Nagoya City Science Museum

Purpose of Exhibition

It is not a simple pinball game. Let's assume that a ball is carbon. Being subjected to various chance events, carbon will travel through various parts of the eco system. If you keep carbon circulating in the eco system for a long time, you can score high marks.

Additional Knowledge

To earn high marks, what should you do specifically? The place that offers you large points is a lion's mouth. Lions, which are a flesh-eating animal, are not many in the eco system. You will find it rather easy to go into plants, which are found many, but the points you can earn there are also low.
It is also important to regulate a CO2 level. An upward or downward deviation from the allowable range of a CO2 level means gave over, so you must be careful. In the human environment zone, a CO2 level rises rapidly and if you hit plants only, you will run out of CO2. Unless you maintain an adequate CO2 level, you cannot continue the game. To enjoy various things using energy, it is important to regulate a CO2 level.
This pinball game is only a game. The real eco system is not as simple as this. Various places on the earth including the ocean and volcanoes become transit points of carbon circulation in a long run. The natural environments are linked with each other through such circulation of masses, so they interact with each other. This is a game to draw the players' attention to that point and arouse their interest in the environmental issues.

Article by Shoji Nishimoto, curator