'The Voter Suppression Trail' is a New York Times op-ed styled as an old-school video game. Specifically, the informative game's 8-bit design references a classic childhood computer game: 'The Oregon Trail.'
Similar to the educational Oregon Trail game, The Voter Suppression Trail tasks users with overcoming hardships in order to complete a task. Rather than making one's way across the American west, though, The Voter Suppression Trail players need to take their character to a polling station and cast a vote.
As the game's name indicates, it is highly critical of the imbalance in voting practices across the US, including things like the amount of polling stations and the staffing therein. Users can play as three different characters of different races and demographics, with the journey being easier or more challenging depending on the character that was selected.
Politicized Voting Video Games
'The Voter Suppression Trail' is a Game from the New York Times
Trend Themes
1. Op-ed Video Games - Creating op-ed styled video games to engage audiences with important social and political issues.
2. Gamification of Politics - Using gamification to enhance civic education and encourage political engagement.
3. Voter Education Games - Developing games that educate and inform voters on the intricacies of the voting process and related issues.
Industry Implications
1. Video Game Industry - The development of more games like The Voter Suppression Trail present an opportunity for the video game industry to expand into political and educational spaces.
2. News Media Industry - Creating interactive news content through video games can help traditional news media outlets to reach new audiences and increase engagement with younger generations.
3. Political Education Industry - Using video games to supplement traditional political education can be an effective tool for educators to engage students and enhance their understanding of complex political issues.