A Green Gamer's Delight: Smart Meters May Be Linked to World of Warcraft

I am not a hater. I just don't really understand grown adults who spend hours developing characters and going on quests in games like the online sensation, World of Warcraft. I have been known to think in Twitter-sized thoughts, however, and can therefore appreciate a level of immersion in social media that can sometimes border on obsession.

I am also always open to creative collaboration- especially when it comes to encouraging people to live sustainably in a manner that can fit seamlessly with the things they already do and enjoy doing on a daily basis. Like gaming.

At the November 2008 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference in Sacramento, California, Stanford Professor Byron Reeves revealed his idea for linking much anticipated Smart Meters to MMOGs like World of Warcraft.

I know, when first hearing the story on a radio program, my face had the same look of confusion/disbelief that yours does now. But this concept is more clever and probable then it first appears. The general idea is this: home Smart Meters transmit fluctuations in energy consumption to your computer, allowing you to track usage and effectiveness of conservation efforts. In Prof. Reeves vision, a link would also be made between the Smart Meter and one's character in a virtual world, and changes (ideally improvements) in energy consumption would be reflected there in real time.

If you're still having trouble visualizing this, view the video demo that was produced for the conference...

View video clip and continue reading at the EcoSpheric Blog