TSURUGA, Fukui Pref. — On a hillside overlooking Tsuruga, about a dozen children and their mothers are enjoying the day at At Home, the Fukui Atomic Energy Science Museum. Inside, kids rush to play free arcade-style games spread across the two-floor facility. Some feature the latest computer graphics technology, while others are reminiscent of games like pinball.
One particular game catches the eye. It looks like some kind of machine that dispenses prizes. Press the start button, though, and a chirpy recorded voice explains the purpose is not to shoot bad guys but to save a nuclear reactor core from melting down.
Using the plastic gunlike device to suck up little white balls representing neutrons as they attack the reactor core and heat it up, the players have one minute to collect enough neutrons to prevent the reactor from overheating. What happens if they fail?