Saving the world with help from a mouse

Fate of the World puts the Earth's future in players' hands, placing them in charge of an environmental body which could save the world from the effects of rising greenhouse gas emissions or let it perish by continuing to rely on emissions-heavy fossil fuels.

Through different scenarios, players can explore options such as geoengineering and alternative energy sources to save the planet from rising temperatures, dwindling natural resources and a growing population over the next 200 years.

A rough cut of the game will be followed by a three-month feedback period from players, with final release due in February next year.

Created by Oxford-based games developer Red Redemption, the game departs from mainstream action games by using data from real climate models and advice from scientists and economists in Britain and the United States.

"Science data is often inaccessible and we are trying to put players in a position of power and connected with the issues," Gobion Rowlands, founder and chairman said.

"We are not pushing one particular agenda. There are a range of options, including nuclear power and renewable energy."

The firm has an advisory board which includes some climate change experts. Myles Allen, head of climate dynamics at Oxford University, contributed the prediction models in the game.

Games centred on sustainability and human rights have been growing in popularity and are welcomed by green groups as a way of raising awareness.

Using climate change as inspiration for entertainment shows the issue has permeated global culture, said Friends of the Earth.