They provided girls with STEM-related experiences through the popular world-building game Minecraft. In Minecraft, players explore an infinitely large 3D world and can find and extract resources, as well as make tools and build. Some of the items and structures players can create are quite complex. Players may also encounter both friendly and hostile non-player characters. The game itself has no specific objective. They created two Minecraft worlds for teenage girls. In one world, the girls could participate in STEM-themed challenges and create a variety of in-world items. This world became popular when Twitch social influencers took on the STEM challenges.
Girls from 19 countries spent a total of 659 hours in this Minecraft world, with an average of nearly four hours. They created sea animals, monuments to their female role models, fireworks, beacons, and more. The items created in the first Minecraft world were brought into the second Minecraft world.
The second Minecraft world was where the girls went at the end. There, the items in the first Minecraft world had been rearranged for decoration. In that world, singer-songwriter Ruth B. performed a live-streamed concert for the girls as a celebration, complete with fireworks, a light show, and a brand-new song released for the occasion. Afterward, she held a Q/A session for the fans over Discord.
The team used their creativity to engage the girls with STEM and built a memorable experience using Minecraft to dare girls to STEM. Fun, celebratory STEM experiences in one’s formative years can impact one’s decision to remain in STEM.
