Government In Action puts players in the virtual role of a US Congressman.
McGraw-Hill Education has entered the higher education gaming market with the launch of McGraw-Hill Practice, a suite of hands-on, experiential learning games that provide the next generation of digital, personalized learning experiences for today’s students. Included in the McGraw-Hill Practice suite is Government in Action, the industry’s first 3D, multiplayer game for the American Government course, which is taken by more than 750,000 students per year. Government in Action, which McGraw-Hill Education developed in conjunction with Muzzy Lane Software, simulates the experience of being a member of the U.S. Congress, allowing college students to apply the concepts and principles they are learning in the classroom by collaborating with and competing against their fellow students to secure political capital and get re-elected. Government in Action and the other games in the McGraw-Hill Practice suite are designed to reinforce learning while increasing engagement, a key element of successful instruction in today’s classroom.
“I’m excited to see innovative and creative ideas coming out of Massachusetts and wish McGraw-Hill Education and Muzzy Lane the best with this game,” said Congressman John Tierney (D-MA), who worked with the Boston-based serious game developer on this project. “I hope students engage with the product and that it allows students to develop a greater interest in our government.”
Dave McCool, President and CEO of developer Muzzy Lane Software, said that Tierney came in regularly to talk about his life as a Congressman, what he does every day.
“It’s a strategy game at its core,” said McCool. “We talked about the non-financial ways of Congress. He’s a big constituent guy rather than a fund raising guy and we didn’t have that in the game at that point. We added that component after talking with him.”
Gaming has been one of the most popular trends in education in recent years. While all students have their own unique and preferred learning style, learning by actively engaging with a subject is a learning method shown to appeal to a large number of today’s students. Popularized by educational theorist David Kolb and supported by numerous studies, experiential learning has been proven to be one of the most efficient and effective ways to learn difficult or complex concepts. Government in Action, which was built based on the cognitive science behind experiential learning, helps students not only engage with the concepts of their American Government course but apply those concepts in their daily lives and personally understand how the American government actually works.
