Do Video Games like RAID affect Teen’s Viewpoint in Politics?

Political game, Politics

Even in our modern time, there’s so little that we know about how video games are influencing the civic engagement of the youth. There haven’t been a lot of studies available whether civic development is backed by civic gaming experience as working with others cooperatively, creating a virtual nation, expanding social network online or even help the less seasoned players to get around the game.

While the latter is possible by reading guides such as RAID guide and tutorials (if you’re into it), still it requires thorough studies to support any arguments. Though the connection between these civic activities in other civic outcomes as well as domains has been studied.

Studies Showing the Youth’s Political Point-of-View

Experts in the subject of civic education have performed quasi-experimental and longitudinal studies that checks the connection between social contexts and school-based civic learning opportunities and the political and civic engagement of younger people. In the research, the contexts and opportunities that are discovered to be effective include the following:

  1. Learning how political, governmental and legal systems work
  2. Learning about social issues
  3. Taking part in simulations of both political and civic activities
  4. Volunteering to help others and;
  5. Taking part in extracurricular activities in which young people could expand their social networks and practice productive group norms

When such experiences are handed out to young people both in school and in an after-school setting, especially to adolescents who are at their critical age of development for civic identity, the research discovered that it boosts their commitment to political and civic participation.

Video Games and its Impact

The continuous growth and popularity of video games especially among teens raises some eyebrows whether it can deliver the same opportunities for political and civic engagement with similar results. In this regard, the civic gaming experiences measured include:

  • Guiding or helping other players
  • Playing video games in which one knows about a challenge or problem in the society
  • Playing games that are exploring social issue that the player cares about
  • Playing games wherein players need to think of their ethical or moral issues
  • Playing games where players can help in making decisions on how the community, the city or the nation as a whole must be run and;
  • Organizing guilds or game groups

Control Of The Railway Sector Through Politics

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The railroad has a multitude of points of contact with politics such as the Deutsche Bahn in Germany (Read bahnauskunft about Deutsche Bahn here). The federal government is the owner, regulator, and main source of funding. The railways have been an unpopular stepchild in transport policy for many years; hardly any transport minister in the last few decades has shown interest in or committed to the sector. Fortunately, in the current political debate, the railway has moved a little more to the fore.

Recent developments in the management of railways in Germany is going through a strike

The strike called by the train drivers’ union GDL in the wage conflict with the railways is straining the nerves and patience of many travelers. The strike in passenger traffic began on the morning of August 11. It should take 48 hours. The impairments are massive – on both short and long-haul routes.

The system of Financial Control in the Railways

The system for the financial control and promotion of the railways that has emerged in recent years is contradictory: On the one hand, the government has decided to no longer measure DB by profit maximization – nevertheless, the stipulation continues that the train path prices have a “capital market-adequate rate of return” must include. The level of the train path prices is determined in an extremely complex administrative process. These only apply to long-distance transport; the actual prices are determined differently for local rail passenger transport and freight transport. Today, environmentally friendly rail is the only mode of transport that pays emissions taxes (cars should also pay from 2021; there have been no decisions so far for trucks and air transport). On the one hand, the railway is promoted and relieved (including an increase in regionalization funds (RegMittel), capital increase DB), at the same time the government is trying to impose new burdens on companies in the sector by increasing or creating new fees.

Strategies for financial control developed slowly

In addition, strategies are only implemented and developed very slowly. In the master plan for rail freight transport from June 2017, for example, the decline in single wagon traffic was discussed. The topic is also dealt with in the current “Future Alliance” without any concepts on the table. In view of the dramatic situation in the segment, a discussion lasting almost three years with no result is unsatisfactory. The 740 m network was named in the master plan as a “measure to be checked at short notice”. The implementation of the first construction measures (signal relocations) is now in prospect for 2025. However, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) can, if politically wanted, implement projects much faster: Between the decision to equip two test stretches on motorways with overhead lines, and the erection of the first masts only took a few months. Plan approval is required for electrification measures on the railways. Recently, it became known in a project that the examination at the Federal Railway Authority alone took more than three years.