Stop Disasters

Developed for the United Nations ISDR group, Stop Disasters tackles the very real issue of saving lives and reducing the financial impact that natural hazards cause when they develop into disasters.

This sim disaster style employs strategy, planning and constructive activities to raise awareness of how disasters affect people every day and how often very simple measures can save many lives. Knowledge is power.

Whether you call it serious games or ‘edutainment’, projects such as these are tough to balance. Young audiences are easily turned off by too many facts whereas too much ‘fun’ lessens the gravity of the subject matter. Gaming allows for the staged delivery or bite-sized information in layers that the user discovers on the way to achieving their goals, rather than being spoon-fed information that they won’t retain.

The game is aimed at a global secondary level education audience on low level spec machines, has been translated into 5 languages so far and distributed on CD in some regions.

Using a game to promoting such a serious issue is recognition by the UN ISDR that targeting a youth audience requires a step change in approach from their existing data fact sheets and school packs, and we’re looking forward to working with them again on future initiatives.