Report: New York State Considering Game-Based Emergency Alerts

In an effort to ensure that crucial emergency alerts are disseminated through as many channels as possible, the state of New York is exploring a warning system that operates through "online gaming networks". Warnings of natural or human-instigated disasters are traditionally issued through television and radio, but New York state deputy chief information officer Rico Singleton said said that many of the state's younger residents spend more time playing video games than they do watching television or listening to radio. The concept, currently in a testing phase, is part of a larger effort on the part of the state to modernize its operations across its agencies and bring them in line with current internet-driven capabilities. Other game technology-related initiatives currently being planned by New York state include training first-response medical staff using the virtual world Second Life. The modern social web "is the world we're beginning to live in," said Singleton at New York's Interop conference, according to InformationWeek. "We should be part of the movement." Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo were all mentioned in the reporting on the emergency alert plan, but no specific planned consoles were identified, and "alerts over online gaming networks" were specifically identified as the potential target.