Quest For Oil - A Subsurface Serious Gaming Experience
With the free, world-wide distribution of the real-time strategy game, Maersk aspires to open up the oil business to everyone.
Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Maersk is a global conglomerate with a
variety of sectors within the transportation and energy industries. The Quest
for Oil Serious Game is based on the Maersk Drilling and Maersk Oil units
that are at the cutting edge of the upstream
oil sector.
Quest for Oil allows players to test their analytic and strategic skills while
experiencing first-hand what it’s like to be on a drilling rig.
Drilling for oil - Step 1: Choose your drilling rig
by browsing through characteristics and prices
Along the way, players are introduced to the
key challenges of the industry such as how to read earth layers and detect oil
reservoirs. It’s a player’s ability to analyse and use this knowledge that will
see them overcome their digital opponent and become victorious in their quest
for oil.
The Serious Game represents an entirely new
way of learning about the layers of the earth, how complex it is to unlock the
oil and what it takes to be in the highly competitive oil business.
Drilling for
oil - Step 3: Once you have indicated where to drill, you
need to control the actual drilling process. Your goal is to drill as fast and as
safely as possible. Watch out for warnings informing you about a possible blowout or pressure
differential.
Oil
production - Step 1: Choose your production
platform
Oil
production - Steps 2 – 4: After confirming the
location and size of the reservoir, it is time for the oil production process.
The objective is to unlock the oil from the reservoir rock by injecting water
and natural gas into the rock. The right pressure adjustment is crucial. The
last step is to choose how to transport the oil to your refinery.
Several test runs of the game amongst students
revealed that they were intently keen to venture into the unexplored universe
of oil. According to some students it was the visual
elements of the game that really made an impact. “You get a completely
different feel for learning when you see the layers of the earth laid out like
this.”
The competitive aspect of the game wasn't left
behind either. Quest for Oil places players on a drilling rig
with its 53,000 tonnes of steel rammed into the ground, while using the
knowledge you gain to dominate your virtual opponent.