Issue:
The issue that our group chose for this project was that of power and corruption in politics. Power is necessary for a modern society to function and grow. There needs to be a hierarchy through which orders are passed down and carried out. Although this is necessary, it also serves to corrupt. When someone is given control over others, especially large numbers of people, they become faced with temptations unknown before. A politician in power is given a platform to speak on issues, and the people will listen to their words and form opinions, potentially without researching on their own.
Over the course of the past 15 years, political action committees (PACs) have changed the political landscape in the United States. Beginning in 2010 with the supreme court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee which overturned previous rulings in accordance with the first amendment and allowed corporations to put forth damaging advertisements about candidates, and donate to others. This kind of power in the election of government officials is concerning to us in our game.
Since the corporations have so much power over the elections and understanding the temptations that may come with power, it is logical to assume that in order to stay in power, politicians could sway their votes to benefit those keeping them in power. Our game seeks to make players realize the potential corruption around them and not align too closely with one singular politician. We hope that players will be more politically active and research their options in greater depth.
Further Readings:
OpenSecrets PAC Contributions 2021-2022:
https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/industry-detail/Q03/2022
American Bar Association impact of Super PACs in recent years:
**Steven Sprick Schuster, Does Campaign Spending Affect Election Outcomes? New Evidence from Transaction-Level Disbursement Data
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/708646
**Yasmin Dawood, Campaign Finance and American Democracy
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2528587
FEC, Citizens United vs. FEC
https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/citizens-united-v-fec/
Brennan Center for Justice, Citizens United vs FEC explained
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Ballotpedia, How Super PACs Work
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained
Wikipedia, Political Action Committees
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee
How to help:
The best way for players of our game to act on this topic is to get more involved politically. This does not have to be attending rallies and raising your voice, this can be as simple as performing your civic duty and going to the polls. The most important thing to do before you cast your ballot is to do the necessary research. It is critical to remember that the name that you have heard the most paid for it to be that way. The advertisements may have been flattering, but you need to dig deeper into what this candidate has voted for in the past and how it aligns with your personal beliefs. Our game’s goal is to inform a younger audience about the dangers of choosing the best name, and instead focusing on what is most beneficial for them.