Cairngorm landscape recreated as popular video game for planning-inspired youngsters
The wonders of a nature reserve part-based in Perthshire have been recreated in a virtual world using the innovative digital tools of a world-renowned video game.
Every mountain, loch, river, forest and field in the 1700 sq mile Cairngorms National Park has been immortalized using Minecraft – with all settlements stripped out.
The project was created for members of the Cairngorms Youth Action Team (CYAT), to task them with building new communities and get them thinking about how planning decisions are taken.
Minecraft is a hugely popular game that allows players of all ages to build, mine and explore ever-changing landscapes using one-cubic-metre-sized blocks, for dynamicallygenerated or purposefully designed maps.
Dan Harris, planning manager at the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), has recreated the park without its buildings using open data from Ordnance Survey and Forest and Land Scotland.
It has taken Dan – whose hobby is creating massive, detailed and meticulously researched historically themed LEGO models – three months to create the online Cairngorms Minecraft map, which he did in his spare time.
Explaining the inspiration behind the idea, Dan said:
“We know young people care passionately about the environment and we felt that by using a platform such as Minecraft, we could demonstrate how planning and development management has a hugely important role in tackling the climate emergency and caring for our environment.
“Using an online platform also means that we can deliver this youth engagement programme without having to worry about COVID-19 restrictions.
“Minecraft is extremely popular and while playing normally, there are no limits to your imagination, but the Youth Action Team – who are road testing the project for us at the moment – are asked to consider how they can build their communities while meeting the aims of the national park.
“This means they have to start thinking about what policy-making means and they will be able to see within the game what effect those policies will have.
“They need to consider whether or not they want to allocate land, apply design principles and so on, or simply take a more laissez-faire approach.
“It will be very interesting to see what they come up with.”
The Cairngorms National Park is not available to explore on Minecraft just yet, but once testing is complete it is hoped to be able to offer it to all players.
Players are ‘dropped’ into the park and given the mission to collaboratively create a community that represents the sort of place they would like to live in.
In order to encourage collaboration, players are asked to take on specific roles such as a builder, lumberjack or farmer.
The scale of the map is based on the movement range of a player on foot within the day/ night cycle of the game: 10 minutes for day and seven minutes for night, with both dusk and dawn lasting about 90 seconds.
If testing goes well, this innovative approach to engaging young people in the planning system will be delivered to schools in the park, giving pupils a fun introduction to the world of planning and policy-making.
Member of the (CYAT)
Ellie Moore said: “By playing a game, it has really kept me engaged, made me want to spend time on it, and learn more.
“It’s also been really fun wandering around the park map in Minecraft and recognising real-life landmarks.”
The CNPA planning committee convener
Gaener Rodger commented: “Members of the Cairngorms Youth Action Team have been invited to a future CNPA planning committee meeting to discuss their experience of the Cairngorms Minecraft project.
“Having used Minecraft myself, I am really excited about having a Cairngorms Minecraft world and am looking forward to seeing the communities that our CYAT members have built.”