Zoos throughout Australia and New Zealand, Microsoft AUS/NZ, and game developer Team Workbench in Amsterdam have partnered to create a new educational Minecraft game, Eco Detectives.
Through a series of interactive maps, the game encourages kids to take on the role of conservationists in their local ecosystems, enhancing this new gaming generation’s understanding of the challenges faced by wildlife and their habitats.
Allison Matthews, head of Minecraft Education, comments: “At Minecraft Education, we recognise the power of game-based learning for engaging students in meaningful problem-solving.
“The new Eco Detectives world is a prime example of how we can leverage this power to inspire the next generation of conservationists. By immersing students in virtual ecosystems, we empower them to explore, analyse, and take action to restore biodiversity. Through quests and challenges, they become environmental activists, making small but impactful changes that resonate in the real world.”
A representative from Team Workbench adds: “We, as humans, are all about solving problems, and with educational games, we aim to show players how their choices really matter.”
See also: Gamifying Museums Pt 1. – How Minecraft is Taking Visitor Engagement to the Next Level
Gamified class-based learning
With an emphasis on gamification in classroom learning, the release of Eco Detectives puts conservation directly in the hands, devices, and keyboards of millions of Minecraft Education professionals and students in 115 countries.
By playing Minecraft Education Eco Detectives, kids can learn why their virtual ecosystems are out of balance and then take steps to regain biodiversity. Zoo education officers have used Sustainable Development Goal G 15: ‘Life on Land,’ as a guiding principle when developing the game. This aims to maintain, restore, and promote the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
Quests take place in Drylands, Woodlands, Wetlands, and Urban biomes and transform the player into an agent for environmental change. Their goal is to complete objectives in each unique habitat by making small adjustments that have a significant and beneficial impact on the local wildlife.
Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Zoos South Australia, Zoos Victoria, Perth Zoo, and Auckland Zoo collaborated on the project, which seeks to take beneficial behaviour change from the game world into real life.
Elaine Bensted, president of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, says, “Eco Detectives is a great example of the collaborative nature of zoos working together for the greater good. It’s an exciting day, and I can’t wait to join the Eco Detective Minecraft community!”
Microsoft has matched funding for the Eco Detectives initiative to assist the collective’s local and worldwide conservation activities, which support numerous endangered and critically endangered species.
The Eco Detectives online game is paired with learning resources developed by UNICEF Australia to assist educators in incorporating skills and understanding from the game into their own curriculum.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, over 44,000 species worldwide are under threat of extinction, and climate change and invasive species make Australasia’s unique species particularly vulnerable.
Nishahd Rego, UNICEF Australia’s climate lead, says: “The climate crisis is creating more frequent and intense climate hazards everywhere. Young people have been telling us that they want more creative and inspiring ways to learn about our ever-changing climate and Eco Detectives will help achieve this.”
In July, August, and September, primary school students and instructors are invited to take part in Minecraft Education Live Lessons on Eco Detectives, and can register here.
Earlier this year, Universal’s theme parks announced a collaboration with Minecraft, shortly after Disney revealed that it has partnered with Fortnite developer Epic Games.
