Knesset launches interactive website for kids in Arabic
The Knesset is hoping that “The race to law” game will generate great interest among Arab youth, just as the Hebrew version did when it was launched in October.
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMONWriting on a computer keyboard [Illustrative](photo credit: INGIMAGE)
An Arabic version of an interactive Internet game called “The race to law” went live on Sunday, as part of a plan to teach children the principles of democracy and how the Knesset works.“The game simulates the work of the Knesset enabling all children, a boy or girl, to experience a simulation close to reality of the Knesset’s legislative work,” said Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.“I’m happy that the game is now in Arabic, for the benefit of youth in the Arab public that we did not reach before.”In the game, the player chooses a bill and takes it through all of the stages of legislation. The player needs to give a speech in the Knesset and convince other MKs. The site is for children age 9 to 14, and is designed for leisure and for use in schools.The game was developed with help from the Snunit Center for the Advancement of Webbased Learning at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.The game appears on a government website geared for children, which was launched a few months ago. The Knesset is hoping that “The race to law” game will generate great interest among Arab youth, just as the Hebrew version did when it was launched in October. Since then, the site has received more than 60,000 hits, with the average browsing time exceeding five minutes, which is considered high.Two other parliamentary games are in development, and will be launched soon.