Gordon Brown and Paris Hilton Meet in SeriousPolicy Computer Game
Where democracy is getting your voice heard… Press Dispensary - November 14, 2007 - Gordon Brown joins a virtual Paris Hilton, Alistair Darling and Keira Knightley as 3D characters in the downloadable SeriousPolicy Game ( http://www.seriouspolicy.com ). Developed by educational simulation specialist, PlayGen, the computer game sees the player on a mission to win Treasury funding for a new policy.
- Ends - Notes for editors About the SeriousPolicy Game
The SeriousPolicy Game can be downloaded from www.seriouspolicy.com. It was developed to demonstrate how political processes and decision-making can be brought to life in an entertaining and interesting way through a virtual world; and also to highlight to players - whether citizens or officials - the importance of public engagement in the decision-making process. About PlayGen Ltd PlayGen is a specialist developer of ‘serious games’ with educational value. Previous projects have included: developing an educational game used by Defence; a virtual reality game to teach innovation strategy to CEOs; and games to promote the understanding of nanotechnology, one of which is sponsored by the Wellcome Trust. PlayGen also undertook the graphics supervision of the BBC TV game show, ‘Time Commanders’, and has created virtual, photo-realistic tours for Oxford, Cambridge, and London universities, amongst others. PlayGen's Kam Memarzia is an industry-recognised interactive media expert and award-winning developer. An architect by training, he wrote his first computer game at the age of 12. Political context of the game The Prime Minister has called for new ways of reaching out so that voices outside normal political processes can be heard. Ed Milliband has set out a vision for democratic renewal which involves “understanding the ways in which people can get involved and being willing to undertake experiments in democracy as we seek to engage people”. Potential role of games in the political process The SeriousPolicy Game took PlayGen Ltd two weeks to make and cost less than £10K. This demonstrates how games offer excellent value for delivering high impact messages straight into people’s homes. For little more than the cost of publishing a glossy document, or holding a couple of focus groups, a game can potentially reach tens of thousands of people and can be used to measure, test and engage with public opinion, and act as an educational tool. Once developed, a game scenario can easily be adapted and replicated throughout countless forums. About the 'Virtual Worlds Forum Europe 2007' The Virtual Worlds Forum Europe 2007 on Oct 23-26 saw 450+ attendees from 23 countries, including 80 speakers, meet for four days. Lord Puttman and Lord Triesman were keynote speakers. See http://virtualworldsforum.com/ For further information, please contact: Published by Press Dispensary |