My Xbox 360 is a little hungry when plugged in. According to tests, it consumes roughly 160 watts of power at any given time. This pales in comparison to the Sony Playstation 3 (which racks up 380 watts) but it's still a hog compared to previous consoles. Thankfully, beyond the occassional DVD and some epic battles of Gears of War the power hasn't been on that often. Still, it could be a greener experience.

That might all soon change. Sure Halo 3 is right around the corner, but even more intriguing is a new global warming-themed contest sponsored by Microsoft and Games For Change that seeks to encourage people to create a game based on climate change. The worldwide competition will inspire gamers to come up with a concept that not only entertains, but also inspires. From the release,

"The current generation of gamers is among the most socially conscious in history," said Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder and president of Games for Change. "We know from experience that young people are looking for ways to help make the world a better place, and who better to support this effort than an industry leader like Microsoft?"

Once the winner had been selected, the game will be available for download over Microsoft's very popular Xbox Live service. So, the question is: what type of game would you develop? Would you have Al Gore donning a cape (with open collar sport coat attire, of course) while fighting carbon polluters and gaining powerups by eating organic apples and pears? Would the final boss fight involve political leaders or a massive triple smoke-stack coal plant? Would you be given Oscars for completing a certain level in a timely fashion? The ideas are endless — and you can bet I'll be here to give a full review once the winner is selected.

For more details on the contest, click here.

Thanks to Hippyshopper for showing me the light…