Getting gamers to think about voting

Attention gamers: Do you like to be scared out of your wits? Do you like stories where the underdog hero fights against a supervillain who is trying to subjugate the world? Want to play a game that might be virtual reality or might be your real terrifying future?

Here’s a simple but scary game: Google the name “Stephen Harper” with a collection of other names.

To get started, Google “Harper Lynton Crosby.” You will probably come across a character known as the “Master of the Dark Political Arts.” Try “Harper Arthur Finkelstein” and you may find “The Merchant of Venom.” Here are some other names to pair with “Harper”: Leo Strauss, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Tom Flanagan, “Calgary School.” See if you can figure out what these people are up to.

That is enough to get you going, but don’t wait too long. Forbidden knowledge may disappear from the Internet after the next election. Of course, there is a lot of nonsense on the Internet, so part of the game is for you to decide what is total fantasy and what requires further investigation and thought.

Is there a conspiracy? Will something horrible actually happen to you if you don’t act to prevent it? Is the man who tells you, “Be very afraid,” trying to trick you?

If you find the game boring, then quit playing it. If you get sucked into the game and get very frightened, then talk to your friends, parents and other adults you respect.

Maybe you will end up doing something very important, like voting.

This game ends on Oct. 19, 2015. Stephen Barrett, Elora, Ont. Fantastic news that the word has gone out to summon the Wizard of Oz to rescue the Conservative war room. Who better to provide a heart for the leader, a brain for the PMO and courage for the backbenchers and ministers? Steven Gaber, Toronto