Quest for Oil, from Maersk, is an example of gaming being applied for educational/recruitment purposes. Using Maersk’s expertise in the high-tech oil industry, the game challenges players to combine geology and engineering knowledge to position their rigs in waters off Qatar or the North Sea, keeping an eye on pressure and temperature as they go. In the words of Maersk Drilling CEO, Claus V. Hemmingsen: “We wish to engage in dialogue about our oil and energy business through gamification.” We could debate how much it really engages in dialogue. For their allusion to interaction, games allow some degree of abstraction – often removing important context and dissent – as well as a chance to lay down a particular set of rules to play under. It’s easy to see why they are so popular with both industry and NGO public relations departments. Still, Quest for Oil, opens some virtual doors to the world of oil extraction. Some players might find the idea of oil as a treasure and the natural environment as a challenge to be overcome (rather than protected) distasteful, but for others will see it simply as part of the business.
Founded in 1931, the International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies (121 National Members representing 141 countries) and International Scientific Unions (30 Members).
Road to Paris is where science, policy and economics meet on our way to the 2015 climate conference in Paris.
Road to Paris is where science, policy and economics meet on our way to the 2015 climate conference in Paris.