If Candidates Were Consoles...
If Candidates Were Consoles...
January 11, 2008
Game scribe Wagner James Au considers the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates and finds them rather like video game consoles:Barack Obama, Au writes, is the Wii:
[Obama] was first dismissed by Washington insiders for not having enough power or third-party backers — but has gone on to draw immense popularity... Instantly appealing like the Wii, Obama is popular not because of his library of policies, but because he is changing the way the game is played.
Hillary Clinton? She's the Xbox 360:
Backed by the most money, seen as a reliable and established brand, Hillary appeals most to the Democractic base, much the same way the 360 is most popular with hardcore gamers. Transitioning from her husband’s Xbox era, she offers not revolutionary change but steady, reliable content.
John Edwards represents the PlayStation 3:
Formerly the Democratic frontrunner of the previous generation, Edwards now offers a greatly enhanced library of positions with far more ideological power — which few except Edwards’ die-hard fanboys seem to be buying.
GP: The Edwards-PS3 comparison has a special irony, given the 2006 mini-scandal surrounding an Edwards staffer's efforts to obtain a Launch Day PlayStation 3 for the candidate's family.
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Posted 03/15/10 at 04:05pm
Andrew Eisen: I'm still here and I'm doing a lot of behind the scenes work (as time permits me). But it's true, I've only written one piece under the new GP but if that Facebook/JT bit is the last thing I write for the site, I’d be okay with that.
Andrew Eisen: I'm still here and I'm doing a lot of behind the scenes work (as time permits me). But it's true, I've only written one piece under the new GP but if that Facebook/JT bit is the last thing I write for the site, I’d be okay with that.
Posted 03/15/10 at 04:01pm
ZippyDSMlee: I suppose its not inane enough for petes muses*giggles*
ZippyDSMlee: I suppose its not inane enough for petes muses*giggles*
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:55pm
PHX Corp: It had the Video Games tag on it, I thought that it had been a video game law that was concerning it
PHX Corp: It had the Video Games tag on it, I thought that it had been a video game law that was concerning it
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:54pm
JDKJ: And what happened to "Senior GP Correspondent, Andrew Eisen, reporting from San Diego [and who has a better finger on the pulse of GP's readership than some others]?" Huh? Did he fall victim to the Night of the Long Knives?
JDKJ: And what happened to "Senior GP Correspondent, Andrew Eisen, reporting from San Diego [and who has a better finger on the pulse of GP's readership than some others]?" Huh? Did he fall victim to the Night of the Long Knives?
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:53pm
Andrew Eisen: No, but my one example was not meant to cover the entire spectrum. Besides, multiplayer is a big part of video games.
Andrew Eisen: No, but my one example was not meant to cover the entire spectrum. Besides, multiplayer is a big part of video games.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:50pm
Andrew Eisen: PHX Corp - Are you referring to AB 847? I haven't read the bill but the summary doesn't appear to apply to video games.
Andrew Eisen: PHX Corp - Are you referring to AB 847? I haven't read the bill but the summary doesn't appear to apply to video games.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:49pm
DarkSaber: 2 mediocre games do not "a big part of video games" make.
DarkSaber: 2 mediocre games do not "a big part of video games" make.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I suspect that'll fall victim to the "pass." Wrong side of the fence. It's North Korea we aren't supposed to like.
JDKJ: I suspect that'll fall victim to the "pass." Wrong side of the fence. It's North Korea we aren't supposed to like.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:48pm
DarkSaber: Although, following the "MW2 Made Lots of Money" excuse for a story, GP would be hard pressed to justify WHY they passed on it.
DarkSaber: Although, following the "MW2 Made Lots of Money" excuse for a story, GP would be hard pressed to justify WHY they passed on it.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:47pm
Andrew Eisen: DS - Not necessarily. See recent Ubisoft stories.
Andrew Eisen: DS - Not necessarily. See recent Ubisoft stories.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:47pm
Andrew Eisen: Zip - Or it will and GP hasn't had a chance in the last couple hours to get to it yet. Or yeah, maybe he’ll pass on it.
Andrew Eisen: Zip - Or it will and GP hasn't had a chance in the last couple hours to get to it yet. Or yeah, maybe he’ll pass on it.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:46pm
DarkSaber: Only if you play multiplayer AE.
DarkSaber: Only if you play multiplayer AE.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:45pm
Andrew Eisen: Except, aside from following up on an earlier story, GP frequently reports on internet censorship and net neutrality issues (the internet being a big part of video games and all).
Andrew Eisen: Except, aside from following up on an earlier story, GP frequently reports on internet censorship and net neutrality issues (the internet being a big part of video games and all).
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:45pm
ZippyDSMlee: I emailed it in DS, if Venezuela gets covered so should south koera but I gues not :P
ZippyDSMlee: I emailed it in DS, if Venezuela gets covered so should south koera but I gues not :P
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:45pm
PHX Corp: The CA S(Foghorn)heads are at it again, instead of banning M rated video games for children They are going to tax the hell out of them Literally and yhis time Yee aint The one trying to do it
PHX Corp: The CA S(Foghorn)heads are at it again, instead of banning M rated video games for children They are going to tax the hell out of them Literally and yhis time Yee aint The one trying to do it
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:39pm
DarkSaber: That is a VERY tenuous link to the "GamePolitics" umbrella, to be sure. One sentence referencing an older story tacked on at the end of 7 paragraphs.
DarkSaber: That is a VERY tenuous link to the "GamePolitics" umbrella, to be sure. One sentence referencing an older story tacked on at the end of 7 paragraphs.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:38pm
JDKJ: And as a change of pace, there's the article with the thinly-veiled criticism of the Chavez administration. Never seen that one before.
JDKJ: And as a change of pace, there's the article with the thinly-veiled criticism of the Chavez administration. Never seen that one before.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:35pm
DarkSaber: OBJECTION! The bobblehead only started being awarded AFTER Dennis got the boot. I mean voluntarily left, sorry.
DarkSaber: OBJECTION! The bobblehead only started being awarded AFTER Dennis got the boot. I mean voluntarily left, sorry.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:33pm
JDKJ: Dennis used to give more than mere "credit." Tipsters used to get a Hal Halpin bobblehead. If you're truly appreciative, show it. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
JDKJ: Dennis used to give more than mere "credit." Tipsters used to get a Hal Halpin bobblehead. If you're truly appreciative, show it. If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.
Posted 03/15/10 at 03:33pm
DarkSaber: Good to see GP is in touch with the community as always then.
DarkSaber: Good to see GP is in touch with the community as always then.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
EDWARDS HAS NO GAMES
BARACK IS GIMMICKY
HILLARY HAS RED RING OF DEATH
and what does George Bush equate to, a Mac?
"and what does George Bush equate to, a Mac?"
Ha.. ha ha. No. George is Vista. Everyone's sick of the stupidity, bugginess, etc and would rather dump it and go back to the previous version. ;)
But much I think the 360's 3RLOD mirrors her campaign trail so well...XD
Mitt Romney is the N-Gage. A fad that never took on.
I would say that John McCain is the PC. Reliable and ever present if not the most popular.
Any ideas for Huckabee, Thompson, and Guiliani?
I guess whoever wrote this didn't hear that PS3 sales are growing rapidly. I don't like the implications that comparison has on our country... since the PS3 (but not John Edwards) will become the new favorite before the end of '08.
Additionally, I find the Hillary-360 comparison blasphemous, especially considering the fact that she would attempt to ban herself in this strange paralleliverse.
Also, I would never let Hillary into my house.
sure you can reliably count on her to be full of shit, but that's about it.
Thompson=Dreamcast
He was popular in the beginning, coming from a long history in politics but his campain fizzled out and lost that popularity before the rest of the candidates' did.
He's not that bright (the first GBA had no backlight) and a lack of buttons limits his expressions (9/11)
damn I find that insulting slightly, the 360 should not ever be in the same sentence as hillary clinton!"
Glad I'm not the only one. I enjoy the 360, and i loathe Hillary Clinton.
If Hillary is any console, she is a bad, cheaply made imitation of a real console, sold to fools who don't know any better and want a cheap toy. Just like she is a bad, cheaply sold, self serving, imitation of a real candidate, sold to fools who don't know any better and want to help enact the end times.
I'm guessing Hillary is the Vii then ;) .
Hilary = wii overated, and gimmicky
john mccain = xbox 360 embarrasing failure but people buy/vote for him anyway
No! Hillary's a Vii!
John Edwards is the Wii because if you let go he'll fly into your TV set.
Fred Thompson is the PS3 because he can play Blu-Ray discs.
Barack Obama is the SNES because he had a mouse early in his life.
Mitt Romney is Sega Genesis because he can play Sonic the Hedgehog.
Hillary Clinton is NeoGeo because... Ah, screw it.
@ Jabrwock: loved the Vista joke :)
Ron Paul would be like the Dreamcast. It dropped out a long time ago in the console generation it was competing in because it wasn't popular enough, but it still has a very loyal fanbase who say was the last bastion of true gaming.
"If Hillary is any console, she is a bad, cheaply made imitation of a real console, sold to fools who don’t know any better and want a cheap toy. Just like she is a bad, cheaply sold, self serving, imitation of a real candidate, sold to fools who don’t know any better and want to help enact the end times."
...iPhone?
i have never had more than a minor malfunction on any of my systems.
i personally prefer games THAT ACUALLY WORK than the exploding ps3s.
so, Hilary would be a v-smile?
-I am just annoyed by her, so I felt like insulting her. She can keep the RROD though.
thank you for helping the world see that ps3 arnt crap and the sales and games are going up
back on topic if hillary is a 360 im never gonna buy one to save my life and if shes elected ill never get the chance nazi bitch
Ironically that almost perfectly defines the OTHER thompson we know and love.
Edwards and Obama suppoedly represent the candidate for change whilst Hillary represents the status quo.
The Xbox 360 had the least amount of new features vs. the last gen model.
1 wow im so proud for you, you must be the only one
2 sdid someone put tnt in a playatation or did you just make that up, oh yeah you made it up,
how droll
Nah, dude. If anything; he is the Phillips CD-i. He abuses his licenses to make confused ideologies of games.
If you need help on to figure out what goes on in his head, check out the enclosed instruction book.
Nope
The "Vii"
Look it up, im serious.
So yes, Pong is George Washington.
Agreed.
Heh, here's something:
Lincoln could be Colecovision,
Nixon could be the Atari 2600, since his actions almost caused the American goverment to collapse.
With that, Gerald Ford is the NES, since he got people to trust the United States goverment again... right?
Ronald Reagan is the NES. (Began the revolution.)
Bill Clinton is the Sony Playstation. (Popular but with little worthwhile content in retrospect.)
Ross Perot is the Saturn.
Bob Dole was the N64.
George W. Bush is the Gamecube. (With Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, and Powell as its many peripheral devices.)
Howard Dean was the Dreamcast. (First out of the gate only to Crash and Burn)
John Kerry was the original X-Box.
Okay, I'll stop now.
...
I'd agree with the Hilary/360 comparison: Clinton probably has a 33% or greater failure rate.
John Edwards being a PS3 works well enough. He has the most power (money) but can't seem to get anywhere with it.
Obama isn't white enough to be a Wii.
What? Somebody had to say it!!....
I'll shut up now.
hmm. either you are lying, neither of us know the truth or someone else is lying...
i just refuse to respect a company that at the last miniute attempted to copy the wii. ( the yaw-pich sencing in the controllers.) and even though its marketed like you need to do big movements to operate the wii, you dont. and im not saying that there arent any good games for ps3 ( im personally saddened that the next metal gear isn't coming out on a console i own.)
srry for double posting, but i acually did market recearch before i bought a new console. im not as concerned about graphics as gameplay, so the wii seemed a natural choice
the only thing that offended me about your post was compairing hilary to a wii
I stated earlier that hes the Phillips CD-i, since he uses his license to make these confused interpretations of video game series. And because of that, former allies have distanced themselves.
i dunno if you can say sony copied nintendo scince gyroscpes have been used to make plug and play sports games for over 10 years
the biggest reason i bought a ps3 is gta and that im a techno junkie and i just couldent turn down a blu-ray and cell processor
obvioussly im neither a wii fan or a hilary fan but i think everyone buy/vote for the console/candidate they think represents them (which in the end is really none of them but you choose anyway)
and that lawyer is those old tiger toys games there everywhere but there incomprehensible and painful
I'm not saying the PS3 won't develop a fan base or do well for itself, much as the Gamecube did last generation, but claiming that the PS3 will definitely be number one seems a little silly.
I look forward to Lovina's column each week. It is so nice of her to share her family with others. Lately I have been reading several of Wanda Brunstetter's books about the Amish and have enjoyed them so much.