More Information: The "Risky Business" interactive CD is available as a resource for teens, teachers and parents for use in school curriculum or after-school activities. It is PC-compatible only. The $25 cost includes shipping and handling. Contact: Ruth Carter, county director Gila County Cooperative Extension Phone:(520) 425-7179 E-Mail: rcarter@ag.arizona.edu To order the CD: Phone:(520) 425-7179 Online: http://ag.arizona.edu/riskybusiness/

How can a computer game keep a young person from having sex? Educators in Gila County, Arizona are hoping "Risky Business," an interactive compact disc game designed to take teen-agers out on a virtual date, can help teens become more aware of the consequences of a rushed decision.

The outcome of the game depends upon the choices made regarding sex and drug use. Players learn how one night could change the rest of their lives.

According to 1999 health statistics, Arizona has the second highest teen-pregnancy rate in the nation. Gila County, in east-central Arizona, ranks third statewide. This is one area in which interested community members would like to see a decline in the ranking.

To help teens choose a safer future, each year health and education professionals in Gila County sponsor a Teen Risks and Resiliency Coalition workshop. The coalition has been meeting for five years. Its initial focus was to address teen pregnancies, but the emphasis has now expanded to include other youth issues as well. Members are teens, parents and representatives from health, business, schools, government and law enforcement.

When teens from the coalition got together in the summer of 1999, one of the ideas they came up with was an interactive simulation computer program dealing with the many ramifications of teen pregnancy. Two students, Jeremy Fergason and David Moss, then attending Miami High School, tackled the programming and graphics creation with faculty guidance from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Gila County. Moss is now a sophomore at the University of Arizona, majoring in electrical engineering.

"I began work on the project because I was a volunteer with the school district," he says. Besides learning all the technical details necessary to create a CD, Moss gained a better understanding of the program's content. "I learned about contraceptives and the pros and cons of having sex," he says. "I would recommend the CD to others my age."

At the start of the game, the player chooses from five date scenarios: a party, a movie, a romantic night at home, a dance or a night under the stars. While on the date, the player soon learns that certain decisions are very risky and have serious and, in some cases, life threatening results. The consequences of each choice are fully explained.

For example, a choice to drink at a party and have sex indicates a sexually transmitted disease (STD) as a possible outcome. A description of STDs and their consequences follows. Another choice to have unprotected sex while in a car on a romantic, star-lit evening leads to pregnancy. The stages of pregnancy are then described, followed by a choice for the couple to stay together or break up. When the split leads to a custody battle for the baby, the court process also is explained. Medical and legal professionals have reviewed all of the educational material in the program.

The Flinn Foundation of Phoenix funded the "Risky Business" project. This philanthropic organization grants funds in the fields of health, education, and the arts. The CD has already been purchased by Gila County organizations that work with youth and a few local schools. The Arizona Department of Health Services has distributed it to health departments around the state.

Proceeds from the CD support Arizona's teen technology programs. According to Gila County Cooperative Extension Director Ruth Carter, the CD-ROM is one part of a multi-faceted approach in helping teens face peer pressure and other stresses. Other tools include two school-based curricula, Managing Pressures Before Marriage (MPBM) and Why Am I Tempted or W.A.I.T. Teens teach the MPBM curriculum to elementary school students, and W.A.I.T. is taught by one of the Gila County Extension staff to high-school students.

"We also have something called Teen iNteractive Theater (TNT)," Carter says. "Young people put on skits during which they interact with the audience." Their repertoire includes skits on sexual abstinence and substance abuse.