Updated 24 October 2026. Every answer lists its source.
Questions about Minecraft itself, answered
The questions parents, new players and the curious ask about Minecraft as a game: who makes it, what it costs and what it is like.
Is Minecraft good for kids?
Minecraft is rated for ages 10+ (ESRB E10+) and PEGI 7. Peaceful and Creative modes remove danger, and parents can limit online play with account settings.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Minecraft, esrb.org
Is Minecraft violent?
Only mildly. You fight blocky monsters and animals with no blood. Peaceful mode removes hostile mobs entirely.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Minecraft, Minecraft Wiki - Difficulty
Is Minecraft educational?
Yes, many schools use Minecraft Education to teach coding, chemistry, history and teamwork. Regular Minecraft also builds planning and problem-solving.
Is Minecraft safe for kids online?
Online play is with strangers on servers. Use a child Microsoft account so a parent controls multiplayer, chat and friends, or play on Realms with known friends.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Realms, Minecraft Wiki - Multiplayer
Is Minecraft an RPG?
Not exactly. Minecraft is a sandbox survival game. Many servers and mods add RPG features like classes and quests.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Minecraft
Is Minecraft an indie game?
It started as one: Markus Persson made it alone in 2009. Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014, so it is no longer independent.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Mojang Studios, Minecraft Wiki - Markus Persson
Why does Minecraft cost money?
Minecraft is a paid game from Mojang Studios. The one price includes all future updates, with no subscription needed to play.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Minecraft
Is Minecraft PE Java or Bedrock?
Pocket Edition is Bedrock. It was renamed Bedrock Edition in 2017 and plays with Bedrock on consoles and PC.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Bedrock Edition
Is Minecraft Education Java or Bedrock?
Minecraft Education is built on Bedrock Edition, with extra classroom features.
Is Minecraft a live service game?
Not in the usual sense. You buy it once and get free updates; there is no battle pass. Realms and the Marketplace are optional extras.
Is the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft still playable?
The Xbox 360 Edition stopped getting updates when Bedrock replaced it. It is Legacy Console Edition, separate from Bedrock.
Does Minecraft use TCP or UDP?
Java Edition uses TCP (port 25565 by default). Bedrock uses UDP (port 19132).
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Server.properties, Minecraft Wiki - Bedrock Dedicated Server
Is Minecraft CPU or GPU heavy?
Java Edition leans heavily on the CPU, especially for chunk loading and many entities. Shaders shift more work to the GPU.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Options
Why does Minecraft Java look different from Bedrock?
The two editions use different engines. Bedrock has its own lighting options like Vibrant Visuals, and some textures and animations differ.
How was Minecraft made?
Markus "Notch" Persson started Minecraft in May 2009, inspired by games like Infiniminer. It was sold while still in development.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Markus Persson, Minecraft Wiki - Java Edition pre Classic
When did Microsoft buy Minecraft?
Microsoft bought Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, in 2014 for $2.5 billion.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Mojang Studios
What was the first version of Minecraft?
The first public version was a pre-Classic build in May 2009. Classic, Indev, Infdev, Alpha and Beta came before the 1.0 release in 2011.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Java Edition pre Classic, Minecraft Wiki - Java Edition 1.0.0
Who is Jeb in Minecraft?
Jens "Jeb" Bergensten is a lead developer at Mojang who took over Minecraft's development from Notch in 2011.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Jens Bergensten
What is the Wither Storm?
The Wither Storm is a giant boss from Minecraft: Story Mode, not the normal game. Mods add it to Java Edition.
Can you x-ray in Minecraft?
Not in vanilla survival. X-ray mods and texture packs are cheating on almost every server and get players banned. Spectator mode lets you see through blocks legitimately.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Spectator
What is a chunk loader?
A chunk loader keeps chunks loaded with no player nearby. In vanilla Java, /forceload or mob and portal tricks do it; Bedrock uses ticking areas.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Forceload, Minecraft Wiki - Tickingarea
What is fire tick?
Fire tick is fire spreading and burning out over time. It is controlled by a game rule (fire_spread_radius_around_player on Java 1.21.11+).
What is tick rate in Minecraft?
The tick rate is how many game updates happen per second, normally 20. On Java 1.20.3+ /tick rate can change it.
Can you get elytra without beating the dragon?
Hardly. Elytra are in End ships on the outer islands, and the End gateway there opens only when the dragon dies. Bridging about 1,000 blocks over the void is the only other way.
Source: Minecraft Wiki - Elytra, Minecraft Wiki - End Gateway
More questions
Every topic is on the FAQ hub. Questions about the ArtemisPvP server itself (commands, ranks, events) are on the server FAQ. Server IP: play.artemispvp.com.