Finally a Game Just for Adults: Fantasy Congress (Insert Larry Craig Joke Here...No Here...Yes There)

Nick Gillespie | October 31, 2007

reason reader and blogger Sandy Smith points us to the new simulation game, Fantasy Congress. From a writeup at Escapist mag:

Andrew Lee says he came up with Fantasy Congress in college, after watching his roommate obsess over fantasy football, and he frames his description of Fantasy Congress in fantasy sports terms. "Think of Fantasy Congress just like fantasy football," he says, "but instead of being a general manager of a football team, here you are the guy in the background who's picking and choosing the members of Congress that you think are gonna do well when they reconvene. Say, for example, you choose a number of members of Congress. ... It's exactly [like] fantasy football, except the metrics aren't touchdowns and interceptions."

Fantasy sports make use of preexisting statistics to determine how good a player is. Politics don't score that way, so Lee's team had to figure that out as they went along. "When we first started, we [used] legislation," he says. "Our users told us legislation is really boring. I can't tell when a piece of legislation is gonna be passed, but I can tell you, however, I can see when I read a piece of news - say, for example, right now with Senator Larry Craig from Idaho. He's in some trouble in terms of his bathroom incident. His scandal that's going on, I can see that. I'd like to be able to score points ... based off that. So we created a category for news mention. And in addition to that, you can actually see votes as they occur on C-SPAN. So people were interested in seeing votes."

More, including stories of players calling their congresshacks to improve their ratings and the greatest bio-line I've ever read ("Joe Blancato is an Associate Editor at The Escapist. His Fantasy Congress team, Team Wide Stance, is currently in fourth place in a 15-person league."), here.

Offical Fantasy Congress site here.

Me, I'm holding out for the Violent Fantasy Congress game.

Comments

|10.31.07 @ 2:03PM|#

I'm so embarrassed. I'm gonna play. This is gonna kick D&Ds ass!

|10.31.07 @ 2:12PM|#

Me, I'm holding out for the Violent Fantasy Congress game.

It would be cool if an episode like this happened live on C-SPAN. I wonder how many points the attacking Representative would get.

|10.31.07 @ 2:12PM|#

My Level 12 Republican Senator has a sword that does +5 against Civil Liberties.

|10.31.07 @ 2:14PM|#

If you don't want to play you can always read the book:

The Zero Game by Brad Meltzer

|10.31.07 @ 2:33PM|#

My fantasy Congress involves 12 goats, a transexual midget, 32 gallons of canola oil... Wait, this isn't what were talking about?

Jim Harper|10.31.07 @ 2:34PM|#

Then there's real Congress - where the winner is the one who takes the most out of your (real) wallet.

|10.31.07 @ 2:54PM|#

Dear Senator Permenamel,

I play fantasy congress and am pretty good at it. I was leading my league until last week when Congressperson Semigood posed topless to promote her breast cancer bill. Thing is, the rest of my fantasy team are all under indictment. They did they're job, now it's time for you to pull your weight. I need you to get some mainstream media attention. As you know, the popularity of fantasy congress has made competition for press coverage even more fierce. It's going to take something more than mere adultly or embezzlement. You might try promising underage illegal immigrants (preferably boys) green cards for their families in return for sexual favors. (It goes without saying that you wouldn't actually deliver the green cards).

A constituent

VM|10.31.07 @ 3:01PM|#

WARREN!

check this out!!! SFW!

Syloson of Samos|10.31.07 @ 3:01PM|#

Me, I'm holding out for the Violent Fantasy Congress game.

It would have to be set in the "Bleeding Kansas" era.

|10.31.07 @ 3:05PM|#

It would have to be set in the "Bleeding Kansas" era.

Or the 1790s. Those who think rank partisanship is somehow unique to our era are ignorant of both.

|10.31.07 @ 3:29PM|#

Remember those dead pool games? Howzabout a conservative Republican gay pool?

Just a thought.

LibertyPlease|10.31.07 @ 3:44PM|#

Me, I'm holding out for the Violent Fantasy Congress game.

Careful Nick, you're sounding like a 'Homegrown Terrorist'

Kolohe|10.31.07 @ 5:11PM|#

I suck at these things though. I picked up Sumner and traded away Brooks.

|10.31.07 @ 8:59PM|#

"Team Wide Stance" - Heh, damn, I love it. Wish I'd thought of that for my FF team - though I have grown particularly fond of my Michael Vick inspired "Drowning Hounds" name, especially since I'm 7-1 and in first place (hey now, don't call it all luck that I quite presciently drafted Romo and Moss). I guess Wide Stance would be more appropriate for a fantasy baseball team but I just can't get into that.

Pool Winner|10.31.07 @ 9:20PM|#

"Remember those dead pool games? Howzabout a conservative Republican gay pool?

Just a thought."


I'll take this guy.