CH+ Games for Democracy

Project CH+ addresses political self-education of young voters, in the context of digitalisation and increasingly easy access to entertainment media. In their free time, digital natives find themselves between “digital stress” and “digital bliss”. The always readily available world of entertainment and social media connects but also distracts. It offers us unlimited, highly appealing content that is in many ways more alluring than reading up about political candidates. Project CH+ uses the entertainment language to break through this “entertainment bubble”.

We believe that digital, interactive media can not only be used for entertainment, but that they are powerful tools for educational purposes. A democratic system needs educated, self-reflected people: old, young – now and in a digitalised future. As designers, creators of entertainment media and as IT developers, we have a responsibility to use our unique knowledge of technology and psychology to empower people in this digitalised future.

With this conviction, we are creating a voting aid which uses game mechanics to make political self-education more inviting. Game concepts are implemented, to not only facilitate the decision making process during political elections, but to make it more exciting as well. You get to choose stuff! That’s pretty dope!

Our process to create applications that are useful and playfully engaging, is built on co-design. The concepts are created together with voters, political experts and game designers from all walks of life. The voting aid is developed on a cantonal level, from election to election – because a project for democracy needs a democratic approach.

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Team

• Sophie Walker
• EMEmma McMillin
• FMFlorian Meyer
• Oliver Detig
• Mela Kocher