Games and gamification
Digital or analog games and activities designed to promote civic engagement and awareness through play. Many of the digital games are one-off projects, and aren’t maintained over long periods of time (for example, when browsers remove support for Adobe Flash). Gamification seeks to bring elements and mechanics of gameplay to more arduous tasks, like registering to vote.
Suggested reading:
- Progress in Play: Board Games and the Meaning of History – A history of board games and the powerful ideologies embedded within them, by Alex Andriesse, Public Domain Review (2019)
- How Minecraft Is Teaching Kids to Face the Threat of Climate Change – A case study of efforts to teach young children in Australia about climate action through the incredibly popular game.
- The gamification of journalism. Anna Thulin looks at how games and gamification can be used in journalism to build audience engagement and loyalty.
NationStates
NationStates is a free nation simulation game. Build a nation and run it according to your own warped political ideals
Win the White House
Win the White House teaches students in grades 4-12 about the challenges of running for office by empowering them to create and manage their own presidential campaigns.
Petronia
Portland of Opportunity
Opportunity Awaits: Introducing (Port)Land of Opportunity, Our Newest Game
Spielclub Oranienstraße 25
Built as a microcosm of Berlin, the game gives kids a chance to try out different roles in city life – and provides a testbed for ideas on real urban challenges
Games for Change
Founded in 2004, Games for Change facilitates the creation and distribution of social impact games that serve as critical tools in humanitarian and educational
Terra Incognita
Chrome extension
Scratch
Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.
Get Bad News
A game that puts you in the mindset of propagandists and agents promoting fake news, propaganda and hate-speech to help the user understand how fake news is made and promoted
Macon Money
Wilson Center Commons Lab: “In 2011, residents of Macon, Georgia received over $65,000 in free local currency—with a catch."
OmaStad Game
A card game for making suggestions on participatory budgeting
Wahlprogramquiz
Welche Partei hat’s gesagt?
Video Games Without Borders
great games for a great cause
Crowdgauge
Gauge the values, priorities, and prefrences of the crowd
Bay Area Regional Planner
Where will you zone for more homes? Get ready to negotiate!
Digital Rights Monopoly
Digital Rights Monopoly is a game that reflects core digital rights issues affecting youth in marginalized regions, and offers pathways to build a healthier internet in local communities.
Weather or Not
Weather or Not is a simple game designed to introduce the basics of forecast-based humanitarian decisions.
Governance game
A card game that helps organizations and communities explore governance around a shared codebase, whether hypothetical or in a real-world collaboration.
Spreading the Word
Fort Vancouver
Mobile storytelling project at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Cast Your Vote
Cast Your Vote teaches students how to evaluate what they hear politicians say, and to determine if they think they will keep their word in office.
The Revolution of Our Times
An Android game that provided users with an immersive role playing experience of the 2019 Hong Kong protests
RePresent
RePresent is a law game that provides self-represented parties in Connecticut with foundational advocacy experience.
Bad News
From fake news to chaos! How bad are you? Get as many followers as you can.