The videogame “Mayority” offers a hands-on experience of a mayor’s role.
Robert Weber, mayor of Guntramsdorf, Austria, initiated a pilot project on democracy education in a local school in collaboration with youth councillor Paul Gangoly. The impact game Mayority was designed to teach basic democratic values to young people aged 10 to 15. It was put to the test at Guntramsdorf secondary school, along with its supplementary community materials developed by students from the Centre for Applied Game Studies. WOTI asked the mayor for his feedback.
Mayor Weber, it was your idea to implement the Mayority community package in Guntramsdorf. How would you describe Mayority in a single sentence?
Mayority is an innovative way to strengthen the understanding of democracy and solidarity among students.
What was the advantage of implementing Mayority in Guntramsdorf from your perspective as mayor? What stands out about this project?
Mayority is a fun way to draw attention to social interaction within a community and to experience democracy and solidarity through participation. It encourages students to play an active role. It also shows them that it is not always easy to fulfil the needs of fellow citizens in the role of a (virtual) mayor.
“Mayority is a fun way to draw attention to social interaction within a community”
What did you personally like best about the project?
That it showed the huge educational importance of meeting young people on their own terms using a game. This approach sparks their interest in important matters and actively engages them in the learning process. During this project, Mayority made it clear how multi-faceted the responsibilities in a community are. By the end of it, the students asked me a lot of very specific and fascinating questions!
“It is very important that young people contribute to bettering society, thus actively engaging in social cohesion.”
Would you recommend Mayority?
Absolutely! Any path that leads to young people taking an interest in democracy and advocating for others is good and important. In these current fast-paced times, it is of the greatest importance that young people contribute to bettering society and engage actively in social cohesion.