Violent Computer Games can be used in Fire Safety Drills
A recent research by computer scientists at Durham University has established that aggressive computer games can be used to train people in fire safety and thus save lives in emergencies.
The Durham researchers have expanded the utility of popular games like Doom 3 and Half Life 2, by using them to build simulations and train people in fire evacuation measures through application of the games’ basic software code. Realistic looking factories, offices and other buildings can be created to get users to practice responses to real emergencies.
The Durham experts created a 3D model of a real building and programmed three evacuation scenarios in case of a fire. This was completed with realistic fire and smoke emissions, in an impressive three weeks’ time by a single developer. The researchers believe that this clearly shows that the method will save considerable time and money as compared to exercises with virtual reality tool kits or writing a fresh piece of code.
As published in the Fire Safety Journal, the results of the simulations will significantly contribute to identification of problems with the plan of the buildings, help people acquaint themselves with fire evacuation scenarios, and in general make people aware of recommended practices in fire safety. Employers need to keep themselves up to date with health and safety developments to avoid potential legal action from employers by taking a health and safety courses such as the nebosh qualification from Workplace Law Training.
The lead author, Dr. Shamus Smith, said that while virtual world tool kits are available, which can also create fire and smoke, the quality is not top notch as they have very few tools to assist in creating a fully functional virtual world. Moreover, it also requires complex programming skills, which in turn takes more of the developer’s time. Therefore, utilizing available computer games with the latest features to simulate fire evacuation scenarios could be a vital breakthrough.
