Could Asheville and NOAA host a ‘Games for Science’ summit in 2011 to talk about the impact video games would have on communicating climate change?

There’s a great blog post at www.red-redemption.com about Red Redemption’s recent visit to Asheville. Red Redemption is a “UK indie games developer dedicated to making games about making a difference.” The company has developed a global strategy sim game called Fate of the World I, and it’s getting a lot of attention. In the blog post, Red Redemption talks about touring the NOAA’s facilities here in Asheville, and about the possibility of future collaboration. Could be the start of a great working relationship.

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So why was I there? Well Marjorie from the National Climatic Data Center at NOAA learned of our work on BBC Climate Challenge and Fate of the World, and in particular our scientific collaborations and research based on the games. She became very interested in the work we are doing bringing climate science into computer games; with our collaboration with Games for Change (www.gamesforchange.org) who promote the use of games to tackle the most pressing issues of the day, and from our side the data NOAA and NASA make publically available has been incredibly useful in developing Fate of the World. Our team would love to highlight the excellent work they do and so I was keen to visit and discuss possible collaborations. NOAA was particularly impressed that Games for Change and the MacArthur Foundation are part of a Presidential initiative on using computer games to improve STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

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Essentially the role of the NCDC is to gather and collate the latest data on the state of the climate both in the short term (meteorological) and in the long term (climate change) and then make that data accessible and as widely available as possible. Their work is a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding our changing environment and the impact mankind has on it. It was really exciting to discuss Fate of the World with them. …

I took away from the trip a greater understanding of the importance of the work carried out by NOAA and the NCDC, but also how switched on they are to the potential of social impact games in communicating some of the more difficult elements about climate. I would love to work with Games For Change to organise a Games for Science summit there in 2011. I also got a great respect for the townsfolk and businesses of Asheville. It is a beautiful town set in the stunning Appalachian mountains, and is working hard to become a hub of sustainability. I look forward to seeing what emerges from the trip.

Thanks to Dodie for the tweet heads-up.