The Road to the Capitol
March 12, 2008
You may not know it given the lack of media coverage, but 2008 is a presidential election year. That means your students are primed to learn about democracy and the election process. What better way to teach them than to have them run for office themselves?
The Road to the Capitol is a free online game in which students try to defeat Robert Glass, an evil businesswoman who wants to prohibit kids from any movies, video games, music or books that aren’t approved by the government, in her bid for congress. Students can garner votes by how well they perform at press conferences, debates and campaign rallies. There, the media and the public will grill your young candidates on how they stand on several constitutionally-based issues—freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the right to privacy, etc. If little Johnny struggles with questions on justice and equal rights, not to worry; he can stop by his campaign headquarters to bone up on all the issues. They can even shake hands and kiss babies—once in a while their campaign manager will email to let you know that a teachers group wants to distribute flyers, or ask if you want to court college students or old folks to get votes.
In The Road to the Capitol, students should get a first-hand look at democracy in action. Even if it’s only a game, fighting for their rights to video games and music should show them the importance of participating in the democratic process. If only actual politics were this clear-cut — or this much fun. -BILL FERRIS
