Even using your child’s first name might make you uncomfortable, and it is fairly uncommon to see proper names as usernames. For example, a personal name like Cori_Dusmann, or even CDusmann, would be too revealing, particularly for a child. But as soon as you start playing with other people on public servers, privacy becomes much more important. You could use your real name, and it would be fine. When you’re playing a single-player game at home or on a private server where you know all the players, your username doesn’t really matter much.
Otherwise, you might find yourself hastily selecting something you or your child will regret.
You won’t know if a name has been used before you try it during the registration process, so you should have a few names prepared.
With over 10 million games sold, picking a good, unique username can be a challenge. So put thought and care into selecting one. Selecting a UsernameĪlthough Mojang has said on its site that you might be able to change your username in the future, it is not possible at this time. If you take this route, make sure you create a username that will fit your child or yourself, because usernames cannot be changed. If you are uncertain whether your children will play Minecraft, or you’d just like to try it first, then a shared account will work, particularly if they are just playing on single-player maps. On other servers, there would be the potential for similar challenges, perhaps with different plugins. And since Wrednax is mayor of a PVP town and I’m a member of the only neutral town on the server, that could cause challenges. Were we to share a username on the Rawcritics PVP map, however, only one of us could join the town of our choosing, because players can be members of only one town. Towny lets players create and join towns, and it blocks other players from building or breaking blocks in those towns, which is valuable in terms of protecting your materials. And if we were playing on a server that uses the Towny plugin (a special modification), we’d really have challenges. If we had one account, other players wouldn’t know which of us was logged on unless we clarified each time someone new joined, which could be confusing (and tedious). We have very different interests when we play-he is much more interested in PVP than I am, and I tend to be the server “mom,” sharing resources and helping new players get settled. For instance, if Wrednax and I were to share an account, it would cause many challenges beyond not being able to play at the same time. Having separate accounts becomes more important when playing on a server, because it is confusing to others on the server if the person behind the username is constantly shifting. It’s a good idea to establish clear house rules and consequences (see Chapter 3, “Fitting Minecraft Fit into Family”). This means that individual accounts won’t necessarily stop your children from interfering with each other’s work. Remember that single-player maps are saved to the computer they are played on, and therefore anyone logging on to that computer can access them. That way, everyone has their own identity. If at all possible, buy a separate account for each player in your family. Although you can create endless saved maps, you can play as only one character. If multiple players are going to be playing, either they can share an account (and therefore won’t be able to play at the same time) or they each need their own account. You also need to decide on a username, something that requires some forethought. The number of accounts is important, because once a single user has begun to invest in their Minecraft experience, they are unlikely to want anyone else to manipulate their account and, by extension, their Minecraft worlds. Things to Consider Before You Buyīefore you purchase your account, there are some things you need to take into consideration, such as for whom you are purchasing the account, what access they will have, and how many individual accounts you’d like to get.
Getting into a Minecraft server is one of the best ways to flex your creativity, whether you’re building your own faction, exploring a wide open landscape of dangers, or trying to outfix friends in a string of mini-games.Figure 4.1 There are many ways to purchase Minecraft.
Some servers may also require you to download texture packs, but our list of the best Minecraft texture packs walks through how to do it. After you’ve saved your new addition, you can hit play and jump right in. All you have to do is open Minecraft, enter the name of the server as the title, and then paste in the IP address you’ll find at the beginning of each entry into the box underneath. We’ve lined up a list of the best Minecraft servers, and inside you’ll find a wide variety of options to try out and find one that matches your preferences.