Who is the game for?
Students aged 7 - 11.
Is it an individual or group activity?
The activity has been designed to be versatile. It would be suitable as a homework exercise, for students to play alone, or as a group activity in class.
Can students compete against each other?
Students playing together on one computer can save their scores and compete using the high score table.
How long does the game take to play?
The activity is designed as an introduction to active citizenship. It has three levels and each one can be completed in 10 to 15 minutes.
It could be used in a plenary session or as an introduction to the topic of active citizenship in class.
What progression does the game offer to more able students?
There are three levels of difficulty - easy, medium and hard - allowing students of different abilities to pick their own level.
There are also many possibilities for follow-up activities at a range of levels, depending on students' ability. For example, the game introduces several campaigning techniques, such as writing leaflets and designing posters; students could try their own in class.
Which areas of the curriculum does it support?
Citizenship, IT and English - see the curriculum links section to see how the activity maps to curricula in different parts of the UK.
What concepts will students learn?
Students will learn to be active citizens and will find out how to take action on issues that matter to them. They will also learn the importance of negotiation and persuasion, and the need to respect the opinions of those who disagree with them.
The subject matter covered by the activity is outlined below.
What will students learn about how to campaign on an issue?
The game play focuses on the technique of persuasion; students will use their avatar to 'talk' to passing characters and encourage them to support the campaign.
Students can also boost their score using three types of campaigning techniques: distributing leaflets, displaying posters and giving a speech.
What will students learn about the role of pressure groups and the media?
Students will encounter three types of 'bonus characters' in the course of the game: a local businessman, a newspaper editor, and a director of a charity.
Students receive extra points for convincing these characters to support the campaign, along with feedback about the influence of pressure groups and the media on the outcome of a campaign.
What will students learn about Parliament?
Students will learn the relevance of Parliament to their lives due to its power to make laws on the issues they care about.
They will find out that they can play an active role in democracy in the UK by contacting their MP or a Member of the House of Lords on an issue that concerns them. If a number of people all raise the same issue, it may result in a debate in Parliament.