Fantasy Congress

Students at my college are launching a new internet politics game that could be a neat teaching tool. Fantasy Congress ( http://www.fantasycongress.us/fc/), which is available to anyone, lets players draft members of Congress into "teams." As "team managers," players get points based on the performance of their the team’s legislation. (Introducing a bill means five points, while passage in one chamber means 30). Obviously, game points are not a scientific measure of congressional productivity, but the game can spark discussion about the meaning of legislative activities. And now that Congress is out of town until the lame duck session, the scores supply an occasion to ponder what individual members have done during the 109th Congress.

And once Congress is in session again, Fantasy Congress would give students a reason to follow day-to-day news on the Hill.