Through their inclusive and cooperative social structure and their orientation toward the common good, cooperative games model democracy. They thus give players practice using democratic skills and processes. Voting is a democratic practice of utmost importance in this moment, less than a week from the 2026 midterm elections. Let’s look at how cooperative games support democracy in a little more detail.
Democracy, a Masterpiece of Cooperation, Can Be Learned Through Cooperative Play
Our democratic republic was designed by our founding figures to depend upon citizen participation. Literally, without the civic involvement of well-informed citizens, democracy cannot exist. Civic participation includes electing representatives, organizing around shared concerns, and holding our leaders accountable. The vote is the ultimate means by which we exert our decision-making power. How do citizens learn the skills and dispositions that enable them to execute their civic responsibilities? It begins with learning how to cooperate. Ideally, this learning takes place in early childhood and largely through the schools.
In cooperative games, children play together with a shared goal, so everyone wins or loses together. When children play together this way, they experience the value of contributing, listening, sharing, abiding by shared rules, and considering the needs, abilities, and perspectives of others. They discover that their voices matter—and that other people’s voices matter too. These experiences help lay the groundwork for participatory citizenship.
The American philosopher and educator John Dewey—venerated architect of public education in the 20th Century—understood that democracy is more than a system of government. It is a way of living together cooperatively. He wrote that schools have a vital role in preparing young people for democratic life. To do this, he said that schools need to provide opportunities for active cooperation which give students practice in communication, working and playing together, and participating in a living in community where everyone contributes. (Dewey. 1916. Democracy and Education.)
Cooperative games offer a practical way to do exactly what Dewey advised—to learn democratic skills by learning to cooperate in an ongoing way in daily life.
Cooperation Does Not Require Agreement
We sometimes think of cooperation as everyone agreeing, seeing eye-to-eye, and wanting the same thing. But genuine cooperation is more demanding, more powerful, and more interesting than that.
In a healthy democracy, people can disagree strongly about policies, priorities, and solutions while remaining committed to something larger: the democratic process itself. Democracy requires us to follow shared rules including the rule of law. We respect one another’s right to participate, accept legitimate outcomes, and continue working toward the common good even when one issue or another is not decided our way. This takes cooperation.
Voting: Is It About Cooperation or Competition or Both?
When we vote, we make individual choices. These choices are often binary, with the majority of votes determining who wins and who loses in a zero-sum contest. This is clearly competition. And yet, collectively, our participation in the voting process as well as our adherence to election rules sustains the democratic process. It is by this underlying cooperative social structure, whereby we agree to uphold rules of fair play, that our system of government self-perpetuates. Because we cooperate, we can self-govern.
Cooperative games provide a fun, simple, and accessible way for us all to practice cooperation. Let’s play together today, knowing that we are practicing cooperation and therefore supporting democracy at the same time. Then let’s go VOTE!