Former Supreme Court Justice designing educational game

by Kyle Orland { Jun 6th 2008 at 12:15PM }

In recent years, gaming has made great inroads with non-traditional demographics like women and senior citizens. There is one segment of the population, though, that has remained extremely hard for the game industry to crack: former Supreme Court justices.

That looks like it might be changing, though, if Sandra Day O'Connor's recent speech to the Games for Change conference is any indication. The former associate justice for the country's highest court is using her retirement to help design an educational game called Our Courts with University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor James Paul Gee. The game, due out in September 2009, will let players "step into the shoes of a judge, a legislator, an executive" and "teach [players] how to think through and analyze problems, take action and voice opinions to their elected representatives," according to O'Connor.

O'Connor sees the game as the first step to fixing the American public's deplorable knowledge of civic matters. "Only one-third of Americans can name the three branches of government, but two-thirds can name a judge on American Idol," she told the conference. Maybe if some of those branches of government passed a bill commenting on Sanjaya's hair they'd get more attention. We're just saying ...

Tags: conference, courts, educational, edugaming, games-for-change, sandra-day-oconnor, supreme-court

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

MV @ Jun 6th 2008 12:20PM

I hope it's an FPS.

offday @ Jun 6th 2008 12:46PM

You are awesome.

I couldn't agree more.

It should be more like Condemned, though. Let us run around hit bad guys with a gavel.

Mr.ESC @ Jun 6th 2008 12:27PM

Our Courts,Phff.

Where is the charm on that? It should be called Sandra Day O'Connor's Justice for ALL! or the least exciting Sandra Day O'Connor's Trials and Tribulations.

Tiptup300 @ Jun 6th 2008 12:33PM

It would be more entertaining if she programmed it herself.

laserboyjc @ Jun 6th 2008 12:56PM

thanks for making me lol! :)

ComicShaman @ Jun 6th 2008 12:35PM

Well, Judge Scalia would make a pretty good level boss.

A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Jun 6th 2008 1:32PM

Does beat justice around the head with his arbitrary definitions. You could throw dictionaries at him until he learns the English language properly!

Zoot Suit Jedi @ Jun 6th 2008 12:35PM

I'd hit that.

DEEZNUTZ @ Jun 6th 2008 12:45PM

LMAO... you beat me to it! That's the first thing that came to mind.

Donald @ Jun 6th 2008 12:46PM

You sure you want to trust someone who gets life advice from NFL players?

Also, PODCAST HO! And you don't need to give your life to the Party Van!
http://podcasts.aolcdn.com/joystiq/podcasts/Joystiq_Podcast_052.mp3

Phi Nguyen @ Jun 6th 2008 12:54PM

Those legs scare me.

FOXHOUND @ Jun 6th 2008 1:04PM

For a better scare, put those legs in the air.
Yeah, go GILF or go home, y0. :d

Oh, and the game seems decent enough, too.

Talryyn @ Jun 6th 2008 12:37PM

I don'k tnow, maype thiy shuld fex the screwls and axtually teech yings like; History, Govt, Ethics, etc.

I remember these classes quite well from HS, and they were the joke around classes, the teachers did nothing, and neither did we. It all about reading, writing, and well no kids still graduate with about being able to do those.

Maybe games will be our savior just like in that one movie!