American College of Emergency Physicians releases crisis preparation browser game Disaster Hero

The American College of Emergency Physicians has launched Disaster Hero, a browser-based game designed to instruct families in disaster preparation, the organization announced today.

Developed as part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Disaster Hero sets players in the shoes of a contestant on the game show "Disaster Hero," where they must compete against an A.I. opponent to determine who has the better knowledge of natural disasters and emergency preparation. The game was developed as a way to instruct children, teens and parents as well as caregivers and teachers on ways to prepare and handle specific types of emergency situations.

Disaster Hero emphasizes the importance of being prepared, including having a detailed emergency plan and kits for certain geographical disasters including earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Through arcade, puzzle and hidden-object type minigames, players will learn safety measures for these occurrences. Players will be quizzed throughout on information learned through these games.

Playing the Disaster Hero games will also earn players points, achievements and trophies to be displayed on the game's website. Teachers and parents can download additional materials and activities for instructional purposes off the website as well.

Disaster Hero works in all browsers running Adobe Flash and is free-to-play.