Glasgow Caledonian University

Playful Politics: Designing Video Games for Political Participation in the UK

Video games represent a potent, underutilized medium for reversing the decline in political participation among young adults in the United Kingdom.

• Video games are an underutilized medium for increasing political participation among the 18–24 demographic in the UK, offering a more engaging alternative to traditional, static political education.
• Existing simulations like the Democracy franchise successfully model complex governance but often alienate disenfranchised users by requiring high levels of pre-existing political knowledge.
• A structured Political Design Framework is required to ensure games serve as accessible entry points for civic engagement rather than exclusionary tools for the already informed.