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Ethanol racing simulator reaches new audiences

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Ethanol simulator 1

Jeff Beckman takes a turn behind the wheel of the ethanol racing simulator.

Seeing a group of farmers gather around and watch each other play a video game is quite the sight. It also means that group of farmers might be onto something when it comes to reaching younger audiences with a positive message about clean, renewable and homegrown ethanol.

Jeff Beckman from the Minnesota Farm Bureau brought his ethanol racing simulator game to the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) office on Aug. 27. Each farmer on MCGA’s Food and Bioenergy team  took a turn playing it, and smiled the entire time.

Farmers aren’t exactly known for being avid gamers, so if they were into the game, it’s a good sign that kids and teenagers will line up to play at county fairs and other events where corn farmers want to reach new audiences with a positive message about ethanol.

“It draws in a larger age group,” said Beckman, who also oversees the Ag Cab Lab, another simulator/outreach tool supported by Minnesota’s corn farmers. “When the kids are playing, it’s an opportunity to talk with parents, to tell them about ethanol.”

The game is still in the development stage, but it’s already playable and actually a lot of fun. Players climb into the driver’s seat of the old-school arcade box and use a steering wheel to control an ethanol-powered car.

As you zoom down the road, you want pick up green cans of ethanol to power up and improve your score. Watch out for the red gas cans — if you hit one of those, a puff of smog releases into the air and you get penalized.

Ethanol simulator 2

Jerry Ploehn, a farmer in Alpha and on the Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council, gives the ethanol racing simulator a try.

The game has been a hit wherever Beckman has taken it so far. It’s only going to get better as a team led by David DeMuth, Jr. from Valley City State University in North Dakota continues development.

“Yes, this game is great to connect with kids and a general audience, but it’s also a unique way for farmers to showcase the many diverse jobs in agriculture,” DeMuth said. “The sensors and computers in the game aren’t that much different than what you see in a John Deere tractor. We’re reaching undergrads that otherwise would never know about ethanol or the role technology plays in many ag jobs.”

Future developments will likely include adding side-by-side racing against another player, graphical and sound enhancements and possibly making the game browser-based so it can be played online.

“We’re also looking at ways to bring more ethanol-themed messaging into the game,” Beckman said. “We’re pleased with where we’re at so far.”

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