Teach Budget Hero
Budget Hero School Map
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About Budget Hero
While the budget debate continues in Washington, many
Americans remain confused about underlying budget issues. To help make the
budget accessible and understandable, the Wilson Center’s Science Technology
and Innovation Program and the Public Insight Network team at American Public
Media have developed the 2012 Election Edition of Budget Hero, a computer game
that allows anyone the opportunity to test and recognize the effects of
specific budget cuts or expenditures on the federal budget.
Like earlier versions of Budget Hero, the 2012 Election Edition includes
updated Congressional Budget Office numbers and text about the pros and cons of
various budget decisions.
Since its launch in May 2008, Budget Hero has been played nearly 1.3 million
times—more than 461,000 times since July 2011. It has been covered by at least
100 blogs with various sources calling it “fascinating,” “very cool,” and
“instructive and fun.”
The new version includes badges focused on the fiscal policies of Barack Obama
and Mitt Romney, as well as the spending cuts and tax increases that could lead
to the so-called “fiscal cliff.” New policies include lower corporate taxes,
cutting or increasing food stamps, modernizing the air traffic control system
and more.