A Cognitive Game for Political Perspective Taking

In a democracy, overcoming societal challenges such as climate change, hyper-inequality and education requires an alert and knowledgeable citizenry. Researchers, educators and practitioners have recognized the need for a new civics that provides citizens with the abilities to effectively participate in the democratic process (CIRCLE 2003) and for learning technologies that help them become civic innovators. One ability citizens must develop to become effective participants is political perspective taking, that is, the ability to reason about the ideological values of others and themselves (Fitzpatrick, Hope, Barahumi, Krupnikov & Easterday, 2012). How might educational games help students learn such a complex and ill-defined skill?