Congress slashes funding for non-violent conflict resolution game

If you're one of the many parents who worry about what violent video games are teaching your children, you may be disappointed to hear a program intended to promote non-violent conflict resolution received a potentially fatal blow this week. Congress, which was funding the game through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, slashed its budget, and its future is in doubt.

Cool School: Where Peace Rules was conceived as a response to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, and has been receiving rave reviews from trials in Illinois schools. Although it was planned to appear in every elementary school in the country, the funding cut leaves the game with no formal distribution.

If you're curious, you can download the game here; it's both Mac and PC-compatible, and aimed at children between 5 and 7. Its co-designer, Professor Melanie Killen, still has hopes for further funding, saying this week: "We're hoping that if it takes off, Congress will mandate more funds for it and we can make a version oriented towards older children."

It's tempting to note, too, that the US government -- via the Army -- apparently has no difficulty funding video games that promote violent conflict resolution, although aimed more at teens than elementary school kids. Maybe legislators got tired of sending mixed messages?

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