Thanks to the Cyberspace@UCLA group and Professor Susanne Lohmann for a heads up about Howard Dean's new videogame. For those not in the know, Dean is a candidate for President of the United States of America, the country's most important office (though there are others with more prestige). Dean is the front-runner for the Democratic Party nomination, and he got to the front of the pack using the internet and social software.
For more on the Dean campaign and the internet, read elsewhere.
What about the game? You wave signs, hand out literature, and knock on doors to build support in various counties of the great state of Iowa, where the nomination contest begins in a few weeks. Supporters breed supporters, and as the clock ticks down, Dean marches to victory! Game experts have not been kind to political games in the past; one wonders how this one will be received.
Well, at least Dean shows he's not afraid of the technology. We now await the response of the anti-game candidate, Joe Lieberman. Most likely: more TV ads.
[Edit: From the It's A Small World After All Department: The Howard Dean game was developed by Ian Bogost of Water Cooler Games. Also on staff: Gonzalo Frasca, author of September 12, the game that caught Greg Costikyan's ire.]
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