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Minecraft: Students find out how gaming can help tackle flooding
A new project has been launched to see how video games can teach young people about climate change, the environment, and help to find solutions to flooding.
Pupils at a school in Preston have been testing specially-themed Minecraft games built to match their local flood defences.
The test is being run by the Environment Agency, the government organisation in charge of looking after rivers and stopping floods in England and Wales.
If the scheme to engage young people is successful, then other similar projects could be rolled out in other parts of England.
Towns in northern England, including Lancashire, were badly affected in 2015 when record amounts of rainfall over Christmas caused serious flooding, and experts say it something that could happen again as the affects of climate change are felt.
"The degree of flood risk that we face currently is going to get worse," said Andy Brown from the Environment Agency, who is involved in the project.
"So we need to boost people's awareness and understanding of that, and their part in helping as a nation to respond to that."
Image source, Microsoft
By playing a version of Minecraft called Rivercraft, the schoolchildren taking part in the pilot scheme are tasked to learn ways to protect the virtual streets of Preston from flooding.
The experience is based on the flood risk management scheme near Preston which will aims to reduce flood risk to 4,700 homes in the area. It uses Minecraft: Education Edition to give access to the lessons about combating climate change.
"We get to actually learn whilst playing something that will make us understand how to do it and how to help the world with climate," said year 7 student Olivia.
Another student, Isabella, added "Well, together we were able to practically save Preston, on Minecraft at least," says Isabella.
Image source, Minecraft/Environment Agency
When asked about why projects like this are important, Mr Brown said: "If I turn up as a middle-aged man talking about this stuff, they're probably not going to listen to me.
"But suddenly when you put what we're talking about into a context that they like, they enjoy... then suddenly their interest gets sparked."