Look Both Ways! is a Minecraft: Education Edition game created by EduElfie for the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, designed to help primary school students understand the safe behaviours they should choose when using crossings at tram platform stops. It is the most recent addition to EduElfie's growing suite of transport safety Minecraft experiences across Australian states.
The Challenge
Platform tram stops represent some of the most complex pedestrian environments on Melbourne's transport network — heavily trafficked locations where commuters, trams, and road traffic interact in close proximity. Teaching students the specific safe behaviours required at these crossings, and why they differ from other crossing types, required an experience that was both engaging and genuinely instructive.
The Solution
Look Both Ways! places students in the role of a safety advocate, tasked with identifying unsafe pedestrian behaviours and intervening to change them before people cross. The game uses a scoring and competition system to encourage repeated play — both to improve personal scores and to compete with classmates — deepening the safety messaging through practice and repetition rather than a single passive viewing.
Key Features
Dot — Your In-Game Guide
Dot is the main character students interact with throughout the experience. Dot guides players through an initial tutorial, provides feedback after each group of pedestrians, and helps students navigate the world between rounds.
Pedestrian Groups with Varied Unsafe Behaviours
Students must observe each incoming group of pedestrians, identify those displaying unsafe behaviours, and intervene by throwing the appropriate coloured thought bubble at the right pedestrian. Correctly identifying and changing an unsafe behaviour earns a gold coin; incorrectly targeting a pedestrian who is already behaving safely costs a green coin and earns a red one. The game ends when a student accumulates 10 red coins, encouraging careful observation over guessing.
Group Information Board
Before each group arrives, an information board updates with details about the incoming pedestrians — their behaviours, where they are coming from, and the approximate proportion displaying unsafe behaviours. Students are encouraged to check this board between rounds to prepare their strategy.
Safety Campaign Board
After the seventh group, students who have accumulated enough gold coins can purchase a safety campaign — an automated intervention that reminds pedestrians of the correct safe behaviour. Only one campaign can be active at a time, and campaigns can be swapped or turned off between groups, adding a strategic element to the later rounds.
Seed Setter for Classroom Competition
A unique seed setter allows teachers to ensure all students experience exactly the same sequence of pedestrian groups and behaviours, enabling fair class-wide competition. Students can also replay the same sequence to improve their personal high score — reinforcing the safety messaging through repetition.
Holograms for Visual Learning
Green and red holograms at the crossing display the safe and unsafe versions of each behaviour pedestrians will display, giving students a clear visual reference before they begin. For groups with multiple behaviours, the holograms cycle through each one.
Curriculum Alignment
Look Both Ways! is designed for students aged 8-12 (Years 3-6) and aligns to both the Victorian Curriculum and the Australian Curriculum across English, Health and Physical Education, and Digital Technologies.
Get the Game
Look Both Ways! is available to teachers via the Department of Transport and Planning. Get in touch via the contact form for access details.
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