What is the political response to a biological threat?

This game asks players to put themselves in the shoes of someone living at the height of the AIDS epidemic in America when next to nothing was known about the virus. Players consider what civil society can do when the government and those entrusted to protect us, fail to act. What are mechanisms that minorities have to move the public’s opinion in their favor and pressure decision makers to do something to help? At the same time, what power does the government have against a biological problem? How can a government legislate against a virus? How does the government decide on policy when time is of the essence and not all the information is known? What are the consequences of using policy to fight a disease? Is it even the government’s place to address this epidemic? Finally, what responsibilities do elected officials have to their constituents versus their ethical responsibilities to the world and country at large? By taking the roles of congressional representatives, government epidemiologists, doctors, researchers, gay activists, preachers, journalists, and average citizens, students can begin to find answers to these questions and more, and understand the radical changes society underwent when a new disease caught the country unprepared.

This is a Level 3 game that is still under development but has been approved by the Reacting Editorial Board (REB) for general use. A detailed explanation of the editorial process and game levels can be found on our REB Page.