The Library of Congress is looking for the next Oregon Trail game – By Natalie Alms (Nextgov) / June 7, 2023
Video game developers can win up to $20,000 as part of a new video game contest from the Library of Congress meant to inspire civics-related games.
Calling all video game developers — the Library of Congress wants you to develop the next Oregon Trail.
The 1970’s educational video game, meant to teach students about history by letting them play as settlers making their way West, has inspired the new challenge at the Library of Congress, according to a Tuesday blog from the library.
The challenge is meant “to help improve public knowledge of civics — that is, the rights and responsibilities of citizens — by asking video game developers to create fun, lightweight video games related to civics that incorporate Library of Congress resources,” the blog says.
“The Oregon Trail game still inspires nostalgia. People wear t-shirts with its graphics,” Robert Brammer, chief of external relations at the Law Library of Congress — which proposed the video challenge — said in a statement. “It’s a reminder of how fun learning can be in the right context. We hope this challenge inspires game developers to create fun, lightweight video games in the spirit of Oregon Trail.”
