Several Dartmouth students, along with approximately 600 political aficionados across the country, have found a new alternative to the fantasy sports culture in the recently launched political-strategy game Fantasy Congress.
Fantasy Congress, which introduced its beta version about four weeks ago, allows participants to draft teams of 16 real-life legislators. Points are accumulated based on the contributions of the four senators and 12 representatives of varying seniority levels that the participants choose. Every week, players can adjust their team lineup to strategize for the upcoming week of legislation.
"Fantasy Congress is more than just a totally sweet game," boasts the game's Web site, which was created in the spring of 2006 by four students at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California.
Members of Congress earn points for introducing a bill or an amendment and for negotiating at other steps in the legislative process. At the end of the season, the player in the league with the most points wins.
Players are able to join an already established league on the Web site or form a league of their own.
After reading about Fantasy Congress in a recent New York Times article, online fantasy sports fan and College Democrats Vice President Dave Glovsky '08 created a private Dartmouth league on the Web site.
"It's a really interesting idea and a fun way that people can compete about something they're interested in," Glovsky said.
Glovsky is also a staff columnist for The Dartmouth.
The league, named "Peter Burling for President" after Hanover's local state senator, currently consists of five Dartmouth students, all members of the College Democrats.
"My initial reaction to Fantasy Congress was that it was hilarious," Courtney Merrill '09, one of the students in the league, said. "I was really excited to start playing it, and drafted all of my favorite senators and congressmen immediately."
Merrill, who is majoring in government, has chosen a tentative team of legislators whose politics are mostly in line with her own beliefs. Following the upcoming midterm elections, Merrill plans to re-draft and select committee chairs that will be competitive in point-scoring.
"Finding the most prolific bill-sponsoring legislators is key," Merrill said. She said, however, that she does not plan to abandon her favorite senators, even if they receive fewer points, to get ahead in the rankings just yet.
Glovsky said he hopes to get as many people from Dartmouth involved as he can, noting that each league can fit up to 100 people. In order to compete in this private league, students need to obtain the password by contacting Glovsky or the College Democrats.
College Republicans President Rahul Sangwan '07 also expressed interest in the Web site.
"It makes politics more accessible for students," Sangwan said. "I know a couple members in our organization have been interested in it and hopefully after this election cycle dies down we'll get involved."
The mission of Fantasy Congress, as proclaimed on the game's Web site, is to encourage greater involvement in the legislative process.
"By inspiring people to care about government as much as they care about sports, Fantasy Congress hopes to encourage government transparency and responsibility while educating the governed," wrote the game's founders.
In addition to providing a means to increase the level of engagement of students, teachers and policy buffs in Congress, the Web site ranks sitting members by their legislative efficacy and provides up-to-date information on recent legislation.
Merrill sees potential for Fantasy Congress to find a place in the curriculum of College government courses.
"It would definitely force students to know what issues Congress is currently focusing on," Merrill said, adding that the game could raise awareness of how constituents' own state legislators are working for them.
Government professor Deborah Brooks said she is interested in the Web site, but that she would need to learn more about the game before recommending it to her classes.
"These kinds of simulations are only valuable when they help students to integrate the course material in a more sophisticated way," Brooks said. "My sense is that this might be a great tool for people to use in their free time rather than something I would assign as a required part of class."
The Web site's founders plan to enhance the game in the future by adding more complex ways to earn points and creating instructional packets for government teachers and students.
