Play a serious computer game exploring Mount St. Helens eruption in a program May 21

The Oak Ridger
·1 min read

Zoom listeners can join in a serious computer game exploring the aftermath of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in a unique program set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, and presented by the UT Arboretum Society.

The program will feature Parker Maynard, a serious game designer and University of Tennessee, Knoxville graduate student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

Parker’s game, called "Resilience: After the Eruption," synthesizes research about ecological recovery and resource management following the eruption of Mount St. Helens, a news release said.

Attendees will need a computer to play the game and cannot use a tablet or phone. As many as four people can play on one laptop with each person assuming one of the four roles: Ecologist, resource manager, recreation manager, or forester.

Participants will be invited to take a pre- and post-survey to let Parker know what can be learned from playing the game, whether game play is enjoyable, and what improvements are suggested.

This is a free program but requires registration to receive the Zoom link. The program will be recorded and sent to all who register. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org under Programs.

Steam rises from the crater of Mount Saint Helens volcano Oct. 10, 2004, in Washington. Seismic activity at the time had slowed, prompting a downgrade from level three to level two warning that an eruption is likely though not imminent. In 1980, seismic activity slowed in a similar fashion shortly before the volcano exploded, blowing the top off the mountain with a blast heard 200 miles away and causing the largest landslide ever recorded. The 1980 eruption leveled hundreds of square miles of forest, killed 57 people, and sent volcanic ash around the world. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Serious computer game explores Mount St. Helens eruption