As part of their new experiential Dare to STEM campaign, She Can STEM and the Ad Council hosted a virtual concert within Minecraft featuring singer-songwriter Ruth B. to help bridge the gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Virtual doors to the 43-minute concert opened on September 19 when fans could see Ruth B. perform 10 songs within Minecraft or watch the show live on She Can STEM’s YouTube channel. The concert has since amassed 4,750 views on YouTube.

During the week leading up to the event, Minecraft Java Edition players could try five different STEM challenges to build elements of the virtual world for a chance to win a ticket to the concert. Some of the resulting user-generated content was then featured throughout Ruth B.’s performance.

Twitch influencers like Shubble, FalseSymmetry, GamingMermaid and Strawburry17 posted video tutorials to their social channels sharing how they used their STEM skills to create fireworks displays, light shows, monuments celebrating women in their lives, music and aquariums for the event.

The Minecraft activation is part of She Can STEM’s “Dare to STEM” campaign which includes digital, social and broadcast public service announcements that will run nationwide. Part of the all female-produced creative is a 60-second video spot that encourages girls to “dare to fail” and “program something internet-breaking.”

“STEM has a reputation for being intimidating and reserved for those who ‘have a knack for it,’ but the reality is that STEM is for everyone brave enough to roll up their sleeves and dive in. Through the latest iteration of our She Can STEM campaign, we’re celebrating the spirit of experimentation and inspiring girls to dare to STEM – and what better way to do that than by hosting a virtual concert in Minecraft? Ultimately, this event was intended to make STEM feel cool, culturally relevant and accessible to girls, no matter where they are in their STEM journeys,” said Rowena Patrick, senior vice president, group campaign director at the Ad Council.

Since the pandemic, in-game concerts have provided a way forward for the live music industry. In April, Travis Scott held a concert within Fortnite that drew in 12.3 million concurrent players. Thereafter, in August, The Weeknd performed tracks from his latest album during a virtual concert on TikTok that drew more than 2 million total viewers.