On Feb. 19 ActionAid USA launched an interactive online game designed to help citizens understand the global hunger crisis from a presidential perspective.
Interim Executive Director Marie Brill writes,
'ActionAid USA is pleased to announce the launch of our new interactive web game called "President for a Day."'
The organization wants citizens to try their hand at ending the global food crisis by playing the role of President of the United States.
Players will be presented with various policy choices that will either help or hurt efforts to reduce global hunger.
Presidential issues include climate change, bio-fuels, agricultural development and
total foreign aid.
Players will learn how money to deal with climate change can come either from public sources (governments) or private sources (market sector).
Gamers will have to take action on bio-fuels and corn ethanol subsidies. Virtual presidents will need to decide whether to keep or scrap the current ethanol mandate, which is part of the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The virtual President's agricultural challenge targets the poorest regions in the world.
The President's foreign aid challenge is whether to reduce, maintain or increase total US foreign aid to fight world hunger.
Players who need more information can get helpful hints like:
'In a time of tight fiscal constraints, foreign aid for global hunger programs often comes up on the chopping block. At the same time, the investments that we make in global hunger programs now will impact the amount of money that we will likely spend on aid in the future.'
At the end of the challenge, a virtual newspaper page is generated with the virtual stories and virtual headlines that the gamer will make as virtual future President.
The educational results can actually be printed as a hard copy.
View the website, play the game and try reducing global hunger here.
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