I Made A Game To Prevent Political Violence. Let's Test It.

Americans don't debate the issues well. Want to change that?

A rough prototype of my game to raise the quality of political debate in America. Want to play?

The No Kings protests across the country have been remarkable, as have the intense disruptions of immigration detainments. Clearly there’s a strong desire to move past our current politics: to stand up to cruelty and corruption in favor of something fairer and smarter. The hope is that Americans will decide to move forward as a unified nation again: to get things done, respect one another, and do what’s right.

But let’s be real: is America even ready for that?

Democracy is difficult, and the old problems we faced haven’t gone away. We still must learn to critique ideas, debate policies, express our beliefs… yes, even be gracious losers from time to time. Right now the nation has a growing number of sore losers, choosing political violence as an outlet for their frustrations. Recent assassinations have targeted conservatives like Charlie Kirk and progressives like Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman. Sometimes the collateral damage is just as disgusting: Hortman was killed at home alongside her husband Mark, and Gilbert… their Golden Retriever.

Do we deserve to live this way? Where differences become death sentences?
If not, join my free Substack chat. That’s where I’m sharing updates and getting feedback on my new project.

I’ve made a very rough prototype (an “MVP” in startup slang) of a role-playing game that helps people debate whatever issues they want, with clear guidance to make it happen. I’d love for you to play it and/or watch others play, then help refine the game. It gives people a clear and simple framework for productive debates: not just about what we believe, but how we put our beliefs into action. I also added an AI agent and confined it to very specific instructions aimed at helping you draft and improve your own resolutions.

This game isn’t just about learning to argue. It’s about learning to win.

Americans are very strongly opposed to political violence. In a poll conducted a few weeks after Kirk was killed, about 80% of Americans say they don’t consider that attack acceptable. Less than 6% said it was okay. But here’s the scary part: 14% of respondents said they neither agreed nor disagreed. That includes 20% of independents, 17.7% of Democrats, and 5.6% of Republicans.

How’s that sound to you: a four-to-one split in America on whether it was okay to kill the guy for his beliefs? Imagine four people in a room alongside one lunatic with a gun: more than enough bullets to take everyone out.

SOURCE: NORC at the University of Chicago for CPOST

When I was in public media I always felt that my mission was to connect communities to each other and foster dialogue. Now I realize why that mission felt like such an uphill climb: it was too small. Connection is the means, not the end, in a democracy that requires it. My mission today: prevent political violence. Protect the people I love, protect my community, my country and, of course, myself. My vision: when Americans are divided on big issues, we always talk it out and never shoot it out. We will never be unanimous, but we can always be united, even when we deeply disagree.

But how do we get there? How can we do it in the future if we can’t even talk to each other today? How do we equip our fellow citizens for those tasks? I believe it’s unfair to expect everyday people to just know how to engage on the issues without some way to practice those skills.

That’s what my project is all about. Reinforcing democracy, one citizen at a time.

My game isn’t just about helping people learn to argue. It’s about learning to win, honestly and decisively. It’s about proving which ideas make the most sense and which don’t, using simple rules with a clear outcome. Waiting for an election to see what Americans think is insane: you wouldn’t play the Super Bowl once every four years, would you? So why do we do it with our politics? We need a “regular season” of political competition, and I want to help provide that.

Many of us long for unity, but democracy also needs competition. Ideas and proposals and candidates have to clash, often very intensely, to reveal weak spots and highlight advantages. Debate is our best and simplest tool as citizens to make highly consequential decisions. Until we can do that, none of the social and political changes you long for can happen. Change happens slowly, nudge by nudge, and effective persuasion nudges the nation.

Americans have been fed up with politics as usual for a very long time. I don’t know exactly where we should go from here, but I am confident we can figure it out together… if we can talk to each other. But we have to come out of those conversations with clarity on what works and what doesn’t.

If you’ve read this far, I’m confident you have a strong commitment to democracy and civility. You care about what I care about, and I suspect you’re trying to keep up hope that a better future is possible. I certainly believe it is, but only if people have the tools to make it so.

If you’re interested, join the chat on my free Substack. More details to come.
I think you’re really gonna like this, and I hope you’ll enjoy playing along.