| Session Details | |
| Section | SS - Special Sessions |
| Session Title | Workshop on Earth Girl Volcano |
| Main Convener | Prof. Isaac Kerlow (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Helena Albert (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) |
| Session Description | Earth Girl Volcano is a tablet and computer interactive game that simulates a variety of volcanic hazard scenarios at different levels of expertise. This casual strategy game offers players the a variety of strategies and tools to prepare for scenarios that are based on real-life examples. Players can learn about the local knowledge and the past volcanic activity by chatting with the villagers at the market. Earth Girl Volcano presents a variety of single and combined hazards including gas emission, ash fall, rock fall, mudflows and burning clouds (PDCs). The game was developed an interdisciplinary group composed of scientists, game experts, animators and software developers at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. The game represents the cutting edge in games that are engaging and also communicate the science behind the gameplay. Participants in this workshop will learn how to use this interactive game as a tool for learning and explaining volcanic hazard and risk mitigation. The presenters will demonstrate many of the game scenarios played at different levels of difficulty. Participants will receive a free standalone version of the game to try out and master during the workshop some of the preparedness and evacuation strategies to achieve the goal of zero-casualties. Participants will also learn about some of the design and software development strategies used to translate volcanic hazard complexity into an interactive game of preparedness and risk mitigation. The Earth Girl Volcano game was tested with a mainstream and specialized audiences, and is being launched in 2018 as a free app for Android and iOS tablets as well as Windows and iOs computers. The game will eventually be available in the languages most spoken throughout the Ring of Fire, including English, Indonesian, Tagalog, Japanese and Spanish. Earth Girl Volcano follows in the footsteps of Earth Girl Tsunami, a game already released in eight languages that received over 35,000 Facebook Likes during its initial launch. |