Mods differ in quality. Some are really well designed, while others are buggy, and vary in the demands they will place on your computer’s CPU. Graphics intensive mods may demand a lot and slow down your computer as a result, for example. Because of this variability it’s important to learn as much as you can about a mod before downloading it.
As a parent you’ll want kid-friendly Minecraft mods and modding software that is download safe and the right fit for your computer. Here’s what to look for:
Kid-Friendly
Finding kid-friendly Minecraft mods is mostly a matter of choosing ones that are age-appropriate and no more violent than vanilla Minecraft. You’ll want to look for mods that appeal to kids’ and encourage creativity and learning. This includes mods like the Pixelmon Mod, which brings Pokémon into Minecraft, or a mod like PaleoCraft, which introduces scientifically accurate yet charming dinosaurs into the game.
You’ll also want to make sure that the community of players supporting, commenting on, and creating YouTube videos about the mod are family-friendly. A mod like Grand Theft Auto Minecraft has a community you probably don’t want your kid hanging out in, with some correspondingly non-kid-friendly YouTube videos. But you know your kid best—look for mod communities that inspire your child to learn and play, and that meet your standards for kid-friendliness!
Download Safe
Downloading third party software always comes with some risk to your computer. Bec Oakley at MineMum has a really great tutorial on How to Spot Fake or Misleading Download Links. But if you want to keep things simple, either go to the source of the mod (the website of the gamer who made the mod) to download it, or use a trusted online game portal like Curse. Curse displays stats for all of the mods they host, including number of downloads, number of likes, and information on any updates that have been made to the mod.
In general, if a mod is well downloaded and has a lot of likes and comments, it should be safe to download and install on your machine.
Now that you know what to look for you’re ready to move on to installing mods. Use this resource from Professor Minecraft to learn how to do it.
Tech Specs
If you have a computer made in the last 2-3 years, your computer should be able to run most Minecraft mods. The key is making sure that you have enough memory and processing power to run the mod smoothly. If your child is interested in some of the more graphic intensive mods, like Minecraft shaders, you can always invest in a better graphics card or more memory.
Here are a couple of rules of thumb: any computer with 8GB of RAM should handle most mods well. And if you want the smoothest game play, run Minecraft on its own. Close all other apps, including your browser.