Using gaming to engage people in gov’t

by Craig Newmark - 02/09/10 5:36 PM ET

Let’s say we built an online game that was as engaging as [Zynga’s FarmVille game],
but incorporated real governmental concepts in the process. Which
concepts are important to start with?

Taxation: Have the gamer adjust taxes, but also have it tied to
public opinion (similar to Sim City, but less
complex).
Cost of service: Have responding to police calls, water line breaks,
etc., demonstrate a cost of service for government.

Or alternatively:

Building on [the Foursquare] model, each agency could allow citizens to “check in”
at various city spots (library, fire station, etc.) and learn more about
their community in a fun and engaging format. This could also help open
up the door for their participating in other crowdsourced programs like
SeeClickFix.

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