by USC Games
Peter Brinson | Sean Bloom | Jesse Vigil | Rudi Vanzin | Hesi Mendez Mike Fisher | Quiana Dang | Frenchie Palamara | Richard Flores
WE HAVE A NEW PROJECT ABOUT VOTING
Early and Often is an expression of American civic responsibility and the voting process. It is both a video game and a “voting booth” installation designed for a festival setting. At first the video game appears unfinished and impossibly difficult to complete, but offers players the opportunity to vote on an initiative (e.g. a new game mechanic) that will impact future playthroughs. Players may then cast their votes at the historical Broward County booth, and the vote is ratified at regular intervals and instantaneously incorporated into the video game.
In this way, Early and Often allows for and encourages collective action, and explores short-sighted vs far-sighted decision making, living with the results, and potentially, voter regret. It does not aim to make a moral argument for virtual civic duty but instead creates a playground with the dynamics of rulesets and intra-community influences, thus inviting participants to engage in ownership, connection, insight, and influence.
