Inclusive exploration of sustainable goals and solutions through Minecraft

Science Hunters has successfully used the computer game Minecraft to engage children with science since 2014, using a specific approach that promotes learning within the framework of defined topics, whilst encouraging exploration of the elements that most interest individuals. The main audience is children who may be experiencing barriers to accessing educational opportunities.

As an overarching endeavour, Science Hunters links to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around inclusive education and lifelong learning opportunities (SDG 4: ‘Quality Education’). This case study focuses on the Science Hunters engineering strand, Building to Break Barriers. The project worked with children from groups under-represented in engineering, specifically including girls and ensuring clear representation (60% of 15 recruited) of women within the participating engineer cohort; linking to the SDG of empowering all women and girls (SDG 5: ‘Gender Equality’).

Developed topics delivered opportunities to engage with engineering and environmental solutions to specific real-world problems. These linked, for example, to elements of the SDGs such as food security (SDG 2: ‘Zero Hunger’), ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ (SDG11), ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ (SDG 12) and ‘Life on Land’ (SDG 15) and embedded awareness of these issues through engaging with a familiar and popular medium. Feedback included that the project “made engineering accessible” for their children, and that it was “wonderful, especially for the girls, to see so many females in STEM roles.”