Gaming democracy? The use of computer game and narrative in e-democracy Ben Whitnall, 25th July 2007

Outline Gaming and narrative in the current online environment Three applications of the concepts in the e- democracy field –One to many: Demgames –Many to one: Budget Simulator –Many to many: Pimp my Party Conclusions and possibilities

Gaming and narrative in the current online environment Casual games are a great way of engaging young people online –Only 8% of 9-19 year olds did not use the internet on a daily basis. Half use it for more than an hour per day. –BUT online is not an instant win in itself (diversity of online world): why would people choose your content? –Games are a great engagement tool: the market for casual games touched on £ 500m last year, the number of casual games has doubled in the last two years and popular games, such as desktop tower defence, are seeing traffic of some 200m/month

Gaming and narrative in the current online environment Simple games are great communications tools, relevant to democracy and participation work –Incentive and reward –Structure and narrative –Interaction and exploration –Inputs and information capture –Personalised, sharable experience –Casual games on every topic you can imagine, from parking to chemistry to management training. MMOG even running alternative societies.

One to many: Demgames Commissioned by Local e-Democracy National Project (ICELE) Set of three e-learning games about local democracy Complemented with a set of teachers ’ resources Multi-platform: CD-ROM, online, mobile

One to many: Demgames 46k unique visits since last September Over 150 councils and 80+ customised versions online ‘ Franchisees ’ love it: varied use, engagement and education Wins 3rd party plaudits End users seem keen too: mins average time spent on site

Many to one: Budget Simulator e-Consultation tool Captures broad priorities Intended for use by local authorities

Many to one: Budget Simulator 15 local authority clients Typically between 200 and 1,000 responses per consultation (average 395) 27% of all respondents under 24 Collects broad priority data of genuine statistical use; improves response rate Customer research currently underway; however, initial feedback shows 100% client satisfaction and high levels of user satisfaction Improvements include access to greater detail and democratised results analysis

Many to many: Pimp my Party Topical game for think tank Pioneering hybrid of formats Equal parts opinion-gathering and issue engagement / buzz

Many to many: Pimp my Party 46,000 participants in first month online Exponential growth in traffic with minimal promotion: viral efffect of person-to- person sharing Attracted national coverage (Daily Politics, Guardian etc) and cease and desist order from MTV for ‘ brand dilution ’

Conclusions and possibilities Disclaimer: appropriateness always key Education: proven model for engaging young people with information and allowing them to explore it for themselves Consultation: massive potential to increase enjoyment, reward and participation rates of consultation through games Personalisation: great stimulus for debate, platform for large audience interaction Could you get more, more meaningful engagement with young people by using games?

Thank you; any questions?