About Cape Evans in Minecraft

It is argued that lecture style learning is outdated because of the nature of today’s students and their learning styles. With this in mind, this product has been created to appeal to young people who have grown up with developing technologies. The expedition of Robert Scott to the South Pole is the focus of the project. The ‘Cape Evans hut’, where the British explorers stayed during their expedition, has been built into the game ‘Minecraft’ along with an accompanying website to describe the in-game content further.

The intended audience of the product is young people who are in education, however, this would also appeal to anyone with an interest in gaming and Antarctic exploration.

Using pictures and diary entries from the men on the expedition, Cape Evans has been recreated. This includes depictions of animals, food, and the men themselves. Signs are used within the build to highlight areas and objects, such as ‘the dark room.’ Diary entries from the men are also included, specifically mentioning their living space. The aim of this project is to teach people about the space these men lived in and the nature of their expedition. This is achieved by presenting the information in an interesting and accessible way to young people.

This product allows for people to visit a faraway piece of British history in a unique way. For many, Antarctica is inaccessible. This Minecraft map means that people can immerse themselves in this space without leaving their homes. Although this is not an exact recreation, it does allow for people to ‘digitally’ stand inside the hut.

This product allows for a popular game to be used to teach children.

• Jessie Craft., ‘Rebuilding an Empire with Minecraft: Bringing the Classics into the Digital Space’, The Classical Journal, vol. 111 (2016) 347-364 (349).

• Yasmin Kafai & Quinn Burke., ‘Constructionist Gaming: Understanding the Benefits of Making Games for Learning’, Educational Psychologist, vol. 50 (2015) 313-314 (313).

• Chris Capel., ‘Believe it or not, the average age of a Minecraft player is 24’, PCGames (2019) <https://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/player-age>.

• ‘Beyond Earth’, NASA <https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/whyweexplore/why_we_explore_main.html#.ZF2UAhHMK3A>.