Game Politics

Increasingly, political candidates are turning to game tech as a campaign tool.

In the latest example, Michigan Republican Mike Bouchard, facing an uphill battle for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow, offers an online game, "Thank you, Debbie".

The game itself is minimally interactive. To begin, players must click on a a virtual representation of Sen. Stabenow's door, which bears the legend, "Dangerously Incompetent."
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A California consumer group is using online game technology to protest skyrocketing costs, poor patient service and a cold shoulder from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).

Nurse Avenger, offered by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, is played in first-person shooter style, allowing players to blast away at health insurance representatives who are drawn to look like mobsters. The idea is to keep the reps from reaching the patient's bed. If they do, they'll issue a denial of needed healthcare services and the player will lose a life. After five such denials, the player dies. If the player beats the game, he or she unlocks universal health care.
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