Make a game

Designing a political game can be important because games turn abstract systems—laws, incentives, power dynamics—into experiences people can actively explore and understand. By letting players experiment with choices, consequences, and tradeoffs, games make politics feel less distant and more human, revealing how individual actions interact with larger structures. They lower barriers to engagement by replacing lectures with curiosity, play, and discovery, reaching people who might otherwise avoid political content. When done thoughtfully, political games encourage critical thinking, empathy, and long-term understanding by letting players learn through participation rather than persuasion.

Some handy videos

Helpful steps

  1. Choose a clear learning goal. Decide what system, issue, or dynamic you want players to understand—tradeoffs, power imbalance, collective action, or unintended consequences.

  2. Define the player’s role. Put the player in a meaningful position (voter, organizer, policymaker, community member) so their choices feel personal and grounded.

  3. Translate ideas into mechanics. Turn political concepts into rules, resources, constraints, or feedback loops the player can interact with.

  4. Keep the scope small and playable. Focus on one core loop or scenario rather than trying to simulate everything at once.

  5. Design for curiosity, not winning. Allow multiple outcomes and tradeoffs so exploration and reflection matter more than “success.”

  6. Test, observe, and refine. Watch real players interact with the game, notice confusion or unexpected insights, and adjust mechanics to improve clarity and impact.

 

Calm-Brains Mode

When making or releasing work—especially around charged topics—it helps to treat anger as information, not fuel. Notice it, write it down, and translate it into clarity rather than letting it take the wheel. Staying calm doesn’t mean dulling your message; it means giving it direction, so the work invites reflection instead of shutting people down. Create from a grounded place where curiosity, care, and intention shape the outcome, allowing your voice to be strong without becoming reactive.

Sharing your work and getting feedback before releasing it helps you see blind spots, clarify your message, and catch misunderstandings you didn’t intend. Early feedback isn’t about diluting your voice—it strengthens it by making sure what you meant is actually what others hear.

Resource Materials

REVIEW SOLUTION DEMOS

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