Development of an Educational Farming Simulation Game to Raise Awareness of the Food Crisis

The global food crisis highlights the urgent need for innovative educational tools to raise awareness of sustainable agriculture and food security. Many existing farming games focus on mechanized processes or farm expansion, providing limited educational value regarding traditional farming practices. This study introduces Sowterra, a 3D third-person farming simulation designed to educate students through traditional farming methods and mission-based gameplay. Developed with the GDLC methodology and Unreal Engine 5.5, the game was evaluated using the MEEGA+ framework with 26 participants. Results showed moderate effectiveness in learnability, operability, and aesthetics (mean scores 2.002.99), with strong validity (r = .75-.91) and reliability (á = .713-.756). Paired t-tests revealed no significant differences between experienced and new players (p > 0.05), suggesting consistent user experience but limited measurable learning gains. Two indicators were excluded due to insufficient validity. These findings indicate that while Sowterra addresses gaps in traditional farming education and engages players, further improvements in realistic farming processes, adaptive tutorials, and assessment tools are needed to enhance its educational impact.