8 July 2008

SIM Canberra Challenge - need your help

| Jazz
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Readers who have been around for a while will know that RiotACT like to do a fairly extensive election coverage and this time round will be no exception. This year however we’ve got a few more ideas up our sleeve to make things a little more interesting, and interactive.

The SIM Canberra Challenge is an idea we dreamed up over a few ales several weeks ago. In essence we’re extending an invitation to all running candidates in the upcoming ACT elections (18 October) to test their city management and planning skills by playing a couple of hours of a customised ‘SIM City’ scenario. The scenario itself based loosely on Canberra. Resulting scores with some commentary will then be published on RiotACT for all to enjoy and draw conclusions from. The exciting part is that we already have several candidates itching to see how they’d tackle traffic jams on the GDE, fires sweeping through the city or an industral accident and a gas plant.

The stumbling block in our grand vision is that we need copies of the game and two laptops of the same specification so the candidates can go head to head in a Canberra Plan-Off. Thats where you come in. If there are any businesses out there, yourself, or people you know who would be prepared to donate the two laptops we need I’d love to hear from you. Its our intention to auction the Laptops through the site and give the proceeds to The Cancer Council ACT after the election.

If you or someone you know can help please get in touch and we can sort out some details.

Thanks
Jazz

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Wouldn’t it only test their ability to micro-manage or effort in exerting control? A high score might be the opposite of what we want.

TroyWilliams said :

Anyone actually thought that we are nothing more than a real-life SimCity game?

That would explain a few things, like a mayor who let the city burn (he wasn’t in front of the computer but at dinner) or couldn’t use a mouse properly to position a power station.

hear hear.

how was he at dinner, why didn’t he caution us? the fires were on the ridge line at midnight, he had to know where they were going….

TroyWilliams6:34 pm 11 Jul 08

Anyone actually thought that we are nothing more than a real-life SimCity game?

That would explain a few things, like a mayor who let the city burn (he wasn’t in front of the computer but at dinner) or couldn’t use a mouse properly to position a power station.

On second thoughts, you people have a brilliant future as academics at Griffith Uni in Brisbane (known as the Fortitude Valley Secretarial School until John Dawkins came along).

The have a bunch of people who don’t have a clue about politics and the real world up there who have declared themselves the nation’s pre-eminent experts on online campaigning.

For the same reason a ‘pol’ wastes their time kissing babies and asking “what do you want from a gubmint, mate?” in front of a handful of yobs.

Why would any sane pol waste their time playing a computer game for a handful of wonks?

Get real, guys.

Jazz said :

The brilliance of this idea is not going to be realised unless we can find a sponsor for some laptops.

Jazz,

just posted some info into the “please get in touch” link that you may find useful – If you need any help with Fairstar, sing out.

Yes I know I’ve always wondered how Steve Pratt would handle Canberra being attacked by Gojira.

The brilliance of this idea is not going to be realised unless we can find a sponsor for some laptops.

Absent Diane9:33 am 09 Jul 08

yeah i agree that brilliance of this idea is in its alcohol fueled origins.

i’m more interested to see what’d happen if zombies attacked!! that’d be cool. I’d pay for that.

Its a pity Jon Stanhope’s more interested in playing Populous than Sim City.

Hmmmm, maybe you could get a psychologist or someone with a town planning or disaster management qualification to comment on their performance as well? While I agree with some that this is a waste of time in terms of what their hands-on day to day roles would be if elected, it is always interesting to see what kind of decisions someone makes in a pressure situation or in response to a crisis. It might actually tell us a lot about what they are really like.

fnaah said :

sexynotsmart, any politician who can actually do well in a game like SimCity probably deserves your vote – the ability to effectively manage competing demands in order to achieve outcomes such as prosperity and efficiency (albeit simulated and simplified) is a quality we rarely see in politicians today.

Exactly Fnnah, that was our thoughts too.

Skidbladnir said :

But, I still like the email interviews also. (besides, its really easy to work out who has pulled their answers from the back of the party fridge magnet, or gotten an underling to do it)

And I want to see what the Mulcahy response is.

We will still be doing the email interviews amongst a few other things.

S4anta said :

Sure beats piffing out a couple questions on an email that may be mangled by an advisor or party machine.

But, I still like the email interviews also. (besides, its really easy to work out who has pulled their answers from the back of the party fridge magnet, or gotten an underling to do it)

And I want to see what the Mulcahy response is.

sexynotsmart, any politician who can actually do well in a game like SimCity probably deserves your vote – the ability to effectively manage competing demands in order to achieve outcomes such as prosperity and efficiency (albeit simulated and simplified) is a quality we rarely see in politicians today.

Perhaps doing well doesn’t mean much, but I think someone doing spectacularly poorly would be interesting to see.

I reckon its an innovative and interesting way to engage the pollies in a discussion in regards to their policies, views and general ambitions and goals if they get the nod from the electorate.

Sure beats piffing out a couple questions on an email that may be mangled by an advisor or party machine.

sexynotsmart3:37 pm 08 Jul 08

lol@Jazz. Exactly how pissed were you when this seemed like a good idea?

How well a candidate does on SIMcity has as much bearing on my vote as their performance on Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution or SingStar. And IMHO a contest on those three titles would be far more entertaining.

didn’t they do this for the fires, already (we all learned from that one, didn’t we?)

welcome to politics woody.

Woody Mann-Caruso2:42 pm 08 Jul 08

Do MLAs actually do any of this sort of thing, or is it all up to public servants? Not snarking – I’m just not sure how it works in the ACT and its psuedo- local council arrangement.

Frankly, I’d be terrified if members of the legislature were telling technical experts (eg traffic planners, engineers, emergency services officers) how they should do their jobs, especially in a crisis.

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