The arrangement will give the gaming community on the Volvo Ocean Race Game the ability to interact with the Green Dragon afterguard as skipper Ian Walker and navigator Ian Moore make their weather routing decisions during the leg.
Every twelve hours during the leg, the virtual skippers in the Volvo Ocean Race Game will be sent a poll from Green Dragon. It will include a description of the current situation (details on weather conditions, boat condition and crew) as well as a weather forecast for the next 24/36/48/72 hours.
Each of these polls will include at least three options for the route the team should sail. The poll will be posted on the game website for an hour, and gamers will have an opportunity to vote on the preferred route. The results of that vote will be communicated to the entire fleet, including Green Dragon, by the Duty Officer at Volvo Ocean Race headquarters.
Green Dragon will then, at the discretion of the skipper and navigator, follow the guidance of the online community. If the team decides not to take the advice, they will send an explanation for their reasoning.
This interaction between the real and virtual worlds is unprecedented in sport and marks the first time an online gaming community has been in active communication with a professional sporting team during live competition.
"This virtual-real-teamwork idea is fascinating," said Green Dragon skipper Ian Walker."It will be a completely new experience for us and will add a new dimension to sailing. We are really looking forward to this joint adventure."
