Drilling for (virtual) oil in industry's new online game
An energy and shipping company has developed an online video game to help attract young people to jobs in the oil and gas industry. Players locate and drill into deep oil reserves situated in extreme environments, which vary from the cold, dangerous North Sea, to the blazing heat of the Qatari dessert.
A man works on the rig of an oil drilling pump site in McKenzie County outside of Williston, N.D. Players of a new online game are faced with challenges that real energy companies must deal with in reality.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/File
Oil and gas companies have begun to struggle to grow due to their inability to find skilled workers; and tactics such as offering large bonuses and building high-tech training facilities, have not helped.
Maersk Group, the giant energy and shipping company, is trying a new technique to train and encourage new work staff; it is offering a video game called听
In the game the player must make similar decisions to an oil executive in the real world. He must locate and drill into deep oil reserves situated in extreme environments, which vary from the cold, dangerous North Sea, to the blazing heat of the Qatari dessert. Gamers must explore the rocks, use 3D seismic maps, secure licenses, use realistic advice from a team of advisors, and reach production targets faster than their opponents.听(Related article:听)
The true aim of the game? The players who earn the highest scores could land a job at Maersk!听
The games website states that players play for the听鈥減otential for a world-class career within Maersk Group.鈥澨鼸xplaining that, 鈥渆xciting opportunities for passionate and talented individuals exist in in more than 140 countries. Whether in oil and gas, transport, offshore, or onshore, there are hundreds of careers all over the world.鈥�
Gamers will be faced with challenges that real energy companies such as Maersk must deal with in reality. Strategies must be formulated to assess rock permeability, map the best route to crude deposits, and then after using precise drilling, they must determine the levels of CO2 and water to inject into the well to force the oil to the surface.
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