The Application of Serious Games to US Environmental Protection Agency’s Emergency Response Mission
Citation:
Boe, T., S. Lee, W. Calfee, S. Ryan, J. Deagan, D. Womack, E. Burch, E. Hill, J. Holloway, K. Jones, G. Osefo, A. Brook, AND B. Freeling. The Application of Serious Games to US Environmental Protection Agency’s Emergency Response Mission. 2023 EPA International Decontamination Research and Development Conference, Charleston, SC, December 05 - 07, 2023.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation provides an overview of EPA's efforts in the development of serious games and their application to the Agency's training efforts. Serious games are digital or physical games designed with a primary purpose beyond pure entertainment. These games aim to leverage the motivational and immersive aspects of game play to achieve specific, beneficial outcomes in real world applications. Serious games enables rapid prototyping and iteration for educational content, simulations, and training modules. Accessible technology enhances learning through interactivity and immersion, from classrooms to corporate environments.
Description:
This presentation will examine how serious games are being used to enhance the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA’s) emergency response mission, by improving the ability of the emergency response community to quickly and effectively respond to a range of environmental emergencies, including oil spills, chemical, biological, and radiological releases, as well as natural disasters. This approach supports the protection of human health and the environment by applying serious games in three specific areas: scientific modeling and simulation, emergency response training, and decision-making and strategy development. This presentation will demonstrate a series of simulations and training platforms developed by the US EPA to address each of these topic areas.