The potential for using video games to teach geoscience: learning about the geology and geomorphology of Hokkaido (Japan) from playing <i>Pokémon Legends: Arceus</i>

Abstract. In recent years, video games, as a geoscience communication tool, have gained momentum. Popular commercial games see millions of people around the world immersed in wondrous landscapes, many filled with real geological features including volcanoes, mineral deposits, and dinosaurs. Even though these can be overlooked by players simple game tropes, if utilized educational environments or scientific outreach events, potential to encourage stimulate teaching geoscientific concepts, both classroom their own time. Here, we focus on geo-educational Pokémon Legends: Arceus, latest popular Pocket-Monster franchise, Pokémon. Arceus is set fictional landscape, Hisui, that directly based real-world island Hokkaido, northern Japan. Both formal (peer-reviewed literature) informal (online websites) resources are used explore in-game feature comparisons assess game's potential. This paper demonstrates single variety geomorphological concepts volcanology, economic geology, hazard mitigation, direct examples support understanding. Applications for this study could extremely useful, not only increasing interest facilitating self-learning worldwide, but also environments. From an standpoint, powerful tool help students engage more learning utilizing natural affinity showcasing found across landscape Hisui.