Political Games

They seem to be a great way to lure people in with the prospect of entertainment, and follow that up with some sort of lesson that could potentially lead to further interest and contribution to said cause (though the money contribution is not necessarily a part of it, as is the case with games like balancing the budget). The idea is generally to use the interactivity of games in combination with a cause to get you to feel something for their cause.

These games seem to work on the concept of quantity over quality. What I mean by that is if they wanted to truly make sure every person hears their message, they would come to you in person. Perhaps they do this additionally in some other way, but that is not the purpose of a political game.

No, rather the political game is designed to reach as many people as possible, with the hope that some of them will become interested or invested enough through their time spent with the game and the knowledge given them through this media to contribute in some way, big or small, much like a flyer left on every doorstep in a neighborhood.

Although, I think these are likely far more effective than any flyer or pamphlet (or perhaps you are just as confused as Clark Kent?).  They draw you in, using flashing lights, clever dialog, or a touching story, and they get you to feel a connection to their message. The game “Spent” puts you in the place of someone in a tough spot. Your decisions aren’t easy, and you feel the weight of them as you play.  Yet, these decisions are not real. So why do we give a shit?

We give a shit because we are wired to. We make these choices, we physically interact with the interface and we are given an outcome. Does this outcome really matter to us? No. But we put something in. We spent time on this game and we expect something out, so when you make these tough choices and the outcomes are less than favorable, we want to understand why?! This is what drives many of us to learn what their message has to say, even if many of us forget in the next 5 minutes.

Right now, my political mind is on SOPA. This is a potentially momentous change that is being proposed in Washington, and not nearly enough people know about it. Something needs to be done to raise public awareness, and perhaps a political game is one way to take action. If you haven’t looked into it for yourself, you need to. Now.

Not tomorrow. Not later tonight. Now! This affects everyone, so everyone needs to educate themselves on the decisions being made in Washington. Don’t let corporations decide what is best for our collective cyberspace.   Some of our most visited websites are under fire, including Wikipedia and Google, the latter of which I know has already been forced to delete search results due to supposed "copyright infringement".

Do NOT let this become our new reality.  Tell a family member and tell a friend, because this is not something that is just going away.

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On an only slightly related note, here is one of my favorite internet videos, and it's related to politics as well (HOORAY)!  Regardless of your political beliefs, I think we can all agree with what this video has to say.