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"It was like playing Sim City with the entire state of New York," says Jacob Drum, a University of Buffalo law student. "It was great."

Any higher education student in the country could have "played" in a Fordham University competition to redraw New York's congressional, state Senate and Assembly voting districts.

"This was to raise awareness about redistricting and to get people involved in the redistricting process," says Costas Panagopoulos of Fordham University.

People can get involved outside of the contest because anyone with an internet connection can get online and use the software to draw or evaluate plans.

Micah Altman of the Harvard University Brookings Institute says he wrote the program “to encourage participation in redistricting, which is one of the most backroom processes in democratic governments."

A state task force comprised mostly of state lawmakers will recommend this month how to redraw district lines to accommodate changes in the census.

Former Mayor Ed Koch convinced a majority of lawmakers to promise to create an independent commission to draw districts, and Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed legislation to that effect. It’s a stalled new approach that leaves an old concern alive: that lawmakers will use the process for their own parties and political fortunes.

"Irrespective of political divisions, you make a much cleaner district map when you think of communities first as opposed to Democrats and Republicans. Everything falls into place," says Matthew Burrows, a SUNY Buffalo law student.

In other words, the students learned lessons that politicians might benefit from understanding, as well.