Minecraft recreates Japan's anti-flood mega tunnel in free map

Launched in 2006, the underground flood diversion system G-Cans is considered one of Japan's greatest engineering achievements - and now, it can be explored by anyone within the Minecraft universe. The Japanese government has made available a free map of the game that faithfully recreates this gigantic structure, aiming to educate about infrastructure and disaster prevention.

The project is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, and used real plans of the G-Cans system as the basis for the virtual construction. In Minecraft, players can navigate through areas normally inaccessible to the public, such as drainage shafts, pressure regulating tanks, and the pumping stations that make up the complex.

"In developing the world data, we used real plans and sought realism within Minecraft," explained those responsible for the project.

The original construction of G-Cans, also known as the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, was designed to protect the regions north of Tokyo from frequent floods, especially during typhoon season. With 50 meters deep, 6.3 kilometers long and huge pillars supporting containment tanks, the structure is a symbol of how Japanese civil engineering takes climate risks seriously.

The map, which can be downloaded directly from the official website of the Japanese ministry, is free and can be used both as an educational tool and as an interactive experience on public infrastructure. The gamification proposal is reminiscent of other recent initiatives in which Minecraft has been used for educational purposes - such as experiences promoted by institutions like UNESCO or learning maps developed by Mojang.

Faced with an increasingly global scenario marked by natural disasters intensified by climate change, actions like these show a possible path: using games not only to entertain, but to inform and educate about critical societal issues.