Researchers at Durham University, England, have modified Gordon Freeman’s escape from a resonance cascade and turned it into a fire drill simulator.
Durham University’s Dr. Shamus Smith, who helped spearhead the project, has said that that while bespoke 3D modeling software was available, modifying a videogame was faster, more cost effective, and had better special effects.
And so, with a bit of work on the Source Engine, the Computer Science department in Durham University was modeled to simulate what would happen in a fire. The team at Durham say the virtual environment helped familiarize people with evacuation routines and could also help identify problems with a building’s layout.
However, while the simulation worked for most people, those who played a lot of videogames did rather unusual things.
“If a door was on fire, they [gamers] would try and run through it, rather than look for a different exit,” said Dr. Smith.
A video of the escape from the Computer Science block is available on the BBC website below, but unfortunately there’s no gravity gun as of yet.
Source: BBC via SilentD.
