Learning support of geography and geology using Minecraft

Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) is a sandbox computer game for exploration and crafting in 3-D virtual worlds. It's very popular (100 million users in the world), easy to construct virtual worlds and exploration mechanisms, and possible to import digital terrain data. Therefore, we think it's very promising to give children a geographical viewpoint, and to encourage an interest in, and awareness of, landforms and geology. In this presentation, we introduce two practical examples of geography and geology learning support using Minecraft. The subject of the first example is the acquisition of knowledge. We have constructed a virtual world using Minecraft tailored to a specific junior high school in Miyagi Prefecture for science classes. We re-created the actual school buildings and also included the underground geologic strata based on data from boring. Together with this modern world, we created virtual worlds of paleoenvironments so users may understand the geological history around the school's location. The question & answer systems, which were placed in the virtual world, were created with reference to a school science textbook and papers on regional geology. The study classes were conducted for 12 to 13 year old students. A questionnaire given to over 150 students showed that the students enjoyed the class and obtained a general understanding of geological knowledge. The subject of the second example is consideration. In this example, we used a simple 3-D topographic model of Japanese plains. This example was conducted for 15 to 18 year old students as a workshop with a small number of less than 10 students. Before playing Minecraft, we explained to the students how to find and view thematic maps (geomorphological map, active fault map, geological map, and hazard map) that could be observed as interactive web maps published by Japanese public agencies and institutes. Next, the students were asked where they wanted to build a house on the virtual terrain. We discussed their work with them, without giving any negative opinions. This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18K18548.