If you’re a parent, you might have the opinion that video games are a waste of time. But the U.S. Department of State, educators and other experts think that gaming might actually be the best way to engage students  — especially during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic  — on important issues, like where the food we eat comes from and how agriculture can impact climate change. 

By using Farmcraft, a tweaked version of the popular game Minecraft that focuses on modern farming practices, students from around the world were able to compete in teams to see who could build the best farm. The next round of competition starts in February!

Join Scienceline reporter Deborah Balthazar on a trip to the virtual farm.

You can also listen to this episode of the Scienceline podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.

Music:
Dreiton from Minecraft Volume Beta by Daniel Rosenfield (c418) | Used with Permission 
Farmcraft Theme by North America Scholastic Esports Federation | Used with Permission
Adventures in Adventureland by Kevin Macleod | Filmmusic.io Standard License
Hillbilly Swing by Kevin Macleod | Filmmusic.io Standard License

Sound effects:
Surprise - Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Nintendo content guidelines
Minecraft Sound Attributions

Today's gamers may be tomorrow's agricultural experts

Prescription drugs seep from Manhattan into the Hudson River, where they can wreak havoc on unsuspecting fish. A recent study found drugs at several points along the river, providing one more piece of evidence in a trend found across the nation. Dan Shapley, one of the study’s authors, explains how the drugs made their way into the river, and Jim Meador, an aquatic toxicologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, describes the potential consequences for fish.

PODCAST: The Hudson River is flowing with pharmaceutical drugs

The Scienceline podcast is produced by the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program in the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. For more information, e-mail us at scienceline@gmail.com.

Today's gamers may be tomorrow's agricultural experts

Scienceline

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