Disaster game raises awareness, funded by FEMA

FEMA recently gave a grant to the American College of Emergency Physicians to fully fund a web-based game that will teach children the awareness of disaster relief and its importance across the globe.

Dubbed 'Disaster Hero,' to raise interest in kids who spend most of their downtime playing internet games akin to the ones found on Facebook, the game will be developed by Legacy Interactive and have the main character visit several different families to try and prepare them for various scenarios. Some of them include hurricanes, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes as well as earthquakes and floods. Rather than focusing on one main genre of game, Disaster Hero will revolve around many different kinds spanning from puzzles to scenes with hidden objects for the player to detect and find. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the game, however, comes with the simulation game-play that will implement an interactive way to learn different 'survival' skills during a disaster as well as learning what to expect during certain conditions; such as stocking supplies and shuttering a house before a hurricane or basic medical practices for minor injuries. While the release date for the game is not slated until next year--a specific date not yet specific--members of ACEP (American College of Emergency Physicians) aim to distribute this game to schools, daycare centers and youth organization clubs. ACEP President Dr. Angela Gardner spoke about the program highly, reported in citing in this article at CNN: "This project to develop an educational program for children using a game platform will be a unique approach to teaching kids to have an active role in home disaster planning..." This will certainly be a welcoming approach to teach children to not be terrified should a disaster happen.