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Government makes climate game

Wants kids to save planet.

Young lads and lasses don't have role models like Captain Planet any more, so the Government has decided to make an environmental-themed computer game do the education.

It's called Operation Climate Control and is a Flash-based affair aimed at those of you doing your GCSE exams - so about 15- to 16-years-old. I tried playing it and got confused; apparently trying to make money by using cheaper fuel solutions and imported labour is bad. And I couldn't work out what to do. No I didn't read the manual.

It's free to play and is designed for teachers to integrate in their lesson plan, allowing them to create game sessions lasting around 20 minutes. The progress of each student that joins can then be monitored on an auto-updating summary page - displaying their current score and reaction type.

The aim, of course, is for all of us to understand where carbon dioxide comes from, what its impacts are, and what we can do about managing it. Leaving your fridge open while you go to work is bad, and don't spray your armpits for too long.

Rather bizarrely the game launched at the House of Commons recently with a demonstration by Jewish and Muslim children. Apparently it's important for all communities that find themselves divided in the UK to learn these important facts.

"The threat that climate change poses to us all can hardly be understated and it is crucial that young people understand the problem and are enthused to help find solutions," said Gobion Rowlands, boss of developer Red Redemption.

It's Red Redemption's third learning game based around climate issues. The most recent game Climate Change has attracted 500,000 unique users to date.

Head over to the Operation Climate Control website to play the game or find out more. It could be a nice way for you to get your youngsters clued up on climate control. Or your parents.