As a long time video game nerd I have recently found a way to combine my hobby with my passion of geology. Here, I present examples of my work into ‘geo-gaming’ – studying real-world geology found within popular video games.
Geology in Minecraft
A 3D recreation of the geology at Kirkby Stephen, created by myself thanks to the Holloway Outreach Bursary. Check out the page for more info and the free downloadable map!
Video Games Reviews
Myself and Dr Jazmin Scarlett have reviewed the volcanology within many popular video games, which can be found in our Video Game Inventory.
Games I have reviewed include: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokemon Silver, Minecraft, Subnautica and many more!
We also host the @GeoMonCup on Twitter.
– This is an annual Twitter-poll tournament where we pit your favourite geology-themed Pokémon against one another to crown your champion! Geology facts about each Pokémon are tweeted to help everyone make their decision. Tournaments start at the start of June.
– Previous winners: Omanyte (2020), Tyranitar (2021) & Typhlosion (2022), Tyranitar (2023).
Papers
– The Potential for Using Video Games to Teach Geoscience: Learning About the Geology and Geomorphology of Hokkaido (Japan) from Playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus – McGowan & Alcott, 2022: Geoscience Communication
– Volcanoes in Video Games: the Portrayal of Volcanoes in Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Video Games and Their Learning Potential – McGowan & Scarlett, 2021: Geoscience Communication
Podcasts
Volcaknowledge (@volcaknowledge)
– Volcanoes in video games?!
“Video games and volcanoes… who knew?! Ed and Jazmin take us through their gaming experiences as trained volcano scientists, and how they blended their two loves into educational research assessing the accuracy of geology in video games. No surprise, some are more accurate than others! What memories of volcanoes do YOU have in video games?”
Sprites of Life (@SpritesofLife)
– Depths of Death Mountain
“A volcano researcher stops by and gives us the details on Legend of Zelda’s most infamous volcano. How did it form, is it realistic, and can Lucas eat the rock bacon?“
PokeScience (@PokemonScience)
– Rock On!!!
“The podcast is graced with another interview with Ed, the lava guy! Him and Lucas discuss some of the amazing rock types in the pokemon world, from geodudes, to crystal power!”
– For The Love Of Lava
“With the help of our new friend Ed, we take a look at the volcanos of the real world and how the ones in game stack up. Sit back and enjoy as we describe just how hot tempered some of these fire types can be and which ones could end the world as we know it.”
Workshops
Earth Science Teachers Association – “Teaching Geoscience with Video Games”
Audience: Geology Teachers (All Key-Stages)
Workshop Material: Downloadable Handout
Talks
Pint of Science 2022 – “Volcanoes in Video Games”
Audience: General Public
Topic: Highlighting how volcanoes found within popular commercial video games show realistic features found in real-world volcanoes.
Geographical Association Conference 2022 – “Using Video Games to Teach Hazards“
Audience: Geography Teachers (All Key-Stages)
Topic: How popular commercial video games can be used within educational environments to teach students about geological and geographical features and hazards.
Articles
Coming Soon