February 19, 2012 | Read Time: 1 minute
A Maryland company that develops interactive training simulations is holding a competition to put its technology to work for social change.
WILL Interactive creates movies in which the viewer becomes one of the characters. How the story progresses depends on the answers the viewer gives to frequent questions. The goal is to help viewers make better decisions when facing similar problems in real life. Among the projects the company has worked on: a simulation that the U.S. Army uses to help prevent suicides.
The company is soliciting ideas for a new simulation to solve an important problem through its Simulate a Better World Challenge. The winner will get to help guide the creation of the simulation as well as receive the right to use it. Both nonprofit and for-profit entities are eligible to submit ideas.
A key criteria in the judging will be the organization’s plan and ability to distribute the video simulation the group proposes, says Sharon Sloane, chief executive of WILL Interactive: “We don’t want to build a better mousetrap and then not have it available to the people who could benefit from it.”
For more information: Go to http://willinteractive.com/challenge.
