Xbox, Mojang and the BBC are teaming up again to help bring versions of some of the BBC’s educational content around the world my world.
Owners of Minecraft Bedrock or Education Edition can download a free expansion pack built around the BBC’s truly incredible content Earth Pulse 3 A documentary series that adds a variety of real-world natural wonders to Minecraft.
While the expansion sadly doesn’t feature any narration by Sir David Attenborough, it does include a lot of other content that can be seen in Planet Earth 3, which is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK and in the US It’s also available to watch on AMC+ and will be airing again on BBC America soon.
The new Minecraft world is both fun and educational, engaging players in a Minecraft-inspired survival game while bringing them face-to-face with great white sharks, arctic wolves, leopards, seals and more.
This isn’t actually the first collaboration of this kind – the BBC has previously partnered with Minecraft to launch a similar version based on the “Ice Planet 2” documentary. This ended up being one of the most downloaded courses in the Minecraft Education Edition library – and now this new experience will be available in both the Classic and Education editions of Minecraft.
The world of Planet Earth 3 first takes you to a “field station” where you can choose which natural biomes you want to explore and what activities you want to do. There are a series of challenges to complete, and you can even play as an animal – a shift in perspective designed to help players understand the fragile ecosystems on which the planet is so dependent.
Sure, Minecraft inherently has some creatures – but the various real-life animals are carefully recreated in Minecraft’s blocky visuals – which is pretty charming in its own right. But what’s surprising about this update is how effective it is as an educational tool—and it might not just be for kids. Plenty of adults can learn something from exploring this world, too – which fits perfectly with the family feel of Attenborough’s world-famous BBC documentary.
Mojang says its aim is to use Minecraft to help people deepen their understanding of the world, and ultimately help inspire people to build a better, more sustainable world. That’s probably why the update is available for free in 29 languages and on all platforms that offer Minecraft Bedrock or Education Edition.
The update is now available – well worth a look.
