Oh Maryland, my Maryland. Actually no, I’m not a Marylander, and do not visit the state often enough. However, you can still get a little taste of what it’s like to serve the people of the Old Line State through a nifty little game created by the University of Baltimore. The Maryland Budget Game was created to teach children (and possibly adult voting residents?) a thing or two about the glamorous world of balancing the state budget.
Given a budget deficit and a map of government departments, you can decide which expenditures to keep, options for increasing revenue, and options to reduce the budget. The game lets you know how different interest groups react to your decisions.
As a tool for young learners, it would be nice to have a broader summary for the exercise. However, this game has obviously drawn political attention from a larger audience of adult voters who have posted comments about the game on a “Baltimore Sun” forum.
Whichever way your political compass points, take an independent look at this tool for game-based learning inspiration.
