Just came across this on the Slashdot blog. It's the Redistricting game created at the USC Game Innovation Lab and developed for the USC Annenberg Center for Communications. Here's a description from the website:
The Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest. By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. Beyond playing the game, the web site for The Redistricting Game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every
state as well as providing hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.
The introduction is very captivating, like a movie trailer, with a dramatic soundtrack. This could actually be a FUN way of helping students understand why this is such an important topic.
Check it out at: http://www.redistrictinggame.com/
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