World Without Oil

For someone who never plays games, I think World Without Oil is a great game for everyone. It's realistic and relevant to our current times. This game teaches students how to survive in a world during an oil shortage. It allows them to learn in depth about the oil shortage in the U.S. and the effects of this shortage on our lives now, and the potential dangers for the future. Supply, demand, and price become more than just vocabulary words in this game. The students are immersed in it, and hence learn what these words really mean for the U.S. economy and themselves. This game encourages students to reflect on a personal level on how an oil crisis would change their lives. They begin to lead their lives as if there were really an oil shortage presently going on. This forces them to change things about their every day life, and perhaps see the importance of our natural resources and the potential danger overusing them could have on our country. World Without Oil shows students how much oil they use, and not just for gas for their cars, but for other aspects of their lives, and shows them how important a resource it is.

In conjunction with this game, watch 'Jane McGonigal: Gaming Can Make a Better World' on YouTube. She explains how by playing games such as this one, we can actually begin to solve real world problems. She explains it in detail, and it's fascinating!