Booze Cruise video game

Our local news last night showcased a video game that is really interesting. The game is called “The Booze Cruise” and it was created by a professor and some of his students at the University of Calgary. The purpose is to take on teaching people about drunk driving in a way that speaks to a lot of young people.

The object of the game is to get your car home within the allotted time without hitting anyone or anything on the way. Sounds easy and straightforward right? Wrong.

The twist is that you WILL find yourself hitting things along the road and losing points because all the key functions – brakes, turning, reaction times, etc – are delayed just like they are when you’re drunk. Things and people you need to avoid will appear out of nowhere to allow you to experience the sort of tunnel vision you can get when you’ve had a lot to drink.

Even the Calgary Police department are interested in the game.

The whole purpose of the game is to teach young people who might be tempted to think they’re okay to drive in real life to think twice and hand their car keys over if they’ve experienced the safer version of drunk driving on a screen. I hope it works – if the game convinces even just a handful of people to call a cab or arrange for a designated driver before heading out, I’d call it a success.

(Source)