The Victorian Government has built a virtual world of Melbourne’s underground history and landmarks in Minecraft to help students hone their creativity and problem-solving skills.
Minister for Education James Merlino and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan launched a Minecraft collaboration between the Department of Education and Training and the Metro Tunnel Project.
The Mini Melbourne edition is available to all Minecraft users for download. Players can explore, build and design their own virtual corners of the city. It features sights such as Flinders Street Station, St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne Town Hall and Federation Square.
Primary and secondary students from government schools across Victoria can take part in an Archaeology Adventure as virtual archaeologists working at the Metro Tunnel dig site in Swanston Street and learn about artefacts recently uncovered.
“Mini Melbourne in Minecraft is a fantastic resource that will enable Victorian government school students to learn more about Melbourne and its past,” said Minister for Education, James Merlino.
“Innovations such as this engage young people in problem solving and STEM subjects, inspiring them to work on city-shaping projects.”
Minecraft is an open-world video game that allows players to roam in virtual spaces and create their own buildings and cities.
Mini Melbourne is a Minecraft world-first – the first ‘virtual city’ built as an educational resource for students to learn more about the city.
With over 154 million copies sold, Minecraft is the second best-selling video game of all time, behind Tetris.
