Playing Politics

We have all heard the term "playing politics". Indeed, I imagine that many of us have said the term more than once and in a variety of different situations. It's one of those terms that just fits, especially in a society in which so many are displeased with the leadership of those in some position of power.

But, playing politics isn't always about being fed up. Over the past few decades, playing politics has also come to mean just that. Thanks to the entire gaming revolution and designers such as Chris Crawford and Andrew Lee, we've been granted the ability to design and operate our own countries, our own campaigns and to direct our very own core of lobbyists.

With the arrival of Balance of Power in 1985 to the most recent creation of Kingmaker, our abilities as citizens have changed. We may not always get what we want in reality, but in our gaming world, anything goes. Foreign policy, warfare, campaigning, Congress, and our very own nations are at our fingertips.

And some of the most recent additions to the list of political games and simulations have grown in leaps and bounds.

Fantasy Congress, as many of you at ProgressiveU experienced last contest, allows voters to draft teams of Senators and Representatives and earn points based on how well that team does. The more active you are in researching and drafting, the better your chance of doing well.

NationStates, while not based completely in reality, allows you to build your own nation. Your nation flourishes or flounders based on your leadership. You decide what issues to address and how to do so.

Kingmaker, on the other hand, lets you act as a political pundit. You make predictions about how candidates will fare in primaries, as well as on a host of other issues, and you gain points depending on how close your predictions were to the exit polls.

But, how effective are these games in attracting attention to the political arena? As we know, those in the 18-24 year old bracket aren't so hot at going to the polls. Only 42% of eligible 18-24 year old voters cast a ballot in the 2000 elections. When compared to other voting age brackets, 18-30 year olds consistently come in last. But, hope isn't lost!

In a recent interview with Pop and Politics, Kingermaker co-creator, Andrew Lee, says that a large portion of those playing games such as Fantasy Congress and Kingmaker are high school and college students. When asked why, Lee said that:

"the No. 1 reason [it has gained popularity] is it’s an educational tool. I mean, it’s way cooler than watching School House Rock in the ’70s, but beyond just that, I think that Fantasy Congress is a lot of fun. We were experimenting with this before, when we play Fantasy Congress to actually turn on CSPAN. CSPAN is typically pretty boring, but [with Fantasy Congress] you can look up the stats of a certain member of Congress and see what’s going on and you can trace them… You’re actually participating in the process and you know what’s going on, versus most of the time, on CSPAN, you have no idea what’s going on…most of the time it’s just people who are grandstanding and sure there are representatives and senators, but at the time, as you’re watching, there’s this disconnect… And what we want to do is always draw out the personal aspect. So as an educational tool it’s a lot better than School House Rock and it’s a lot better than just reading a government textbook. It’s much more interactive.

The number one complaint heard from high school and college students is always that politics is so BORING! It's hard to get interested in something that bores you to tears. So, perhaps Lee and company have it right and it's time to breathe new life into the political arena. Whether it comes in the form of a game or giving the younger voters a voice and a desire to use that voice (a la ProgressiveU), playing politics has certainly taken on a different slant these days and surprisingly, has quiet possibly started to do what years of complaining never did.

Whatever the cause, I think it's safe to say that there's hope yet for us young folk and future generations. We might be a bit slower in getting there, but we are getting there; and the evidence for that is everywhere. 501(c)4's tailored to students and the younger generations have begun popping up everywhere and so have politically aimed blogs by students. But that, my friends, is a topic for next time.

Cheers,
Fallon

Bookmark/Search this post with:

 •    •    •    •    •