Stop Disasters! Serious Game Review

In the wake of the many recent disasters lately, disaster preparedness is looking more and more  important. While it is easy to find information today about how people and agencies have failed to be prepared for every type of disaster, there is a lot less talk about how to plan ahead and how expensive doing so can be.

That is where the Stop Disasters! game comes in. The free, Flash-based online computer game allows you to choose from several different scenarios, and you assume the role of a disaster preparedness coordinator preparing to prevent a specific disaster. Each scenario gives you the opportunity to select the difficulty of the scenario, which adjusts the size of the map that the player is asked to construct defenses for as well as the budget and time constraints. In addition, the player is required to make several additional upgrades, such as hospitals or schools, and can upgrade existing structures.

Each section of the map can be developed either by adding buildings such as houses or hotels, or defenses such as trees or firebreaks. Clicking on a single square of the map brings up a menu allowing you to choose whether you want to view information about the square (current level of safety, terrain type) or create either defenses or buildings. Each possible defense or building allows you to view information such as the cost, how much it reduces the risk of the disaster and why it reduces that risk. In addition, clicking on a structure you have built brings up a list of upgrades you can buy to further reduce the risk. The upgrades vary based on the building; a community center may allow you to buy sirens and training, while an individual house only offers the ability to upgrade the foundations. As you perform actions, "key facts" are revealed in popups and are accessible from a numbered toolbar at the top of the screen. Facts can include information such as how education can increase safety.

The player needs to balance the possible upgrades and buildings with their budget and time constraints to create the safest possible situation. As the time runs out a progress bar is filled in, and if the player has bought an early warning system a countdown appears in the last several minutes. When the disaster finally hits, a summary of the situation is provided. A news story provides the basic facts about the player's performance. Players can also choose to view a report with more specific information (such as how many of their goals they achieved and how many key facts they found) and the scene after the disaster.

This game is recommended for ages twelve and up, and that age category seems relatively accurate. The game is far too simplistic for training people to become disaster preparedness coordinators but can provide some valuable information for people trying to understand the many factors involved in disaster preparedness. This game could be useful in a social studies class examining current events or governmental spending. Specific simulations could also be used to talk about the challenges of development and life in specific geographic locations.

This game was interesting to play and did convey some knowledge as I played, but it could have benefited greatly from providing additional tips on how to prevent disasters. As it was, I found myself simply clicking through each option to find out more information, which feels like a waste of time when the timer is counting down in the corner. A single game takes around 10-25 minutes (depending on the scenario and difficulty). In addition, it would have been very helpful if the game would have summarized additional changes the player could have made to save more lives and prevent more damage. These are shortcomings that can be resolved with good teacher briefings and debriefings, but is definitely something to keep in mind if constructing a lesson around the Stop Disasters! game.