In These Games, the Points Are All Political 329
bettiwettiwoo writes "A New York Times article (free reg. req.) highlights a new trend in games, and political marketing: openly political games. Both Republicans and Democrats are developing games with political messages, albeit using slightly different strategies. A featured developer, Persuasive Games, is open about their not-so-objective objective: 'We design, build, and distribute electronic games for persuasion, instruction, and activism.' But would that be declared on the games so produced? And would it matter if it did? In such times of artful manipulation, it is actually quite a relief to find that not all politicos are sophisticated high tech geeks: the Long Island Political Network invites you to play... Tic Tac Toe."
Are you trying to tell me (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Are you trying to tell me (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't forget... (Score:3, Interesting)
"Remember: politics is the conflict over the distribution of values and burdens."
Politics is a shim layer over the real conflict - the conflict between those who contribute to society and those who consume from society. Not just on an economical level, but also culturally and socially.
The same effort you could put into politics, you could also put into becoming a creator of value for society. That is power too, as great or greater than polit
But do you really want to produce value? (Score:4, Insightful)
> you could also put into becoming a creator of value for society
But would you really want to create value for society which only consumes and gives you nothing in return?
> And even politicians have learned that you don't bite the hand that feeds you.
You shouldn't count on this. Politicians do not necessarily know which hand feeds them, and they certainly do not know how it does it.
Re:But do you really want to produce value? (Score:3, Insightful)
Some people have already done something like that. They call their contribution Open Source Software.
Re:But do you really want to produce value? (Score:3, Interesting)
The entire philosophy of Socialism is that it is possible to persuade people, by whatever means, to do this. The reason Socialism always fails is that productive people soon figure this out, and the non-productive are helpless without them.
Re:Are you trying to tell me (Score:4, Informative)
A computer that could perform abstract comparisons of that type would be a superb form of AI!
Re:Are you trying to tell me (Score:3, Interesting)
Furthermore, had he never run for office the odds of him being elected would have been nil. Being in the game doesn't guarentee that you'll win, but not being in the game will guarentee that you lose. Of course, American politics are pretty simplistic (in terms of the depth of the issues)... s
Re:Are you trying to tell me (Score:2)
You can beat there politics every time (Score:2, Funny)
Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:4, Funny)
I agree with Twirp on this. In the future try to do what he does. Slap the label "lie" on any message you don't like and call the person saying it a liar and a traitor. Its much more succinct.
Re:Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:3, Interesting)
For example. In my state, the Republi
Re:Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:3, Insightful)
Too bad you're wrong. Propaganda has nothing to do with trueness or falseness. Really. Propaganda can be "good", "bad", "true", "false", or anything else. You don't get to make up definitions to words. Linguists and dictionary publishers do.
Propaganda (n): The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the vi
Re:Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:3, Insightful)
"At some point you just have to stop for a minute and think that maybe the problem here isn't US foreign policy, but rather terrorism itself."
Maybe you should stop trying to paint everything in black and white Twirp. The world is shades of grey. Maybe the problem is US foreign policy and Islamic extremists. Its pretty likely Al Qaeda danced a jig when Bush invaded Iraq, and when the U.S. soldiers humiliated and tortured Arabs. He knew he won a huge victory for his cause. He knew he won a whole bunc
Re:Propaganda's greatest victory... (Score:3, Insightful)
I know it's a bad idea to
More of the same... (Score:3, Interesting)
bushgame (Score:3, Informative)
Bush Game [bushgame.com]
Tic Tac Toe (Score:4, Funny)
Tom.
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:2)
nice (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:nice (Score:5, Funny)
You're a bit overly optimistic, IMO.
Re:nice (Score:2)
Re:nice (Score:2)
Re:The 2nd one is nice too (Score:2)
People are bored (Score:5, Insightful)
I think I've worked at enough failed dot-coms to know why this is happening. Basically, they've got budget X, to maintain the Web site for these political nitwits, and they have to spend it somehow, so that the Corporate Man will keep the greenbacks flowing next time around.
So, they have to piss it away somehow, but really...how can you piss away a great big budget just creating some CMS to handle the candidate's boring "news alerts" and other shit that no one reads? Hence, here comes the "brainstorm", and they all come up with the same bunch of tired old ideas to waste the money and justify their jobs that we've all implemented in the past. You know, polls, "online communities", and Flash games! "Young people like games. We need to lure young voters. Our game will be so kewl that they will all like flock to polling booths and totally elect us!"
And then these stupid little wastes of hard disk space serve to preach to their already converted Beavises and/or Buttheads who are all like "this is so cool...i can like...shoot money with president bush's head...heh heh, heh heh".
Or maybe not. Maybe it's brilliant political strategy.
Re:People are bored (Score:5, Interesting)
(Been there. Had the boss royally pissed off at me when I told the customer that, no, they don't need an uber-sophisticated custom solution to solve their problem. "Are you nuts?!! Are you out of your mind?!! We're trying to take their money, not tell them that they could solve that cheaper!!" On the bright side, after that he never took me to those 6 hours meetings any more.)
On the other hand, I'd disaggree that it is a waste of time. Games can be a very immersive experience, and can get a subtle message accross _very_ efficiently.
Now I'm not talking about ham-fisted smacking someone over the head with your political message. "Shoot money with president bush's head" is too unsubtle IMHO to actually do anything.
As another poster wrote, "Propaganda's greater achievement was convincing the world that it doesn't exist." I.e., the ideal propaganda (game or not) is one which doesn't look like propaganda at all. Failing that, you'll want one that can pass for non-propaganda.
The way I'd design a political game, if I had to, would be pretty much following the structure of a political speech. I also assume a big-ish budget game.
1. Start with some truths. Not necessarily good for you. Neutral stuff is good. Gets people in a mood to nod to the rest of the stuff too.
E.g., it's a fact that there's been a war in Iraq. Or it's a fact that there are homeless people. Or that there are gang wars. Etc.
Start the game with that. Don't even try to colour it it politically, unless it comes very naturally.
2. Continue with some truisms. Stuff which is technically true, but not necessarily even relevant for your message or in other ways supporting your conclusion.
By this time you start colouring stuff your way.
3. Feed them the conclusion. If you did a good job of convincing them to nod through 1 and 2, they'll swallow it too.
Remember it's about being subtle. People are more eager to believe what they think is their own conclusion, than yours. And it still has to seem a game.
Don't give them directly something like "vote for us because we'll protect you from evil offshoring corporations." Give them something which might fit the game. E.g., protecting a candidate from an assassin, sent because said candidate is opposing international corporations.
Don't give them something like "Vote for us, because we'll stop pollution." Give them a game set in a world, which, absolutely incidentally, is destroyed by polution and plunging into anarchy.
Also remember that games are rather long affairs and played in episodes. I don't think many people sat and played, say, KOTOR for 30 hours straight, from beginning to end. So you don't necessarily want a linear snowing the audience, stretched over the whole game. Several snow-jobs, following the same truths-truisms-conclusions paths, might work better. E.g., one per game level or episode.
Just an idea
About dot-coms (Score:3, Interesting)
It's a different goal here.
What dot-coms had as a goal, and where they failed, was making money. That was their failure.
They (or enough of them) did not fail at getting readers on their site. All those forums and chatrooms and flash games actually worked monumentally well to get people to visit the site often.
The dot-com problem was that noone had a plan to make those people pay. You had a horde o
Political games (Score:5, Informative)
At least they are upfront about it (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:3, Insightful)
It's the messages weaved into the story lines of games, movies and tv shows, the preaching under the guise of entertainment, that gets my hackles up.
Hmm, isn't that called 'theme'? Isn't it, like, let's see, a requirement? Otherwise what's the point of the entertainment? I'd be interested if you could dig up a few books/movies/whatever that completely lack a theme of some sort.
Maybe I've just been reading too many classics lately, but I'm happy to finally be reading 20k Leagues under the sea! ;)
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:3, Insightful)
You can have a theme while mostly avoiding politics.
E.g., probably the most obvious example is SimCity. Even though you're playing a political figure (a mayor), the game is actually not about politics, and doesn't try to convince you that one political side is better than the other. You're not playing a Republican mayor, nor a Democrat mayor, you're just playing A mayor trying to plan your city.
E.g.,
Politics of SimCity (Score:3, Insightful)
[...]
Everyone notices the obvious built-in political bias, whatever that is. But everyone sees it from a different perspective, so nobody agrees what its real political agenda actually is. I don't think it's all that important, since SimCity's political agenda pales in comparison to the political agenda in the eye of the beholder.
Some muckety-muck architecture magazine was interviewing Will Wright about
Micropoly: The Microsoft Monopoly Game (Score:3, Interesting)
Micropoly is the Microsoft Monopoly Game! It's a parody of Microsoft that's fun to play, a free board game based the rules of Anti-Monopoly, and a political statement protected under the First Amendment.
[...]
The Goals of the Micropoly Project:
To make a political statement about the effect of Microsoft's monopoly on the economy.
To raise awareness of the original folk game monopoly invented by Quakers and illegitimately patented and pirated by Parker Brot
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:3, Interesting)
I disagree. I think SimCity does show some bias, but probably not intentional. Most of my references are SimCity 3000 based, since that is the one I most recently played, but some go all the way back to SimCity Classic.
The ga
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:3, Interesting)
But in the end it's your bias you're projecting, rather than the game's. I could very well play without mass transit, for example.
Most of the positives and negatives of any action exist realistically, rather than necessarily trying to hammer some
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:At least they are upfront about it (Score:3, Insightful)
Why? Are you worried that it will make people think and change their opinions? Some philosophers would state that the whole purpose of entertainment is to make people think.
Ever since the first story telling all froms entertainment has been coloured by the creator's (or performer's) opinions and politics. An obvious example is the best selling book of all ti
Tic-Tac-Toe (Score:3, Interesting)
What is the difference between... (Score:4, Funny)
A> The board game doesn't lie to you.
Nothing new under the sun (Score:5, Insightful)
With tinfoil hat on, it could certainly be argued that every game based on a real-life situation is political, at least subliminally - think about it, how many games have you seen where you play a US Army / Secret Service / CIA / NSA / whatever operative, on a secret mission to stop those evil nasty gooks who are hell-bent on destroying freedom (aka USA) at all costs?
Couldn't it also be argued that every single one of these games contributes on some level to the message "America is great - it's those foreigners you should fear and hate. Stay at home son, and join the US Army!" ?
Just out of interest, how many games have you heard about where you have to stop domestic terrorists?
I'm not trying to claim a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate, just that if you take a step back and view it from the outside (confession:I'm a Brit) then market forces have dictated an unnerving consensus.
OK, OK, I'll take my tinfoil hat off now. Here, I'll even give you a start : -1 Troll
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:5, Interesting)
But then again, everyone I knew who ever had a copy of Command & Conquer always preferred to play as the Soviets. I played an in-store demo of Medal of Honour - the Pacific war game - and was terribly disappointed that in the excellent Pearl Harbour sequence I could only play as the Americans. I WANT TO BOMB PEARL HARBOUR, DAMMIT!
Much of the fun of historical war games is what might have been. I want to march into Rome with a thousand elephants. I want to lead the Golden Horde to Paris. I want to hang Washington for treason. I want to land Spanish troops in England and dethrone the heretic queen.
Games in which you can only follow the glorious patriotic line are just not complete. You've got to have the chance to be the bad guy once in a while.
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent: Games in which you can only follow the glorious patriotic line are just not complete. You've got to have the chance to be the bad guy once in a while.
I think your use of the phrase 'bad guy' serves to reinforce the grandparent's comment, not contradict it.
-Colin [colingregorypalmer.net]
Mod Parent Up ! - but parent valid... (Score:2)
Mind you the parent post does make the good point that a valid point of games is try out alternate scenarios within a historical context, "what if's".
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:5, Interesting)
Possibly - though since history is written by the winners, any counterfactual campaign would probably be 'being the bad guy'. One scenario I mentioned that I'd like to play out was the Spanish invasion of England in 1588: it could certainly be argued that England at that time was a rogue state openly sponsoring terrorist attacks, and Spain was quite justified in acting against Elizabeth's illegitimate regime. But the Armada was defeated, and in English minds to this day King Philip was undoubtedly the bad guy...
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:2)
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:2)
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:2)
Re:Nothing new under the sun (Score:2)
A further note to my previous post: Deus Ex.
Of course, halfway through you see the light and join the terrorists. Again, though, I'd like to have had the choice to be the bad guy, to stay with UNATCO - eliminate my treasonous brother, hunt down his terrorist backers and maybe just get something going with the hot cyborg girl...
Developing a political game (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the main challenges I came across in developing a political game [alteringtime.com] was that politics aren't inherently very fun. A racing game or hockey game that leans to the simulation side can still be really enjoyable, but an accurate political simulation tends to be slow-paced and not scale well to large numbers of players. Of course the easy way out is to add fun stuff like assassinations, the mafia, etc....
Re:Developing a political game (Score:2)
Re:Developing a political game (Score:3, Insightful)
The "problem" with politics is that, on a national level, they're more akin to those hardcore war games than anything that's really mainstream fun. Command and Conquer was a lot more popular than whatever the ultra realistic World War 2 battle simulation of its day was. Not that there's anything wrong with that, though. No one wants to need a degree from the Kennedy School of Government in order to do well in a game. The key is just to
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Developing a political game (Score:2)
Re:Developing a political game (Score:2)
all of those would be fun.
Turnabout is fair play (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Turnabout is fair play (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Turnabout is fair play (Score:3, Informative)
The parent was written by Rich Lowry, an op/ed writer for the National Review magazine. The original article [nationalreview.com], published 22 Sep 03. Lowry appears several times [atomz.com] on Spinsanity [spinsanity.org].
To be fair, I should mention that the National Review is not on my list of trusted news sources. But then, so are a lot of sources. Meh.
Re:Turnabout is fair play (Score:2)
Could it possibly mean that they are the best people for the job?
No, having a proper, open bidding process, and then having the winner actually do the work would mean they were the best for the job. Just to clarify.
Bushgame (Score:5, Interesting)
I've played it to the end, and the most annoying thing was how long it took to kill the Bosses.
It's meant to have a ridiculous plot, does have kinda cool graphics, and it got just a bit too preachy towards the end - but the reason I actually finished it was *for* the little info snippets.
E.g. the presentations on the Death Tax, and the percentage of tax breaks going towards the top 20% & 1% earners in the US.
The political bias is pretty open right from the start, but what I found really worrying is I'm not seeing how someone else could come up with a more positive spin on some of those stats - other than covering them up, of course.
And last note, the most disturbing thing about the Voltron sequences for me was - the balls move...
A positive spin... (Score:2)
Draw the top earners to the country. (there's a reason they get so much money, and it's not because there crap.)
Allow the top earners put more invetment into the things they think are good to invest in.
and probably a few other things.
The prople is, when the 'top earners' got there by being in someones pocket, or being the child of xyz and not by being shit hot.
Oh.. and I'm liberal far left. (In my world you wouldn't have to be in someones
I'm too lazy to register to read the article... (Score:3, Interesting)
Games have always been political. (Score:5, Insightful)
More recently we've had Tomb Raider, which is an ironic campaign against the objectification of Women, (ironically, the irony backfired), and Grand Theft Auto, protesting against the innefectiveness of the criminal justice system.
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:2, Funny)
Stuff your face with pills and chase the ghosts away, it was no accident they turned blue when on the run (blue = police geddit?) But even when you were tripping your nuts of you should remember to eat fresh fruit for the Vitamin C.
Tombraider as ironic campaign against the objectification of women my arse, cynical cash in on "Girl Power" more like.
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:2)
That's where it backfired. Marketing people have no concept of irony. The designers thought they'd make a strong female character with exaggerated features, and then make her totally sexless. Then marketting got involved and realised they could push the whole sex angle.
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:2)
I bet it was more like this:
Game Designer: Lets make a game that really sells, what do 14 year old boys like?
Game Programmer: Tits! Women! Naked Women!
Game Designer: We cant do the naked women thing, lets exagerrate sexual features instead and glove her, should we dress her in corset with suspenders?
Game Programmer: No thats too overtly sexual and Geri Haliwell would kill us, we could try a minidress with the Union Flag on it?
Game Designer:
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:2)
I read Space Invaders as a metaphor for nuclear war. Hiding behind the defences is futile: your only hope is an all-out aggressive strategy, wiping out the enemy before they hit you. And if that means destroying your own defences to get a clear line of sight then so be it.
Re:Games have always been political. (Score:2)
Is this... (Score:2)
Political Data Gathering (Score:3, Insightful)
I mean, there is nothing wrong with manipulating the process of aquiring and distributing data. I just think it's funny, that those same people manipulating the data, believe in their own manipulated data and base their decisions on that. And even funnier, are wondering why things are not working the way they want. (Weapons of Mass destruction anyone? Or manipulated corporate accounting?)
Who cares (Score:4, Interesting)
See religious books, textbooks, "popular science" books, travel guides, etc. for examples.
A lot of fictional works also exist in part so that the author can try to convince others of something (you know the "moral of the story"...)
In fact I suspect most works of art (using the term art generally) do this. Sure some paintings exist solely so that the painter could try a technique out, but many of them are also making a point be it political, social, philosophical, or just an observation.
In fact lots of works of art were created with the main goal being the "preaching of a message". See those hollywood films of WWII vintage that were made in order to "raise moralle" and inspire the populace to fight against the forces of evil.
Simcity says something about the costs and benefits of various power generation techniques (whether it is vaguely correct or not), and "the environment" is certainly a political issue these days. Simearth did so (the environment not power generation) to an even greater degree.
Making a game in which the "message" is the primary motivator isn't an issue to me, lots of other things are made that way...
hmm... (Score:5, Funny)
get your (Score:2, Informative)
To: Anthony Manetta, President Roosevelt Strategy (Score:3, Funny)
Your tic tac toe game is too difficult. I cannot win.
Cheers
Re:To: Anthony Manetta, President Roosevelt Strate (Score:3, Funny)
but.. (Score:2)
Deus Ex (Score:3, Insightful)
Obligatory pac-man comment (Score:2, Funny)
Wrong attribution (Score:3, Informative)
See this page [marcusbrigstocke.com] on his website for details.
Re:Wrong attribution (Score:2)
Time for a change... (Score:2)
Politics isn't about games. It's all but a game. It people think about politics as a game or is they are influenced by it, then where will this world go?
Matters are far to complex already on a local scale let alone on a nationwide or worldwide scale.
And Remember... (Score:2)
I remember being told not to do drugs before playing a disembodied face running through a dark maze, eating pills and ghosts. Do they still have that splash screen on arcade games? I remember a satirical rendition of George Bush Sr. saying that on an arcade machine in the Simpsons a while back...
It would be really funny to see GWB Jr. do a public service announcement like that. "Remember kids - Winners do lots of drugs, clean themselves up to be an oil executive, and become Presiden
Comment removed (Score:4, Interesting)
Ideas for political Games (Score:3, Funny)
Sim Iraq - Try to Govern an Iraqi province amidst street wars, bombings, and counter insurgents. Will opening that Liquor store pacify residents or will it create a band of brigands who want to kill you? Find out in Sim Iraq.
Axis and Allies; The Cost of Empire
Play as the United States and England against most of the rest of the world. Try to finish your game within the time limit or you may not be re-elected.
Bill Clinton's Dating sim;
Includes "Arkansas Governor" and "U.S. President"
levels. As you raise your profile (and other things) your ability to attract increases, but you'll also face more politically powerful enemies.
Try our new 'hentai' expansion pack. Includes Asian girls and tentacles.
Conflict appropriate custom chess sets.
Warcraft mod pacs to change the characters into political figures with appropriate slogans.
Bush
"I'm a reformer with results",
"Saddam. 9-11. Saddam. 9-11"
"They misunderestimated me"
"All your votes are belong to us"
*and if you keep clicking*
"Hey Rovie, what do I say next"
"I'm a uniter not a divider so you're either with us or against us"
Political Jeapordy
Any kind of trivia game is easily attapted to any political persuasion. I can see it now. Get Bill O'Reilly hosting "who want's to be a Republican Millionaire"
Wow... (Score:5, Interesting)
What would be more interesting is if they'd avoided the obvious arcade-style game and created something that made the player think about the consequences of voting yea or nay on a particular issue. There's an old edutainment (yuk) title called Hidden Agenda [maricopa.edu] that puts you in the role of a newly-elected president of a South American country, giving you the chance to appoint your own cabinet, influence policy and make decisions affecting your country. The game is exceedingly difficult, and is thought-provoking precisely because it's nigh-impossible to "win" - every decision angers someone.
In the same vein, the old Yes Prime Minister [lemon64.com] game showed how policy can be distorted and seemingly innocuous decisions could become controversial in a much more thoughtful manner than these Flash efforts.
Okay, so the games are probably a gimmick to increase site hits more than anything, but I'm disappointed they didn't see the scope for doing something different.
Corrupting the youth (Score:2)
The EU is doing this (Score:4, Interesting)
Had to say it... (Score:3, Funny)
Copyright permission (Score:3, Interesting)
From the source for each page:
<!-- Copyright (c)2002 Site Meter -->
// numberguess is by Lancer - written 4 Jan 1999
// lancer@kp.planet.gen.nz
No mention of any open or free license.
the beastie boys (Score:3, Funny)
Bush Game (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.emogame.com/bushgame.html
(its all Flash, btw)
Great Games (Score:3, Funny)
What, they have already done that....nevermind.
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:2)
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:2)
Cheers
Stor
Re:Tic Tac Toe (Score:3, Interesting)
If it can win in one move, it does it. If you can win in one move it blocks it. Otherwise it calls AI() to do a predefined sequence. Perhaps it would give the wrong message if it didn't let you win.
function AI()
{
vari()
if(document.tic.sqr5.value == " " && turn == 1)
{
document.tic.sqr5.value = " O "
turn = 0
sqr5T = 1
}
else if(document.tic.sqr1.value == " " && turn == 1)
{
document.tic.sqr1.value = " O "
turn = 0
sqr1T = 1
Re:Of course... (Score:2)
Re:Postal 2 (Score:3, Insightful)