Making Legislative Process Understandable: Survey of Parliaments’ Serious Games of European Countries

Abstract

In addition to passing legislation, many parliaments in Europe and around the world engage in educational activities aimed at promoting democracy and explaining the legislative process. Increasingly, these educational activities take the form of serious games. But just how many European parliaments use games, and what do these games involve? This study is a survey of the use of serious games by European national parliaments’ visitor centres, based on a questionnaire and web page analysis. Out of the 43 countries surveyed, 25 were found to use some form of games. The study maps the game genres and activities the games contain, as well as the parliaments’ rationale for using them and intended target audience.