World Without Oil
- serious game that simulates the “what if” an oil crisis occurred
- people contributed through stories online, in blogs, videos, images, emails and voicemails
- ARG - not role play, it’s real play, talk about your own life as if the fiction of the game were true
- “pre-created” a possible near-future scenario: a global oil shock where demand rises 5% over supply
- people made changes in their real lives to play the game
- good questios from the site: Can an alternate reality game take on a real world problem? Can a game bring people together to collaborate on a trial run of their common future? What motivates people to play a game which doesn’t have points or prizes or winners per se?
- A game can engender a “what if?” social space where people feel welcome to express views and encouraged to interact about ideas
