$20 Game of the Week: Democracy 2 (PC)

This past week saw the end of one of the most brutal election seasons in recent history. Whether you voted for Barry-O or Mittens, one thing is for sure, you’ll be thankful for no more campaign ads. There are quite a few games that depict the campaign trail i(n fact, I looked at one late last year). However, how not too many games depict what happens after you step into the Oval Office, and I don’t mean city builders like Tropico and SimCity either. Rather, how many games let you control every aspect of your nation’s policies, from welfare to foreign aid? Cliff Harris/Positech Game’s Democracy 2 is one of the few games that lets players do just that.

Taking control of one of several fictional countries, you must satisfy your citizens while balancing your various policies. By using political capital generated by your cabinet each turn, you enact new laws and make changes to your policies via the game’s simplistic graph interface. You can see how each issue affects various groups of people in your nation, as well as the effect that adjusting it would affect their support of you. Wanna legalize drugs? Enact strict gun control laws? Fund healthcare? Reduce foreign aid? It’s all here, and you’ll have to deal with various issues that rise up throughout your presidency. While there isn’t much in the way of graphical flair, the easy-to-learn gameplay is addictive. While it isn’t quite that ‘One more Turn’ feeling that you get from the Civilization games, it’s very engaging and will make you look at politics in a new way. The game is also easily modable, so players can create their own custom scenarios.

While Democracy 2 is a bit costly for it’s content, it is a fun and educational experience for anyone interested in learning about political issues. If you think you can do better than those guys in Washington D.C, have at it. It’s available on Steam and impulsedriven.com.