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Fire Drill Sim Runs on 'Half-Life' Video Game Engine

by Evan Shamoon on February 10, 2009 at 06:04 PM



Here's an interesting plot for a video game: avoiding danger.

As part of a recent study, researchers at England's Durham University have used Valve's Source engine (the graphics and programming that powers such titles as 'Half-Life 2' and 'Portal') to make fire drill simulations. The team began by recreating several of the university's departments and, then, setting them on fire. Intended to teach good fire safety practices to users, the simulator also aims to show how people would react when stuck inside a burning building.

Here's the funny part: in practice, researchers have noticed that when gamers go through the simulator, they exhibited some surprising behavior. "If a door was on fire, they [gamers] would try and run through it, rather than look for a different exit," one of the researchers told the BBC.

How about an option to shoot the fire with a fire hose, or perhaps take it out with some magic spells? This game could be made way more fun, in our humble opinion. [From: Joystiq]

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Tags: education, fire drill, FireDrill, safety, school, sims, simulation, valve

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