

Best take him out to a remote country road and drop him off before he is old enough to figure out how to get home.

 

[Dankk]

Sit down with him, and have a serious discussion with him about the difference between torturing digital animals on a screen, and torturing real animals in real life. On that note, also explain to him the difference between violence in general (shooting, stabbing) in video games, and violence in real life. (I don't know if you let him play those kinds of games... I'm guessing probably not, since he's so young and you seem like a decent parent.)

If he understands the differences, and he has a solid ethical foundation that's based in reality, then he's probably fine (and just being a kid). On the other hand, if he cannot distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality, then remove the game from his computer.

If it makes you feel any better: I was the same way when I was 8 years old. I thought dropping the baby penguin off the cliff in Super Mario 64 was a hilarious. Nowadays I am a loving owner of multiple pets and a defender of basic animal rights.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

is it the killing of animals he enjoys, or the accomplishment of a task? without other players or even the solo survival mode to interact with, the game boils down to 3 things: building contraptions, building works of art, and killing critters. i suggest trying offline (due to age) survival mode as an opportunity to give them more gameplay options - building a home, crops and livestock, exploration, contraptions and artwork, while learning respect for the in-game critters that can fight back (easy mode).

 

[zinfamous]

My 8 year old nephew does the same thing with sheep. spawns them, collects them, sets them on fire, hooks them and tosses them into the water. I've talked to him about this briefly, though his mother doesn't seem to care.


I hope my family isn't on the news in another 10 years.

 

[MongGrel]

I wasn't even going to comment here but are the older two kids teaching him this ?

One of the first things I'd find out I guess.

 

[Todd33]

Sociopath, doesn't empathize with other life. Time for a shrink!

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Older 2 are not teaching him this, though he did learn some of the basics of the game from watching them. The older 2 seem content to build intricate buildings of various sorts, with levers, secret rooms and such.

Our youngest likes to go around in the game *whacking* animals, and also has a problem doing the same sort of thing to other kids in preschool. He has bit an instructor on the hand at church, kicks kids at preschool, and seems to want to do his own thing at preschool instead of working together with other kids, or sitting down in a circle with the other kids at story time there.

He has improved quite a bit over the past month. We were actually thinking about holding him back and having him do preschool over again until about a month or two ago. Since he has really improved lately, though, we are registering him for Kindergarten.

Anyway, he's had behavioral problems in the past, and so we take this very seriously. I'm worried that him doing this over and over in the game will encourage his bad behavior.

 

[MongGrel]

You seem more attentive than most people these days, I imagine it will work out.

 

[CuriousMike]

An option would be to just take the game away... from everyone.
Let them whine and complain. You're the parent.

You might substitute it with something else later.

 

[Cogman]

meh.. I played doom/mechwarrior/warcraft at an age not much older than 5. I turned out semi ok I think.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Pick up the 5 year old and put him outside. Tell him to go get dirty.

 

[artemicion]

Older 2 are not teaching him this, though he did learn some of the basics of the game from watching them. The older 2 seem content to build intricate buildings of various sorts, with levers, secret rooms and such.

Our youngest likes to go around in the game *whacking* animals, and also has a problem doing the same sort of thing to other kids in preschool. He has bit an instructor on the hand at church, kicks kids at preschool, and seems to want to do his own thing at preschool instead of working together with other kids, or sitting down in a circle with the other kids at story time there.

He has improved quite a bit over the past month. We were actually thinking about holding him back and having him do preschool over again until about a month or two ago. Since he has really improved lately, though, we are registering him for Kindergarten.

Anyway, he's had behavioral problems in the past, and so we take this very seriously. I'm worried that him doing this over and over in the game will encourage his bad behavior.

Kudos for being concerned, though hopefully it's just a phase.

IMO, I wouldn't hesitate to uninstall the game temporarily even if it affects the two older kids. Tell them all that they're a family, everyone is affected by one family member's mistake, and you'll re-install in a week or so if they promise not to engage in bad behaviors in-game. Tell the older siblings it's their responsibility to teach their younger right from wrong, so anytime the youngest screws up, it's on them too. So that's why they're affected as well.

 

[raildogg]

meh.. I played doom/mechwarrior/warcraft at an age not much older than 5. I turned out semi ok I think.

We all think we're OK.

 

[raildogg]

My 2 older kids begged and begged for Minecraft for Christmas, so I finally gave in. I installed it on a PC that is not connected to the Internet so that there was no chance they would end up interacting with some weirdos online.

I set the game to creative and peaceful mode, so that it would essentially be a "lego-esque" game of building and creativity, and not some sort of "man vs wild" survival experience.

Our 3 kids, including my 5 year old, have gotten pretty decent at creating constructs in the game. The trouble is that my 5 year old is now bashing animals. He has been burning and killing them. I saw him this morning set a bunch of them on fire, then cover them over with rocks so they would suffocate.

Of course I'm now worried that this thing is training him to eventually be a psychopath.

Isn't there any way to make it so that he can't torture and kill the animals? I grew up on a farm, so I have no problem at all with raising animals and killing them for meat to eat. However, I really don't want him virtually torturing and killing animals for no reason. I don't want to uninstall this and ruin it for his older 2 siblings, but I'm worried that this might be the only way to keep him from doing this over and over and over......

If anyone has any ideas, I would really appreciate your suggestions!

It is somewhat ironic looking at your user name and then looking at this post. But that's a whole different topic.

But maybe you can talk to him and spend time with him. Showing him how great animals are and how to care for them and not to hurt them. Maybe this send a good message.

 

[TeknoBug]

OP, yep that's a red flag, figure out what you can do about it before it gets bad (like becoming a reality).

 

[uhohs]

solution:
goat simulator



just kidding

 

[NoSoup4You]

I'm pretty sure your child has been corrupted and irreversibly damaged by this Minecraft game.

 

[Dankk]

An option would be to just take the game away... from everyone.
Let them whine and complain. You're the parent.

You might substitute it with something else later.

I'm inclined to agree. If this kid has obvious behavioral problems outside of video games, and video games are only serving to reinforce this behavior, then I would probably take it away from him.

But maybe you can talk to him and spend time with him. Showing him how great animals are and how to care for them and not to hurt them. Maybe this send a good message.

Not a bad idea. Maybe show him that you can actually take care of the animals in Minecraft, by feeding them, breeding them, etc, etc. You can even find wolves in the game and make them into companion dogs by giving them bones.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Please post where you will be sending your kids to school so I don't send mine there...

 

[MongGrel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojYK6CW8gdw

I blast it in 5.1 whenever I'm stressed.

Was a rough day today I had to listen to it twice to relax.

 

[DigDog]

sorry guys but ... WTF?
either OP is a major troll, or he's deluded. have you ever played minecraft? burning animals is *what you do* , especially if the game is set on peaceful. this is like complaining that a kid playing space invaders is shooting the invaders!

maybe put it back on normal and let him actually play the game, or take away his PC entirely because evidently you can't handle yous son having a PC.

seriously learn2reallife.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

You should train your son to be a serial killer, but give him a code to live by.

Have him only kill internet trolls, no one will miss them.

 

[Maximilian]

sorry guys but ... WTF?
either OP is a major troll, or he's deluded. have you ever played minecraft? burning animals is *what you do* , especially if the game is set on peaceful. this is like complaining that a kid playing space invaders is shooting the invaders!

maybe put it back on normal and let him actually play the game, or take away his PC entirely because evidently you can't handle yous son having a PC.

seriously learn2reallife.

This x1000

Helicopter parents FTL :thumbsdown:

 

[sandorski]

Older 2 are not teaching him this, though he did learn some of the basics of the game from watching them. The older 2 seem content to build intricate buildings of various sorts, with levers, secret rooms and such.

Our youngest likes to go around in the game *whacking* animals, and also has a problem doing the same sort of thing to other kids in preschool. He has bit an instructor on the hand at church, kicks kids at preschool, and seems to want to do his own thing at preschool instead of working together with other kids, or sitting down in a circle with the other kids at story time there.

He has improved quite a bit over the past month. We were actually thinking about holding him back and having him do preschool over again until about a month or two ago. Since he has really improved lately, though, we are registering him for Kindergarten.

Anyway, he's had behavioral problems in the past, and so we take this very seriously. I'm worried that him doing this over and over in the game will encourage his bad behavior.

If you are serious, Minecraft isn't teaching him anything. He seems to have a personality issue. Consider Professional help or opinions on it.