Message-ID: <199608011838.OAA12635@prague.crossover.com> Date: Thu, 1 Aug 1996 14:38:16 -0400 From: David Bixby <mailto:dbixby@CROSSOVER.COM> Subject: Web Political Simulations To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Attention professors of political science and government specializing in campaigns, elections, electoral systems, voting behavior, Federal budget management, special interest groups, and/or party politics:Crossover Technologies is proud to introduce two online simulations of interest to professors of political science and government: President '96 (http://www.pres96.com/) and Reinventing America (http://pathfinder.com/reinventing).
President '96 is an online presidential election simulation in which participants, in the role of trusted campaign advisors, debate the issues, make strategic decisions, struggle with scandals, and try to seize the upper hand when opponents falter. Having started with ten fictional candidates, the field of presidential hopefuls will be narrowed down after the two major party conventions in August and the Independents' caucuses in September.
President '96 is an excellent resource for students studying campaigns, elections, electoral systems, voting behavior, and/or party politics. Players experience first-hand the challenging task of managing a presidential campaign; they help form the positions their candidate will take on different issues, while trying to avoid bad press and intra-party conflict.
Reinventing America participants establish the priorities of the Federal government by lobbying fellow players and a fictional Congress. Players legislate the nation's political agenda by setting spending levels and policies. Every major program is examined. Players must determine whether each program should continue, be cut back, or be expanded; and whether national needs are being adequately addressed.
Reinventing America is an invaluable source of information for students studying Federal budget management, special interest group dynamics, voting behavior, national priorities, and governmental obligations. The simulation provides detailed information on existing federal programs and issues, including links to relevant political sites all over the Web. As was done when the simulation first ran earlier this year, its final results will be presented to the U.S. Congress.
Developed by Crossover Technologies, a leading developer of online multiplayer games, and funded by the Mary and John R. Markle Foundation, both simulations can be played free of charge by anyone who has access to the internet's World Wide Web, America Online, or Time/CNN's AllPolitics site. We invite you to peruse President '96 on the web at http://www.pres96.com/ or via AOL keyword "President 96". Reinventing America is on the web at http://pathfinder.com/reinventing.
As intelligent, interactive, and intuitive teaching tools, both President '96 and Reinventing America are being used adopted by many professors both in and out of the classroom. If you would like more information regarding the inner workings of these two simulations and how you can effectively integrate them into your classroom or syllabus, please e-mail us at mailto:politics@crossover.com.
David Bixby Producer, President '96
Kevin Maroney Producer, Reinventing America