The activity, "track tests", is the second phase of M&C Saatchi’s safety awareness work for Network Rail and shows the duo demonstrating the difficulty of hearing approaching trains in a series of tests.
The sounds have been recorded using binaural sound, which uses two microphones so it sounds as if the person is in the room with the train, and the pair have to choose where they think it is coming from and then react in time.
After watching the test, where they hear the sound of a train approaching and have to guess where it is coming from, to stay alive. The game’s three levels are designed so that they are increasingly realistic.
Nicole Quayle, a marketing services specialist at Network Rail, said: "Too many people think they would hear a train in time to move clear – tragically, with more than 40 deaths in the past year, we know this isn’t the case.
"We hope that ‘track tests’ will help people think twice about taking a chance and reduce the number of incidents we see each year."
The creative team behind the campaign was Luke Boggins and Dan McCormack. Alex Garzioli directed the film through Mrs Grey. M&C Saatchi’s sister agency Walker Media did the media planning and buying.
Camilla Harrison, the chief executive of M&C Saatchi, said: "It’s one thing showing people how difficult it is to tell where a train is coming from, but it’s quite another giving them the chance to try it for themselves.
"The combination of the film and the game will engage the public, help them to understand through their own (virtual) experience how hard it is to recognise the direction of moving sounds, and demonstrate how dangerous it is to walk on railway lines."
M&C Saatchi’s last campaign for Network Rail featured the Welsh Olympic hurdler Dai Greene trying to move out of an oncoming train in time. The film received 1.25 million views on YouTube.
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