There are over 2,600 “For Dummies” books for sale online, with topics ranging from “Raising Chickens for Dummies” to “Solving Cryptic Crosswords for Dummies.” While there are many books in the series, not everyone can boast about having written one — especially in middle school.
Thomas Stay, a 12-year-old student at Elk Ridge Middle School in South Jordan, has teamed up with his dad, Jesse, to write not one but two “For Dummies” books. Both books are more than 200 pages long and are about Thomas’ favorite game: “Minecraft.”
When asked to describe “Minecraft” in one sentence, Thomas said it is “a sandbox game, meaning it is trying to act a lot like the real world.” His father, Jesse, added that it is “an entirely virtual world that focuses on finding, discovering and learning new things.”
The Washington Post further defined a "sandbox game" as "one that lets players pretty much have their own run of the game's world, without specific objectives or, in 'Minecraft's' case, even a plot. Instead, the game lets users free-build whatever they want to with blocks of material they mine from the ground." The Stays and The Washington Post agree that "Minecraft" can be considered "virtual Legos," allowing creative minds to build whatever they can dream up.
Knowing his sons' love for "Minecraft," Jesse, who has previously written three books in the “For Dummies” series, suggested to his publisher that his sons could help him write books about the game. His publisher felt this was a good idea, and with that the Stay family began to work together to write the book.
“This is truly a family affair for us,” Jesse said. “For us, we’ve got computers in the middle of our kitchen, and we’ll all just play ‘Minecraft’ together. ‘Minecraft’ is great for families in general, and then writing a book about it just brought us together even more.”
With his dad handling the business side and his mom serving as an editor, Thomas began writing the book with the help of two of his younger brothers who provided tips that are included in the book.
Jesse was impressed with his son’s work ethic and commitment to completing the book by the deadline.
“I found it very impressive that I would come into the kitchen late at night, and I found him hard at work at the computer working on writing," Jesse said.
While some parents worry about their children spending a significant amount of time playing computer games, Jesse feels that the game is teaching his children valuable lessons and that it has brought his family closer together.
“There are good uses and bad uses for every technology out there, including games,” Jesse said. “But one of the best ways for kids to learn is through games. ‘Minecraft’ teaches them budgeting, farming, survival and other things. It’s a great thing to play together as a family.”
Additionally, writing a book about the game has instilled in Thomas a love for writing.
“I think this is helping Thomas gain an appreciation for writing doing something he loves rather than something he is forced to do in school,” Jesse said. “It taught Thomas to love writing.”
The Stay family hopes to continue their partnership with the "For Dummies" series as their oldest child, Elizabeth, is in the process of pitching her own book, "Middle School for Dummies."
Email: mjones@deseretdigital.com