New Minecraft game inspires young people to get involved in the future of food

A Minecraft game focused on the future of food will launch at Digital Manufacturing Week – bringing green skills into the classroom and highlighting the “engineering in everything”.

Engineering industry charity Enginuity is launching a vertical farming-themed Skills Miner game to inspire Key Stage 3 pupils aged 11 to 14 to focus on sustainability and consider innovative and exciting engineering careers.

Experts will be on hand at the Smart Factory Expo on Thursday, November 17, as part of Digital Manufacturing Week, to promote the benefits of teaching the latest addition to Enginuity’s range of award-winning engineering Minecraft education games.

Helenna Vaughan-Smith, senior digital product manager at Enginuity, said: “I’m so excited to be launching the vertical farming Skills Miner game focused on the future of food. We have joined forces with experts in industry, education and Minecraft to create educational resources we are really proud of.”

Vertical farming involves growing crops in vertically stacked layers using soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics. Benefits include removing the use of pesticides, controlling the environment for optimised growth all year round and recirculating water, meaning that more nutrients is delivered to the plants and 90 per cent less water is used compared to traditional farming.

Vertical farming experts Farm Urban, who created Liverpool’s first vertical farm and is striving to transform cities, towns and organisations into greener, healthier, more inclusive places, helped develop the game, which sees players work as an engineer on a vertical farm in an abandoned carpet factory.

They start by fixing a broken farm and end with building one of their own to sustain the needs of the Minecraft city.

The game teaches tomorrow’s engineers the skills needed to solve the challenges already becoming apparent in today’s food industry and champions sustainability throughout.

Dr Paul Meyers, co-founder and managing director of Farm Urban, said: “We are delighted to have provided our expertise in the development of Enginuity’s Skills Miner vertical farming game. It is a great way to encourage young people to find healthier and more sustainable solutions to the broken food system.

“The more people that become aware of vertical farming as a part of the solution, the better.”

He explained: “Our vertical farm shows it’s possible to grow nutritious superfoods in ways that are good for the planet and allow the produce to taste great and stay fresh for longer. This is food for the future, grown in cities fit for the future.”

The partnership has assisted in guiding the game concepts and ensuring the right roles are represented by providing Enginuity with virtual and physical tours of the farm, sharing their journey, and testing and validating the games.

Helenna added: “There is engineering in everything, and if young people can engage with STEM and engineering careers in an exciting and relevant way, they have the capability to change their world and ours. We just need to give them the opportunity to explore it.

“Through the game, teachers will now be able to bring exciting new careers and green skills into the classroom environment and draw the link for students between science, the curriculum, sustainability, future green skills and careers.”

The free Skills Miner games and resources, including a scheme of work, harnesses young people’s love of gaming and is designed for use during lessons, enrichment, or in after school clubs. The platform is built in line with existing curriculum and mapped to the Skills Builder Essential Framework and Gatsby benchmarks.

The Skills Miner Vertical Farming resources and games will be made available soon.