Chevron offers energy video game

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

By DAVID R. BAKER
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Video games often encourage their players to find magic swords, steal cars, decapitate mutants or just blow stuff up.

They rarely tell you that you need to use more petroleum.

But then, most games weren't developed by energy analysts and an oil company. Energyville is the exception.

Created by Chevron Corp. and the company that publishes the Economist magazine, the new online game is an attempt to illustrate the complexities of energy supply, now and in the future.

... There are also catches. Try using nothing but renewable energy, and an alert in stern capital letters will warn you that your city "needs petroleum." You'll get the same result if you rely solely on coal.

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/330446_energygame06.html

[Moochy]

1. Does the Video Game involve Flying Chevron Helicopters ?

from Human Rights Watch http://hrw.org/english/docs/1999/02/23/nigeri804.htm

In one particularly serious incident on January 4, (1998) soldiers using a Chevron helicopter and Chevron boats attacked villagers in two small communities in Delta State, Opia and Ikenyan, killing at least four people and burning most of the villages to the ground. More than fifty people are still missing. Chevron has alleged to a committee of survivors of the attack that this was a "counterattack" resulting from a confrontation between local youths and soldiers posted to a Chevron drilling rig. Community members deny that any such confrontation took place. In any event, the soldiers' response was clearly disproportionate and excessive.

This is the current status of the legal case against them brought by the survivors.

from Center for Constitutional Rights website: http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/legal/corporate_accountability/corporateArticle.asp?ObjID=4rj5rmLv5U&Content=41

Synopsis

Bowoto v. Chevron is a class action lawsuit charging Chevron/Texaco Corporation with gross violations of human rights including extrajudicial killing, crimes against humanity and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment in the Niger Delta region.

Current Status

In a series of rulings issued August 14, 2007, United States District Court Judge Susan Illston rejected Chevron Corporation's final attempts to avoid trial for its involvement in brutal attacks on Nigerian villagers.

Judge Illston found "evidence that CNL personnel were directly involved in the attacks; CNL transported the GSF , CNL paid the GSF; and CNL knew that GSF were prone to use excessive force," concluding that the evidence would allow a jury to find not only that Chevron knew the attacks would happen and assisted in them, but also that Chevron actually agreed to the military's plan.

A trial date has yet to be set.

[lonestarnot]

2. So Cheveron has enlisted.

Argh

[Cobalt-60]

3. I'd rather play let's wait in line

or maybe Nada III

[Lisa]

4. I've been trying to convince the sustainability group at my university ...

... that we have to get more active in arts/educational outreach, by developing simulations, games, public service announcement videos, etc. -- in order to counter industry efforts such as this! Thanks for posting!

[Occulus]

5. LOL- I just "played" it

Or perhaps I should say, "I've just been played..."

You can't expand the city at all, and the "game" only allows you to place two solar plants and one of each other green-or-semi-green option before greying everything out BUT petroleum. Oh, and the "emerging technologies" list wasn't available at that point, either.

What a load of happy horseshit.

[radfringe]

6. and you win by gouging consumers at the pumps...

[krkaufman]

7. Strangely, the game forces you into petroleum for your automobiles ...

... rather than electric cars built using the RAV1 battery technology that Chevron purchased and now guards.