Screen Australia and ABC TV today launched Alternator, a thrilling new race car game, the winner of their nation-wide competition for a 'Serious Game' which is now live on ABC3 online.

The purpose of a 'Serious Game' is to raise awareness of important contemporary issues by providing an engaging and enlightening gaming experience.

The initiative, an Australian first, was circulated in 2009 and asked for filmmakers, game developers and web designers to join forces.

An impressive 52 proposals were received and addressed a broad range of issues from binge drinking to bushfire survival techniques, healthy living, science, education and the environment.

From these applications, five teams went on to further develop and consolidate their game ideas into a design document from which Alternator was chosen.