Menu
The Orlando Sentinel has an article about a game designed to help save lives in theme parks:
“If terrorists ever attack a Florida theme park, a video game developed by recent University of Central Florida graduates in a cramped downtown Orlando office could help make sure that doctors and surgeons can properly treat burn victims.”
Burn Center: Orlando team’s game will help save lives in disasters
Etan Horowitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
September 4, 2008
If terrorists ever attack a Florida theme park, a video game developed by recent University of Central Florida graduates in a cramped downtown Orlando office could help make sure that doctors and surgeons can properly treat burn victims.
For the past year, 360Ed, a start-up company that makes educational video games, has been working on Burn Center. In graphics and feel, their creation resembles reality-based games such as Madden NFL football or Grand Theft Auto — but it has a much more important goal.
“September 11 awakened us to the fact that we have to prepare for these mass-casualty type of events, and the best way to prepare is modern technology, simulation and games,” said Ben Noel, 360Ed’s chief executive officer. “Instead of simulating it in a field experience, which can be very expensive, we are simulating it on a computer, which can be played over and over.”
360Ed worked with the Florida Department of Health and the University of Florida College of Medicine to create the game, which the Orlando Sentinel was allowed to preview Wednesday. It was born from a post-Sept. 11 federal mandate that Florida be able to handle a disaster or act of terrorism that could leave up to 2,000 people with severe burn injuries.
