A Note on "Public Policy Games"

Note: These are games designed to educate the public (or some element thereof) on some aspect of policy, to help them better understand and fulfill their role as citizens in a democracy. See also the Woodrow Wilson International Center initiative at Serious Games

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2003-09-28 20:10:37 |

Budgeting - Cyberbudget (France)

Cyberbudget-France

The French government has taken a gaming approach to try and find a solution to the country's financial challenges. Budget Minister Jean-Francois Cope has launched an online Cyberbudget game that allows people to balance the books. The challenge is to ensure the €300 billion budget is spent wisely and that if tax cuts are made then services do not fall into deficit. There are a range of tests to face, including having to present the budget to a virtual parliament.

URL: Cyber Budget

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2006-07-16 12:07:14 |

Budgeting - US States and Cities

Budgeting - "Mass Balance"

A budget simulation game designed to let a player make budgeting choices similar to the choices legislators are making in order to balance the Massachusetts State Budget by bringing spending into line with existing revenue projections.

Some programs cannot be cut, others may be cut but the consequences are potentially severe and the importance of some programs only becomes clear once you have learned a little about them. The game is intended to entertain and educate players about some of the nuances of the state's budgeting process.

Presented by the Worcester Polytecnic Institutes's Game Development Club, Senator Richard T. Moore and the Massachusetts Senate.

URL: Mass Balance

Other budget simulations online:

New York City

Minnesota

Budget Utah (download)

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2003-09-27 14:18:00 |

City Planning – “Plan Your Future Park”

City Planning – “Plan Your Future Park”

You get to plan your future NYC park, making choices that communities all over the city have been making.

From Gotham Gazette

URL: Future Park Game

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2004-06-10 19:54:59 |

City Services - Breakdown

City Services – “Breakdown”

“See if you have the knowledge to help fix the city's crumbling systems.”

“New Yorkers rarely think about the hidden systems that keep the city running, until something breaks down. The biggest threat may be the everyday wear-and-tear on the city's systems, and fixing New York City's underground infrastructure takes foresight, planning and billions of dollars.”

From Gotham Gazette.

URL: Breakdown

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2004-06-11 09:13:38 |

Corporate Greed - Names, Faces and Deeds

Corporate Greed - "Names, Faces and Deeds"

A 3-minute mini-game about the corporate executives accused and/or convicted of greed-related crimes.

From Games2train.

URL: Corporate Greed

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2004-03-06 17:48:41 |

Corruption - So You Want To Be a Brooklyn Judge

Corruption - "So You Want to be a Brooklyn Judge"

A game highlighting corruption in the Brooklyn Supreme Court

From GothamGazette.

URL: Brooklyn Judge Game

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2004-03-07 17:29:20 |

Disaster Management - Incident Commander

Disaster Management - "Incident Commander"

Breakaway Ltd, the National Institute of Justice (the R&D arm of the DOJ) and NIJ's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center are partnering to create a computer game that models acts of terrorism, school hostage situations, and natural disasters, currently under construction.

The game is intended to help incident commanders and other public safety personnel train and plan for how they might respond to a wide range of critical incidents.

Incident Commander will be distributed free of charge by NIJ to more than 30,000 city, county and state public safety agencies nationwide.

URL: Press Release

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2003-12-08 14:44:50 |

Driving Safety - RoadQuiz

Driving Safety - "RoadQuiz"

A Swedish traffic simulator used by traffic school students to learn rules and regulations, , tips and how to act in various situations. The virtual world spans over 25 sq. kilometers with around 600 traffic scenarios. 3D modeling done in Renderware.

Developed by Sightline Vision with the Swedish Traffic School Association.

URL: RoadQuiz (in Swedish only)

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2004-06-11 11:40:37 |

Driving Safety for Teens - Streetwise

Driving Safety for Teens - "Streetwise"

An online game about driving safety for teenage drivers, sponsored by roadreadyteens.org, MADD and Daimler Chrysler.

Built and powered by Wild Tangent.

URL: Road Ready StreetWise

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2004-03-10 19:18:48 |