Our Courts is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. They have produced two video games to help educate our kids about the legal system. Being the resident GeekDad-lawyer, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to promote video games about the legal system.
In Supreme Decision, a middle school student has sued his school for preventing him from wearing a T-shirt featuring his favorite band, Hall of Rejects. You play a Supreme Court clerk, advising your boss, Justice Waters, on how to rule in this First Amendment case.
Our Courts is the vision of recently retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation. She also thinks that civics teachers need better materials and support. She made sure that Justice Waters in Supreme Decision was female and that the Supreme Court in the video game is more diverse than the current Supreme Court.
The other game, Do I Have a Right?, takes you through the Bill of Rights. You play a law office manager, introducing clients with civil rights cases to lawyers with expertise in the appropriate legal areas. I could do without the consultation between the lawyers and the clients being simulated with a talk bubble reading “Yadda, yadda.” It just seems to reinforce the idea that law is boring and complicated.
Playing a law firm office manager or a Supreme Court clerk probably won’t appeal to middle-schoolers like Halo does. The animation is very simple and won’t appeal to kids raised on the graphics and gameplay of the Xbox.
The two Our Courts games are engaging enough for the classroom. Students may prefer them to a textbook at helping students understand judicial decision-making.
While appearing on The Daily Show to promote Our Courts, Justice O’Connor noted that only a third of Americans can name the three branches of government, while three quarters percent can name the American Idol judges. Jon Stewart responded: “We’re going to need more than a Web site.”
