Civic Builder

Inspiration

During a past election, my mother returned home with her dress stained by voting ink because she was unfamiliar with the correct voting process. This experience made me realise how many people—both young and old—struggle with understanding how to vote correctly and how to participate effectively in civic matters. I have also seen how people criticise the government without realising that civic duties such as voting and budgeting are not easy tasks. I wanted to create a game that combines fun with learning, to help people gain the skills and confidence to be active citizens.

What it does

Civic Builder is a match-3 puzzle game that teaches players how to vote correctly and manage a national budget. Players complete puzzle levels to earn coins, then spend them to build and upgrade a virtual community—such as roads, schools, and hospitals. The game also includes realistic voting simulations based on the player’s selected country, plus budgeting challenges that show how civic decisions affect community growth.

How we built it

I designed the user interface using Figma and created game graphics with Canva and free assets from OpenGameArt. For development, I used Unity and C#. I hosted the prototype online using Vercel and stored my code on GitHub for collaboration and version control.

Challenges we ran into

Some of my main challenges included learning new game development tools in a short timeframe, balancing fun gameplay with accurate civic education, and creating visuals that would appeal to both teenagers and adults. Another challenge was ensuring that the voting and budgeting simulations remained realistic while still being enjoyable to play.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud that I was able to create and submit my project videos despite living in a country with limited access to electricity, internet, and affordable data. I overcame these challenges by planning carefully, working efficiently, and staying determined.

What we learned

Through this project, I learned the basics of game development, how voting processes differ across countries, and how national budgets affect communities. I also improved my skills in interface design, writing, and project planning.

What's next for Civic Builder

I plan to expand Civic Builder with more levels, additional countries’ voting systems, and deeper budgeting scenarios. I will also improve graphics, add multiplayer features for group civic challenges, and release mobile versions on Google Play and the App Store to reach a wider audience.

Built With

• api
• bedrock)
• css
• fastapi
• firebase-database:-postgresql
• google-maps
• javascript
• languages:-html
• mobile-(android/ios)-cloud-services:-aws-(ec2
• mongodb-apis:-custom-civic-builder-api
• openai/amazon-bedrock
• payment
• python-frameworks:-react.js
• react-native-platform:-web-(pwa)
• s3