One of our clients, the Racine County Economic Development Corporation (RCEDC, for those of you who love acronyms and alphabet soup) invited us to moderate two county-wide sessions of SimCity game play.
What is SimCity? It's a computer game that puts you in charge of community development. You build and run – or ruin – a community based on the choices you make for it. Want to raise taxes? People may leave the community. Want to put in a park? Watch your "Aura" improve. You control the taxes, the buildings, the city services, the budget, and more. Computer game meets community development. This is a novel and exciting way to teach residents of all ages how Cool Communities are built. Here's what we learned:
First, playing SimCity accelerates the community's understanding of what it takes to build a Cool Community. SimCity simulates the effects of every decision you make. Soon, you're on the edge of your chair wondering how a new art gallery will affect your community's aura and population growth. It allows you to say, "What if..." and then see what happens.
Second, playing SimCity helps participants realize that community development, economic development, education policy, parks and rec....it's all related! Most residents have ONE issue that they're stuck on. Now they see how their one issue affects dozens more.
Most importantly, SimCity helps folks "get" that they're part of the solution to building a Cool Community.
Bottom Line: Most people learn best by getting involved. SimCity grabs folks' attention and gets ‘em deeply engaged and interested in building communities. And isn't that what it's all about?
"SimCity is a Bridge to Change, and the bridge shortens dramatically from 5 years to 6 months by playing it." – Gordy Kacala, Executive Director, Racine County Economic Development Corporation
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