New York State authorities are planning to test a new initiative that would see the Emergency Management Office issue disaster alerts over online gaming networks.

Officials believe the likes of Xbox Live and PlayStation Network are relevant channels through which to alert younger citizens to emergency situations, reports Information Week.

The plan makes sense "considering the amount of time our youth spend on videogames", New York State deputy CIO Rico Singleton said at the Interop technology conference.

The move is just one initiative the State has launched under a programme called Empire 2.0, which aims to make the government more "transparent, participatory, and collaborative". Another will see the Office of Homeland Security using virtual world Second Life to train 700,000 first responders.

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