Long before President Obama proposed the Serve America Act (which he is scheduled to sign today!),  a humble VISTA volunteer right here in Portland envisioned a very different sort of restructuring for national service… RISTA: Robots In Service To America. 

This little computer game is more than just an excuse to destroy 8-bit robots, it may actually teach you a thing or two about how AmeriCorps and VISTA work. (Eek! I just used “game” and “teach” in the same sentence. I hope you’re still reading after that! I promise it’s not lame.) 

The actions are simple – use the arrow keys to move your adorable little volunteer around, and push the colored blocks to trap and crush robots. The concepts are more complex. My favorite? “Push green blocks in hole to accumulate grass roots donor funds.” Yeah! You won’t get that kind of action on your Xbox!