Well, this is interesting. A prominent figure in the legal community working to use video games as a way to educate and inform people rather than trying to get them banned. What a novel idea!

The Our Courts project will have two parts, O’Connor said. The first is on online interactive civics program designed to be used by children from 7th to 9th grades either to supplement existing courses or as a distinct unit in the curriculum.

The program, developed with Georgetown University law school and Arizona State University, will be distributed free online.

“It will allow students to engage in real legal issues,” she said. Asked to give an example, she said one element would focus on a scenario of a school attempting to stop students wearing a T-shirt with a controversial slogan — a free speech issue designed to elicit argument about the 1st Amendment.

She said the web site at www.ourcourts.org/ should have some initial material by this September and be fully operational with interactive elements a year later.

The second part of the project will be for young people to use in their free time, O’Connor said, noting that studies showed children spend around 40 hours a week using media, including computers, television, videogames or music.

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