With the vast amount of technology available today, many people choose to relax with video games because it is fun to kick back and get lost in a world where they [...]]]> Electronic Arts, or EA as they are known, coupled with British Petroleum, or BP to create an educational spin within the game, SimCity Societies.

With the vast amount of technology available today, many people choose to relax with video games because it is fun to kick back and get lost in a world where they are able to create something virtually special and their own. What better way to blend important education and stress relief without calling attention to it? It would be great if all education was presented this way, under the guise of a game.

BP was one of the very first of the big energy companies to initiate preemptive measures to combat global warming. EA games, with their SimCitys have always strived to educate interactively. The marriage of these two corporations in this project then seems as obvious and right, as the coupling of peanut butter and jelly. This is smart, seamless, and downright creative, because climate education is painlessly melded in when trying to power a city in this game. If a person chooses a cheaper, higher carbon dioxide releasing energy source, they are headed down the road of climate change and ultimately the threat of global warming.

The ingenious concept within this game is that the player is not forced to power their city in one way or the other. It is through the player’s choice of how to do so, that the effects of this choice upon their city are seen. There are pros and cons to each way of powering the city, so it is not black or white, but shades of gray, which is really accurate when trying to make choices for a whole city. If the player chooses to “Go Green” by choosing from a variety of BP Alternative Energy sources, it can be costly. Choosing a lower cost power for the city, may seem like a good choice initially, but can cost the city big time in the long run. These are complicated choices because they involve the safely of the city, the safety of the ozone, cost and even effect property values.

If the player is still having trouble deciding how to power the city, there are informational video shorts available throughout the game, explaining the advantages of early prevention, the pros and cons of each of the energy source choices, resulting in very real education of what society’s leaders face when choosing the energy options which will affect not only their society, but the world as well.

With this version of the game, the player gets a fully integrated, educational chance to make better, wiser and more earth friendly ways of energizing their city. The lessons to be learned throughout, and the cause and effect of these choices are illuminated through interactive play.

EA games and BP have collaborated to make a game with choices, possibilities and in depth valuable learning.