Game Information: The game I chose to review for our third game review is called The Political Machine. While the game does cost money in order to play, I viewed a demo of it found here: http://www.politicalmachine.com/game.aspx. While the game does not specify an age group it is intended for, the student needs to have a firm understanding of U.S. politics and government. Therefore, the game is best suited for students at the secondary level learning about civics and economics. Game Play: The Political Machine allows players to choose between four different types of the game, including “quick game” that is based on real world issues, or “fantasy” game where the issues and state values are randomized. The player may also choose to play “campaign mode” where he/she goes through different levels and in the end will face the top political candidates of all time. In the multi-player version of the game, players compete online against one another. In all versions of the game the player is a campaign manager for a United States presidential candidate. Players are allowed to create their own candidates (represented via avatar) or use real previous Presidential candidates such as Bill Clinton, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. The player must travel around the country in order to campaign and win voter support for his/her candidate. Some of the issues the player is faced with include the economy, policy decisions, and the War on Terror. Players are required to buy ads, make speeches, and go on T.V. as well as do other things in order to campaign for their candidate. If these activities make the candidate low on money the player must launch a fund raising event to help raise more money. Before the player goes to each state to campaign, they may view the top five issues that are most important to the people of that state as well as the political orientation breakdown (Republican, Democrat, and Independent). The players are confronted with scandals, “smear merchants, spin doctors,” and other crises throughout the game. The main goal of the game is for the candidate to achieve 270 electoral votes for his/her candidate on Election Day.
Structure and Teaching: The purpose of this game is to expose students to the processes that go on in campaigning for an election. The game helps the students grasp all the different things campaign managers and candidates must do in order to run for President. If the player chooses to play the “quick game” that represents the actual political orientation and important issues to each state, the player will learn about real state political issues. The player is also forced to think about the issues that are important to him/herself. Many times secondary level students are unsure as to what kind of issues they are passionate about, and I believe this game is a great way to expose some of those issues and hopefully be a chance for political self exploration. The game hits directly on the issues of 21st century content because it encompasses issues that deal with global awareness, finance, economics, business, as well civic issues. This game would be great for a U.S. government or civics course.
Critique: This game exposes students to the issues and realities campaign managers and candidates must face when running for election. The game allows students to engage in active learning and problem solving skills. Players must plan out and gear their speeches and ideas to the individuals or groups of people they need the vote from in each state. The ultimate goal of the game is to become President but in order to do that the player must realize and understand how to achieve votes in order to do this. So for example, if the player is representing a Democrat and is visiting South Carolina and looks to see prayer in school is a major issue there, they may think about focusing on that issue. However, the player must realize that many Democrats in South Carolina may not agree with prayer in school, and if the candidate focuses on that issue, he/she may upset the Democratic base in that state. There are costs associated with the game. The monetary cost of the game is anywhere between 20-60 dollars (depending on the vendor). Although I was not able to play the game, it will require a lot of time to complete. The game would require much classroom time if started from the very beginning. I believe Locke (who presented this game in the class) said when he used it in his student teaching he brought in a version that he previously started. This being said, I do believe the game would be very beneficial in the classroom. The graphics and pictures used are very aesthetically pleasing and there is a sense of humor brought to the game with spin offs of real television shows. However, the game does not expose the student/player to anything that happens before the Presidential election (i.e. primaries, financial issues with campaigning, etc).