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The Economist Group and Chevron launch interactive Energyville game

On Line Game Provides Cross-Platform Communications Solution

New York, NY - The Economist Group and Chevron Corporation today launched Energyville, an interactive online game that challenges players to meet the growing energy needs of their own city.

“We are pleased to have devised such a valuable fully-integrated communications tool in partnership with Chevron,” said Paul Rossi, North American Publisher of The Economist. “There is no ‘right’ answer to the world’s energy challenge and Energyville was designed to show the complexities and the tough choices that have to be made to meet the energy needs of a growing, modern city. Given the importance of energy in our lives, Energyville is an opportunity to stimulate and help create awareness around energy choices.”

“Energyville is an engaging way of looking at the real-world decisions that have to be made in meeting rising global energy needs,” said Rhonda Zygocki, Chevron vice president of Policy, Government and Public Affairs. “Sponsoring Energyville supports our efforts to encourage a global debate of the critical energy issues. Energyville gives people an opportunity to test their energy literacy and learn for themselves the challenges in powering their own city.”

Energyville, developed using data and content provided by the Economist Intelligence Unit, examines the economic, environmental and security opportunities and trade-offs associated with different energy sources. In order to provide fuel and power to their city’s homes, offices, factories and vehicles, Energyville players must balance the same competing demands faced by policymakers, businesses and consumers every day. Spanning a period from present day to 2030, players manage the energy supply for their growing city through random events that affect their choices and highlight the consequences of their actions. Energyville is hosted on www.willyoujoinus.com, an energy discussion forum created by Chevron.

Energyville represents an average industrialized global city, with population and energy demands, uses and costs, based on projected patterns using data from the Economist Intelligence Unit and organizations such as the OECD and the Energy Information Administration. During the game, players must choose between eight prevalent energy sources to power their city through to 2015 and 10 different sources through to 2030. As players move through the game’s phases they learn about the characteristics of the energy sources and negotiate real life scenarios that can affect their energy choices. The economical, environmental and security implications of their chosen energy portfolio are calculated using an energy management points system. Players can compare scores with other players, challenge a friend and debate the results on www.willyoujoinus.com.

The flash-based software for Energyville was created for The Economist Group by Picture This Communications, a provider of interactive web-based services. (www.picturethis.org). Energyville digital marketing, advertising and media communications planning and buying are provided by Wunderman, Y & R and Mediaedge:cia, respectively.

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Notes to Editors:

The Economist Group is the leading source of analysis on international business and world affairs. The publications and services delivered under The Economist brand are The Economist newspaper, Economist.com, Economist Intelligence Unit, Economist Conferences, Economist Corporate Network, The World In and Intelligent Life. The Group’s other global brands include CFO, a publication for senior finance executives (CFO, CFO Europe, CFO Asia, CFO India, CFO China, CFO.com), EuroFinance Conferences, Roll Call (including GalleryWatch) and European Voice (aimed at decision-makers in Capitol Hill and Brussels respectively). More information is available at www.economistgroup.com.

Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. The company has about 58,000 employees, and Chevron’s subsidiaries conduct business in approximately 180 countries. Chevron operates across the entire energy spectrum—exploring for, producing and transporting crude oil and natural gas; refining, marketing and distributing fuels and other energy products; generating power; designing and marketing large-scale energy efficiency solutions; and commercializing the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.