This week's The Political Game examines the long-term political fallout from presidential hopeful Mark Warner's recent campaign stop on Second Life.
Will it help position him as a tech-savvy and youthful candidate? Or will political opponents turn his Second Life visit against him? Should politicians dabble in the gaming realm at all?
Check it out...
( Read more... )
While much of the reaction - at least in the game community - to presidential hopeful Mark Warner's Second Life visit has been positive, there's undeniably room to poke fun.
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank doesn't miss the chance in a witty piece titled Do You Have a Question, Pixeleen Minstral?. Milbank notes the confusion among reporters and Warner staffers in attendance - Second Life noobs for the most part:
"...the trouble began immediately for the Luddite staffers and reporters... They could not figure out how to make their characters, with names such as Shorewarz Zon and Pixeleen Minstral, take seats."
( Read more... )
Last week, presidential hopeful Mark Warner (D) wowed online gamers in a way that even WoW itself never has.
The former Virginia governor's ground-breaking visit to the popular MMO Second Life could be the first of many such appearances by politicians. Indeed, Warner himself will make a return trip to SL for a "virtual town hall" meeting in the fall.
GP has been hoping for some video of the event, and now we've got two for readers to check out. In the first clip Gov. Warner flies onstage - a trick even presidents can't pull off in real life.
Second Lifer Rik Riel has video of Warner being interviewed by journo Wagner James Au.
Reactions are still coming in to yesterday's visit by presidential hopeful Mark Warner to Second Life.
Chris Cillizza (we're guessing he's not a gamer) of the Washington Post called Warner's SL appearance "the strangest 'event' of the 2008 presidential race to date."
Cillizza also reported that "the virtual Warner flew onto the stage to make his remarks -a feat the real world Warner has yet to pull off (as far as we know)... Warner's online efforts shouldn't be discounted. His willingness to participate in a campaign event on Second Life shows that candidates are seeking to reach voters wherever they are - online and offline, in the real and virtual worlds."
( Read more... )
When a presidential contender makes an appearance inside an MMO, it shows just how mainstream games have become.
Later today, former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) will become the first U.S. politician to create a character - publicly at least - in the popular MMO, Second Life.
The ex-Guv, who is expected to make a strong run at the White House in 2008, will make his appearance in-game at 3:30 Eastern time. Once online, Warner will announce the first-ever "virtual town hall on American politics," scheduled for later this year.
"In Second Life," said Warner, "distances and time differences vanish. It will allow us to reach people through a whole new medium. Social technologies can be great tools for political change, and virtual worlds like Second Life might be the next tool for engaging people in the real world democratic process. We want to use Second Life to continue the conversation about the direction of our country. My avatar is also pretty funny looking. That alone makes it worth checking out."
( Read more... )