Budget Hero Arrives Compliments of American Public Media

Now that the two major parties have chosen their candidates both are weighing their choices for a running mate. Perhaps your work on the National budget could put you on the short list.

The recently released on-line game “Budget Hero” launched in May by American Public Media in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, may not get you spot at the cabinet table; it could give you valuable insight into the budget process.

According to Michael Skoler, executive director of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media, “Budget Hero is a new type of journalism that gives people the big picture on the complex and fragmented federal budget process. We created this news game to help Americans feel they can understand and participate in the national debate over the election, the budget and the direction of our country.”

Skoler shared with me that the game was in the talking stages for over a year and a half. “We sometimes thought we were crazy to build something as ambitious as a game…something that was journalistically sound yet simple enough for all to understand and take part in.“ With the involvement of many firms, think tanks, the Budget Office, as well as help from game development consultant Ben Sawyer, Budget Hero soft launched in May.

“The saying ‘you can’t understand until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ best describes Budget Hero,” said David Rejeski, who heads the Serious Games Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “The game empowers players to take on the role of our government officials and allows anyone to try out their solutions and ideas on how to manage the federal budget.”

So let’s play… Read more

June 10, 2008 · Filed Under New Tech from MN Companies

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