To help people understand the effectiveness of staying home during a pandemic, Minecraft created a pandemic simulator map with agency AKQA. With the Blockdown Simulator, players are able to see how different social distancing measures play out when various measures are taken to protect a village from highly infectious Zombie Villagers. In the scenario, there's even a hospital where villagers can be treated using items like potions and apples. In Blockdown Simulator, players either take on the role of an observer or a nurse and try free-for-all, quarantine, and lockdown scenarios.
As Joseph Davies of AKQA describes, "We felt compelled to use our skills to make social distancing models accessible to everyone, especially younger audiences who might be confused about the new reality we are living in."
Image Credit: Minecraft
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Interactive Pandemic Simulator Maps
- As a result of the pandemic, creating interactive pandemic simulator maps has become a trend to educate and empower people on the importance of social distancing and other protective measures.
- Gamification for Educational Purposes
- The creation of games or simulations that educate users in a fun and interactive way is also a growing trend in education and public health.
- Virtual Reality Learning Experiences
- Virtual Reality technologies are being leveraged for immersive learning experiences, especially in public health, by using simulations and gamification.
Where This Applies
- Public Health Education
- The creation of educational tools such as interactive pandemic simulator maps has become instrumental in public health education.
- Gaming Industry
- The gaming industry is now being recognized as a valuable platform for the creation of educational games and simulations.
- Virtual Reality Industry
- The Virtual Reality Industry has the potential to provide individuals with immersive learning experiences, especially in public health which can change the way people learn.
