Coastal management in Minecraft - check out the new Coastcraft project

This is a project which I worked on through 2024 and into 2025.

It's finally out there for you to download and play. 

And we can finally share it as it's had the official Government Press Release today!!

You'll need the Education version of Minecraft - which is free to download in various formats. The project is also free to download.

CoastCraft places the player in the role of managing the coast and making decisions for the needs of the community and the environment. The player can explore and visualise the future impacts of the decisions made and evaluate varying approaches to managing the coast.

CoastCraft is an educational game designed for students aged 9-14 (in England - Upper Primary Key stage 2 and lower secondary key stage 3.). 

This game transports players to the coastal town of Bude in North Cornwall, modelled in Minecraft Education™ by BlockBuilders. Playing CoastCraft introduces students to the dynamic processes shaping coastal areas and challenges them to make decisions that balance the needs of various stakeholders while protecting the environment.

It was great to work with Tom Collins and colleagues from the Environment Agency. I learned a great deal from the coastal experts that were also involved in the project.

Learning objectives
General

• Learn about the features of coastal landscapes along with coastal processes.
• Understand the characteristics of sand dune ecosystems, sand dune succession and how sand dunes are used as a nature-based solution for flooding and coastal erosion.
• Explore a range of coastal management strategies to respond to predicted changes resulting from climate change and sea level rise.
• Explore and visualise a range of potential futures influenced by the interactions with communities and stakeholders and the choices made by coastal managers.

Stage 1: Mini-games
Mini-game 1: Storm Tower Erosion:
1. Learn about the processes of weathering and erosion acting on the coast.
2. Understand the impacts of coastal erosion on people and the environment.
Mini-game 2: Dune Rollback and Succession:
1. Learn about the processes of sand dune formation.
2. Understand the characteristics of sand dune ecosystems, the process of sand dune succession and how healthy dune ecosystems develop.
3. Learn how sand dunes are used as a nature-based solution for flooding and erosion at the coast.

Stage 2: Main Game
1. Understand the concept of sustainability in relation to sustainable decision making in coastal locations.
2. Learn about the strategies and complexities of coastal management and how experts make informed decisions to manage coastal challenges.
3. Model how climate change, physical processes, and human decision-making interact to shape and transform coastal landscapes over time.
4. Explore and visualise a range of potential futures influenced by the interactions with communities, stakeholders and the choices made by coastal managers.

Please refer to the CoastCraft Teachers Pack in Supporting Files for more information. 

I worked on this and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. Here's the front cover. This can be downloaded from the link above and acts as a guide to coastal erosion as well as providing guidance on how the game works.

Finally, here's an excellent video guide made by Block Builders.

This follows on from the Rivercraft projects that I worked on previously. They are also on the Minecraft Education website.

Some quotes from the press release...

Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said:

Coastal erosion is a natural and ongoing process and England’s coastline has never been static, but we know climate change is increasing the risks.

CoastCraft inspires young people to use their creativity to experiment with solutions to real world problems within the virtual Minecraft world, ensuring the next generation has the knowledge they need to face challenges now and in the future.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

As a former teacher, I’m thrilled that CoastCraft will help young people understand the impacts of our changing climate, empowering a new generation of scientists.

This virtual Minecraft world brings coastal change in communities like Cornwall to life, to show how the risk of flooding and coastal erosion is increasing due to climate change.

We’re investing a record £7.9 billion in capital funding over 10 years to better protect these coastal communities and are committed to making sure flood risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future.

Loic Rich, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said:

We’re really proud that our coastal community of Bude serves as the backdrop to this innovative game that teaches young people about coastal and flood resilience.

We want to say a big thank you to students at Sir James Smith School in Camelford and Windmill Hill Academy in Launceston, both of whom worked with our climate adaptation team to help develop and test CoastCraft which can now be played by young people across the globe.

Pity our contribution didn't get a mention...