New Minecraft World “Rivercraft” Explores Flooding and Climate Change

In which the Enderman is the least of your concerns.

Four in five young Australians are anxious about climate change, and Minecraft is the fourth most popular video game in the country. How are these two things related?

In a more significant way than you may think. After releasing lessons in coding, sustainable food production and narrative writing, our fave cubic world has extended its terrain to climate-affected areas.

Minecraft: Education Edition, in collaboration with the Environmental Agency and BlockBuilders, have created an educational tool for students to understand the destructive impact flooding can have.

The world of “Rivercraft” is based on an exact replica of Preston in Lancaster, UK. Students at the local Archbishop Temple School are able to explore their own town through a pixelated lens, and learn how to adapt to changing conditions.

Credit: Microsoft

There are three games contained in “Rivercraft”. In the “Managing Flooding” game, players can build their own flood defences, storage areas and flood gates and watch how each approach copes as the area floods with water.

They can also explore how individual actions can alleviate climate change in the “Flood Prevention” game and conduct ecological surveys by spotting wildlife species in “Our Local Environment”.

Justin Edwards, Director of Learning Programmes at Minecraft, told Microsoft “it’s teaching children environmental skills, the mechanics of flooding and flood protection but it also teaches them about project management, teamwork, engineering concepts and communication with others wherever they are in the world.”

“Rivercraft” is available globally in multiple languages from today, 5 April, and you can become a virtual climate warrior for yourself by downloading the world here!

Header image: Minecraft: Education Edition.