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PC Games To Help Public Policy Initiatives
Ben Sawyer writes: "The Woodrow Wilson Center's Foresight and Governance Project has published Serious Games: Improving Public Policy through Game-Based Learning and Simulation, a whitepaper. The paper illustrates how government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can utilize game-based techniques, technologies, and approaches to produce innovative simulations, models, and game-based learning products that enhance public policy decisions. The Woodrow Wilson Center is distributing the paper on-line to a variety of agencies, organizations, and game developers to help foster greater discussion and cooperation between key public policy makers and game developers. Interested readers can
find the homepage for the paper here."
Maxis has announced its new MMORPG, 'SimCity Live!'. Rumors are that it was brought up from the ashes of the Sims multiplayer addon. Participants will be able to live out a day of the lives of their favorite politicans. Be the President of the USA and get a lollipop. Be the Mayor of New York City and be the hero of the day. Be the governor of Minnesota and body slam voters! Will says "This will bring the hard money into people's own homes!".
Seriously, public policy? games? No, I didn't think so.
...The guy just wrote it because his boss caught him playing Quake!
WOW! Now maybe someone will create a "learning" game that will teach congress that they can't take money from the MPAA/RIAA/etc. and give them whatever they want.
Soon to follow this game's release - a "learning" simulation for the Patent Office (just guess)!
3cx.org - A truly bad website.
We can foster world peace and greater understanding by using the virtual tools at our disposal:
A railgun, rocket launcher, attack shotgun, and lots of Quad Damage. Oh, and since we need to simulate reality as we want it: Lots and lots of hot, redhead girls with infinite anime-style hair--with body armor and a willingness for world unity through, oh--I don't know--sex and blowing things up.
And this time, when They say, "Impressive", you WILL be.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
Civilizations 3 is another great learning game. It gave me valuable life experience for the next time I have a 6000 year life span and an empire to build. When this occurs, I would like to be the Persians, because their special unit the Immortals will help me conquer competing civilizations. I also have learned that when I conquer foreign cities and they are unhappy, if I simply make them entertainers and they starve for a few turns, the city size decreases and they become happy again.
Perhaps public policy makers should stay away from gaming technology. Look what it's done to us. Imagine the headline:
Orrin Hatch changes name to "DethGod", vows to "V3T0 J00R A$$3$"
On second thought, that might be kind of cool....
Steve
John the IRS director [playing SimCity]: There, if just raise the tax a little, I should get more money to build a road [5 seconds later] Of and fuck, it's not fast enough ! [cranking up the tax rate to 90%]... Now that's better !
Margaret the Secretary [knocking on the door]: Mr. Director, President Bush wants to know by how much you estimate he will be able to increase governmental spendings.
John : Err... well, I haven't really had time to ... [Glancing at the screen, smiling] Actually, tell him he can double it easy does it !
Margaret : Very well Mr. Director.
John [looking at the screen again]: Aah *CRAP*, not again, all my nice residential areas are turning into shanty towns again. wtf? This game really sucks ...
Novel theory: Modern Man evolved from psychopath
The Sim packages would be good for political insight -- if you believe that dictorial decisions make for the best political system. Could you imagine a mayor who unilaterally bulldozes industrial zones for a park? Or if the city would brown-out if the Mayor didn't like nuclear power? Or if, like me, you wanted a stadium near your house?
I propose they do away with the simulation ideas, build an army of robots and control them remotely through a modified Quake 3 interface, release it as a mod, and take over the world.
I will call it The Allan Parsons Project.
Get a life!