A new video game aiming to teach accurate representation of the American legal system is currently being developed by students at North Carolina State University (NCSU) with a little help from their friends at Campbell Law School.
On Friday, Sept. 20, a team of NCSU students, led by Diane Wells, had Campbell Law students test two previous games and the paper prototypes of their sequel to the game known as “Impartial Justice for All.”
All three games fall into the “edutainment” category as they aim to entertain their audience while exploring the intricacies of the legal system, according to Wells.
“The game is based on my real-life prosecution, aiming to engage players by showing them the complexities and consequences of the U.S. criminal justice system,” Wells explained. ”By integrating fun gameplay with serious legal processes, we hope to foster a deeper understanding and provoke thought about the impactful decisions made within our justice system.”
The NCSU team came to Campbell Law to test the game both in a gameplay sense and to let students provide feedback on the accuracy of the games, Wells said.
Currently, the game’s newest version is only under paper prototyping, meaning basic gameplay is represented by drawings that guide a player through interactions in-game.This game will incorporate new systems that include states, a map and a notepad that keeps vital information.
After the paper prototyping stage, the NCSU team plans to test a series of nine other games spanning the breadth of the legal process from investigation through sentencing, Wells said.
Community feedback is highly valued in the development of these games, Wells added, and future games developed by her team.
For those who want to participate in future playtesting of these games, email contactus@impartial to register.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.
