As a resident of the State of New York, in the future you may be able to receive advance emergency warnings of natural or man-made disasters via Xbox LIVE, the PlayStation Network, the Wii’s online service, and other online gaming networks, if current tests are anything to go by.

According to New York State Deputy CIO Rico Singleton, in the event of a dangerous and life-threatening event, such as extreme weather or (heaven forbid) a terrorist attack, the state’s Emergency Management Office intends to be able to issue alerts over online gaming networks, as well as regular channels, in order to best reach and warn younger residents.

Singleton believes this to be a good plan “considering the amount of time our youth spend on video games,” he said.

No further details were released on how such a warning system would work in practice, but Singleton did confirm that the initiative is in the testing phase.

These tests, and the initiative as a whole, forms part of a wider, more far-reaching programme entitled Empire 2.0, which will see state authorities making greater use of online social networks such as Facebook, Linked In and Second Life to improve local government’s transparency, participation and collaboration with the public.

Source: Information Week