Alternate reality game for emergency response training: A review of research

Disasters are immense and shocking events which, in their wake, require the collective efforts of an entire, commu1 nity to achieve a successful recovery. Engaging and; educating a broader swath of a given community well in.advance of a disaster contributes significantly to better sharing of resources and an overall efficient and effective emergency response. This research first examines traditional methods used in emergency response, as well as computer simulationbased emergency drills. It next reviews the use of gaming in, emergency response training, from board games to computer games utilizing simulation technologies. We demonstrate that alternate reality games, which are driven by transmedia sto rytelling and intensely devoted to establishing interactions, across real and fictional worlds, has the potential to suit the needs of emergency response training well, yet is still lacking. The potential merits of using an alternate reality game for emergency response training are as follows: they could .fulfill the need for environmentspecific training material, overcome the lack of regular and mandatory training for stu dents along with inappropriate scheduling of training work shops, and turn textheavy paperbased or digital training materials into an entertaining and engaging experience.