Online Video Game Helps Navy With Energy Problems (Video)

Enlarge this image

Credit: ONR

Above: Energy MMOWGLI video scenario

The U.S. Navy kicked off a week-long online competition where players grapple with different hypothetical disaster scenarios in which the Navy is dealing with fuel shortages. It's called the Energy MMOWGLI — a.k.a. Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet.

The Office of Naval Research and the Naval Task Force Energy teamed up to create the game. According to ONR:

Essentially the MMOWGLI game enables players to cooperate and brainstorm different ideas. Game players can post ideas, and then respond with other ideas that build, counter, redirect or call for further expertise.

The Stars and Stripes elaborates:

Within the game, players are open to consider biofuels and any other options that take both consumption and efficiency into account. Players watch videos briefing them on the scenario and then propose ideas in 140 typed characters that advance a small-scale strategy.

Here's one of the videos illustrating a problem to which players must come up with a possible solution:

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.