Counties Work
By Christy Matte,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Free county sim teaches civics via wacky citizen requests.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this website.
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
COUNTIES WORK asks players to take on the role of leader to a small county. As such, you'll control the budget and decide how funds are spent. Will you institute an eye exam program? Or maybe you'll supply basketball nets and balls to every household? If you're feeling very bold, you may paint all of the buildings yellow. Your citizens will arrive with requests for health, safety, finance, fun, and more. You decide whether to fund their requests and if so, then you lead them to the correct building to put things into motion. Your ratings go up when you say yes, and down when you say no. But you'll need to be careful, because if you're too generous, you'll run out of cash and have to raise taxes. If you can keep everyone happy and the budget balanced for your 4-year term, you're bound to be re-elected.
Is It Any Good?
Counties Work holds the promise of a fun sim game. You may be thinking of SimCity or related games. Unfortunately, it's not that deep. But in the 20-25 minutes it takes to play this free game, you'll learn about how a county government works. You'll field request after request in a time management-style situation that gets more hectic as things move on. Some of the requests are amusing, but sometimes it doesn't feel like you're doing much. Matching the request with the correct building is sometimes a hit-or-miss scenario, but you can always pick a different building if you guess incorrectly. By sorting through the citizens' requests, you will gradually discover what services each of the county offices provide.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how simulation games can teach. What is your favorite simulation game and why?
Families can also talk about budgets. If you have a family budget, talk about it with your kids.
Talk about the role of the different government offices. Which types of services (police services, health & wellness programs, parks & recreation programs, etc.) does your family use?
Website Details
- Subjects: Math: arithmetic, Social Studies: citizenship, government
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, decision-making, thinking critically, Responsibility & Ethics: fiscal responsibility, making wise decisions
- Genre: Educational
- Pricing structure: Free
- Last updated: February 24, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate