Gaming the Election
Could Newt Gingrich win California? Would Michelle Obama outperform her husband? Does Ron Paul really have a chance at the White House?
A new strategy game, The Political Machine 2012 (Stardock Entertainment, $9.95), attempts to make this year's electoral maneuvering palatable by putting the gamer in charge. Players choose from various political figures and oversee state-by-state presidential politics.
Playing against the computer or another player, you buy ads, give interviews, seek endorsements, and decide where to give speeches (and on which subjects; marijuana legalization is one option). The cartoonish, bobble-headed candidates have personal statistics that quantify their strengths and weaknesses. (Paul supporters will be pleased by his high intelligence score.) Stamina and fund raising skills seem to be the most valuable traits, making it tough for candidates whose strengths lie elsewhere to win—a design decision that sadly reflects reality.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
good thanks sohbet
cinsel sohbet