Play Game >> WORLD WITHOUT OIL invited people worldwide to contribute “collective imagination” to confront a real-world issue: the risk our thirst for oil poses to our economy, climate and quality of life. It’s a milestone in the use of games as democratic, collaborative platforms for exploring possible futures and sparking future-changing action.
Release Date March 2, 2007http://www.worlwithoutoil.org/metabuss.htm
Press Release URL“If you want to change the future, play with it first”
STEFANIE OLSEN, C|NET
World Without Oil simulated the first 32 weeks of a global oil crisis. It established a citizen “nerve center” at www.worldwithoutoil.org to track events and share solutions. Anybody could play by creating a personal story – an email or phone call, blog post, video, whatever – that chronicled the imagined reality of their life in the crisis. The WWO site links all these stories. The game encouraged excellence with awards and recognition for authentic and intriguing stories.
“A huge, twisting network of news, strategy, activism, and personal expression”
NINA SIMON, MUSEUM 2.0
When WWO concluded on June 1, 2007, its 1,500 stories painted a detailed picture of an oil-poor future. Hundreds of thousands have viewed these chronicles, and high school students relive the experience via WWO lesson plans.
“Astonishing quality – the players revealed the heart of a complex subject”
FRANÇOIS GUITÉ, RELIEF
By playing it ‘for real’, WWO evoked collective intelligence and the wisdom of crowds. Players worked together to gain grassroots insights into the forces and outcomes. Their solutions – acts that mold communities, slash wasteful consumption and create more “elastic” lives – stand as vibrant antidotes to official paralysis on energy.
“Act as if. Live it. Weave us into a possible future”
EVELYN RODRIGUEZ – CROSSROADS DISPATCHES
By creating a nonpartisan game framework, WWO sparked timely peer learning about oil. By “rousing our democratic imagination,” WWO fostered deep engagement and changed people’s lives.
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