Our Interview with Fire.gr
In recent years, information and training in various fields has merged with the world of computers and the Internet. New software and applications appear every day to meet the personal or professional needs of the public.
Our magazine brings you the story of Pegneon and its invaluable product, Fire Safety Gaming, the first Greek software on the subject of fire protection and fire-extinguishing methods in everyday life.
We would like to thank Danae Antonopoulou, managing director of Pegneon, for this interview and for the valuable information on educational gaming she shared with us.
Fire Rescue News. What is Pegneon’s basic business? In which sectors is it active? What are the company’s aims?
Mrs Antonopoulou. Pegneon is a start-up company founded by young people sharing the same vision: the development of gaming content for educational purposes. In today’s world, technology offers endless opportunities and educational gaming is constantly growing and becoming more acceptable to a variety of audiences. We have started with Fire Safety Gaming, which focuses on fire safety and fire extinguishing methods in the places we normally spend time during the day (at the office, at home, at school, outdoors etc.)
Fire Rescue News. Where does the name Pegneon come from?
Mrs Antonopoulou. Pegneon is a Greek word meaning game, and it refers to a structured activity performed for entertainment purposes or used as an educational tool. The word ‘Pegneon’ gives us a significant advantage as foreign audiences are curious about Greek words and their origin. For example, when I am at expos abroad, people ask me about the origin of the word and what it means in their language.
Fire Rescue News. Please tell us more about Fire Safety Gaming. What is the goal of educational gaming?
Mrs Antonopoulou. A few months ago we were on a plane ready to lake off. We noticed that most passengers did not pay attention to the emergency information video and this strengthened our view that people are now looking for new ways to get these messages across. For a long time now I have been thinking of new ways to disseminate the important information about fire safety, using a different method, easier to digest and more ‘fun’ for users. This led to the creation of Fire Safety Gaming, the development of which is the result of team work and the determination to take it in the right direction. The content was designed and developed in line with the applicable legislation and the everyday safety rules that we all must follow.
Fire Rescue News. Could you tell us something about educational games?
Mrs Antonopoulou. Educational games are very popular outside Greece among different audiences (young people, the elderly, people with disabilities) and are used by companies wishing to convey basic educational values and principles to their employees. Let me give you an example. In various states in USA, classes are given using educational games at an interactive level. This way, the educational message is more comprehensible and students are more willing to attend class. Moreover, various companies abroad have prioritised the development of such methods for their workers. In Greece, the development of these applications is still at an early stage. However, companies like Pegneon will contribute to their development and implementation.
Fire Rescue News. Is Fire Safety Gaming popular in Greece or abroad?
Mrs Antonopoulou. We have already presented Fire Safety Gaming to various companies, which were quite interested in adopting and using it with their employees. As I said earlier, I believe that messages are easier to transmit through educational gaming and they provide measurable data. Pegneon has developed a code of quantitative and qualitative measurable data, e.g. response time per development stage of the game. Our immediate priorities involve increasing our presence outside Greece through a network of multinational companies which could use our product.
Fire Rescue News. Can Fire Safety Gaming be used by families at home to teach children?
Mrs Antonopoulou. Fire Safety Gaming can be used at home. However, we believe that it is important to focus on a Β2Β level for the moment. The future development of the game will inevitably lead to its expansion into software like IOS & Android, where people will be able to download the application and learn more about its content.
Fire Rescue News. Do you have in mind something similar for schools?
Mrs Antonopoulou. The main goal of Pegneon is to contribute to specific population groups. One of these groups is pupils in primary and secondary education. Our priority is to implement a plan whereby specific educational communities will be selected by us and by our partner companies and will be offered seminars on the Fire Safety Gaming content by specialised employees of Pegneon. Our aim is to cover more than 1,000 schools in 2016.
Fire Rescue News. What are your next steps?
Mrs Antonopoulou. Pegneon’s development plan is based on the expansion of Fire Safety Gaming and other thematic games, which will be based on their ability to provide users with easily accessible, reliable messages. The last quarter of 2015 will herald a successful 2016 for us, as regards our company’s plans to develop new thematic games.
Source: http://www.fire.gr/?p=30283
Social media channels- Fire safety game
T: https://twitter.com/Pegneon
F: https://www.facebook.com/PegneonGames/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9VP9v6g3FA