Gaming for Democracy: New Video Game Trialed to Educate Future Voters

The Australian Electoral Commission launched a trial of the program in July, with plans to release it nationwide by 2025.

An Australian flag flies atop Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 8, 2024. Melanie Sun/The Epoch Times

Students could soon engage with election video games aimed at teaching them about democracy and civic responsibilities.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) says it launched a trial of the program in July, with plans to release it nationwide by 2025, before the next federal election.

Launched under the Democracy for Schools Program, the game primarily targets schools outside of Canberra and students who cannot visit the nation’s capital for excursions.

Tom Rogers, the Australian electoral commissioner, called it a significant step towards increasing understanding of Australia’s parliamentary workings.

Before a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Electoral Reforms, Rogers said the AEC also expected to host around 90,000 visitors to Old Parliament House in 2024-25.

“We are running at near full capacity, with about 18 sessions held most days,” he told the Senate Committee on Sept. 13.

He said about 100,000 students visited Parliament annually through the AEC’s Electoral Education Centre, engaging in various activities, and presentations on Australia’s electoral history.

“We take them through running an election where they fulfil different roles, wear vests, and vote for peaches or bananas,” Rogers said—noting that peaches have been a consistent winner for some reason.

The AEC has also recently contacted schools to enrol in its voting education program. This provides free resources and equipment to teach students about elections and the preferential voting system.

“We provide resources such as ballot boxes, ballot box seals, election posters, and polling official badges. Over the last five years, nearly 1,900 kits have been sent to schools, facilitating classroom elections for over 222,000 students,” Rogers said.

House Speaker Says Faith in Democracy At New Lows

On Sept. 9, Labor MP Milton Dick, speaker of the federal House of Representatives called for more active youth participation in shaping the country’s democratic future.

Historically, younger Australians have less preference for democracy than older generations, but this could be changing.

“In 2018, younger Australians’ preference for democracy was as low as 49 percent. By 2022, that figure had risen to 70 percent, showing that younger Australians are becoming more confident, interested, and engaged,” Dick said.

He also referenced an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) survey on trust, which found that political parties in Australia had a low trust rating of just 34 percent.

To strengthen democracy, Dick proposed several key measures to improve civic engagement, especially among young people and new citizens.

He suggested a federal “youth parliament” and a regional civic showcase, giving remote and regional students direct parliamentary experience.

Dick also called for a national communications campaign and more resources.