" I suppose if I were to add Ron Paul to the game now, his would unleash a fury of emails and telephone calls."

i love it! :D

I think his power up should be a swarm of spam bots sending out support email. :)

I know I'm about to call down the thunder, but here goes...

The response Bogost got from Ron Paul supporters is exactly why I'm avoiding the man like he carries the plague. Completely isolated from his "bat-crap-crazy" fans, a lot of his statements and policies can seem quite appealing. I also have to compliment his campaign squad for mounting the strongest and most wide-spread online campaign I have ever seen.

However, both online and off, most of the supporters I have come into contact with are lunatics, rude, and down right mean.

For the love of all that is holy, it was a Pong variation with political figures as avatars. Ron Paul was left out for a very logical reason, and not including him will not ruin his chances at winning the election.

As with most things in life, supporters I admire, but zealots I detest and pity.

Ron Pauls supporters are quickly turning into their own worst enemy. The bulk of his internet support is from young people that are frustrated with the system. Most young people don't understand the importance of intelligent discourse, instead they provoke flame wars.

You cannot judge a candidate by the people that hit onto his bandwagon. Instead you have to judge someone by the people he actively pursues and shakes hands with.

Every candidate has a certain percentage of crazies. EVERY CANDIDATE. yes, that means yours, you probably have not met them yet. Whomever you support, he/she has complete nutballs supporting him that will do anything to get their man votes. Up to, and including breaking the law (Voter Intimidation, Election Fraud, etc).

Well, in all fairness, it's not ALL of his supporters, just like it's not ALL gamers that send Emails etc to certain lawyers. It's usually just a vocal few. Let's not make the mistake of judging all groups by the worst examples, else we become no better than that lawyer.

I suppose if you do a post on Ron Paul now, you will get some much needed traffic on a such an unpopular blog.

Uh-oh GP they are already coming out of the woodwork...

@disinter,

Considering I've never seen you post before, how come you are so well versed on how much traffic GP is getting?

@Merc25

yes he has, however the game was released at around the same time as the first debate meaning that those making it had to use the canidate and debate information they had before the first debate. Not sure why since i haven't follow things very closely, but it sounds like when they were developing the game Ron Paul wasn't slated to appear in the first debates, as in his choice to show up for the first debate was more last minute than the other canidates.

@GameDevMich

Humanity will always have its fanboys, albeit under different names depending on what they're (excessively) pushing. In religion, we call them zealots. In anime, we call them otaku.

@ GameDevMich

Interesting analogy.

But Ron Paul might be an interesting presidential candidate, if he could get the mainstream Republicans backing him. I can't really get behind him as I am not a republican. But it could be interesting if by some off chance, he managed to win the Republican nomination.

You know I'm still looking for all those revenue generating ads these people always claim are here.

GameDevMich says:

"The other candidates have their lunatic supporters as well, that’s for sure. However, this online campaign for Ron Paul has gone from clever, informative, and interesting to complete “Volcano Status.” "

And I'm sure it's just a mere anomly that this 'We are getting fed up' happens to coincide with him become a much more viable candidate. For months blogs (I've never read your blog before, so don't take it personally) have been poking at him childishly but saying he doesn't stand a chance, blah blah blah. But, since he has gained, suddenly it is "WE ARE FED UP WITH YOU PEOPLE." Are you really annoyed with us, or that Ron Paul is gaining?

See, while I will admit many of his supporters do go way overboard at times, I don't personally worry about it all that much. Those becoming annoyed, etc.. are people that have been childish towards his campaign and supporters ALL ALONG. If you are the only people that are getting annoyed, well, what's your point?

Let me ask you this:

Do you think Cheese's post above was nice and civil? I really don't see anyone admonishing these people. Nope, one can conclude Ron Paul supporters only seem to be annoying to people that are already anit-Ron-Paul.

I'll let you have the last word. I sure you are not really any more interested in having a reasonable discussion than Cheese is.

Good luck with your blog, etc...

Oops, one last thing, then I'm out of your hair:

Like Redstate, etc.. blogs in general seem to be fine with 100 Ron Paul posts as long as they are attacking him. One or two Pro-Ron-Paul posts and they start talking about banning, etc...

If you don't want to hear from Ron Paul's supporters, don't write about him. If you start attacking him childishly, expect to get angry responses.

But I have a revolution to get back to now.

Have a nice day.

Zippy,

Ron Paul has spent 20 years in federal office and made 2 presidential runs. Sorry to tell you, but he's a career politician and is completely blinded by his political agenda, but hey good on him. I whole-heartedly support him to be the republican nominee. Please, please, please.

"Do you think Cheese’s post above was nice and civil? I really don’t see anyone admonishing these people."

I found your statements intelligent and civil enough to respond to, contrary to his (sorry Cheese). However, there are some flaws in your statements, nothing huge though.

"...I’ve never read your blog before, so don’t take it personally"

First, I don't keep a steady blog. I post on this site and one other related to actual game development. This is a message forum for Game Politics, not a blog. Speaking of which, you haven't actually commented on the story, so I'd like to hear your opinion on it.

"Nope, one can conclude Ron Paul supporters only seem to be annoying to people that are already anit(sic)-Ron-Paul."

You have taken the stance that I am against Ron Paul, which at no point have I made such a claim. Saying I don't like the number 3 does not automatically mean I hate the number 7. So one cannot come to that conclusion based on my my previous statements.

Prior to Cheese's comments, I don't think I read one single attack on Ron Paul, just some passing comments on the more annoying supporters we've come into contact with.

When I first read a pro-Ron Paul message, it was on YouTube and had nothing to do with the video. Still, I read the message and was intrigued. I performed my own research on the man. Millions of random postings on nearly ever site that allows user responses later, I do not think it is unnatural for one to become annoyed with the constant barrage of all caps regurgitation of the same information.

Scott, you are an uncommon exception to what most of us have been exposed to. I hold no malice toward you, nor have I lumped you in with the crazy political supporters. I was merely saying they are out there, and since a decent number of us GP regulars spend a decent amount of time on the Internet, the ones we are most exposed to are Ron Paul supporters.

That's the drawback to an aggressive online campaign. Consumers of the Internet get sick of the same thing very quickly, regardless of the original intent.

Good luck with the revolution =)

GameDevMich,

Well, I lied. I did stop back because I really wanted to see your response. I do take note that my tone did seem to be personally directed at you. Actually, it wasn't. I was speaking in the general and I admit it was off topic. Well, if you follow the flow of comments it fit into that more than it did the original topic.

But, as far as the original topic, itself, I would agree with you that attacking the game developers for not including Ron Paul is more than ridiculous. I read his explanation and thought it more than reasonable.

Maybe that's really the problem here. When reading the blogs about Ron Paul, it typically starts out with a few people responding on topic, then someone comes along (either Ron Paul supporter or Anti-Ron-Paul) and starts a fight. The whole thread goes off topic, and the RP supporters far outnumber the ron-paul-haters (after all, they were ACTIVELY seeking articles about the man) and it looks like it is RPs supporters only hijacking the comments.

But, more often than not, the admins come to the defense of the anti-Paul posters while admonishing RP's supporters.

And yes, there are many many many blogs using the whole "Hey nutjobs, be civil" approach to start a fight with Ron Paul's supporters. I have more and more just started skipping over the negative articles. This one caught my eye because I thought it was silly that Ron Paul's supporters would actually have such an issue with this. But, seeing as how Ron Paul is quite popular, there are going to be segments of every kind supporting him just like any other candidate.

Even some that don't understand that the author of this game can do whatever he wants with his own game. He doesn't owe us anything and doesn't have to pander to him. There is no reason or logic to bullying someone into supporting Ron Paul. Even Jesus himself wouldn't get 100% of the vote and it is crazy to think he would.

Anyways, I strayed way off topic and I thank you for tolerating my intrusion. I did not mean to imply that you, GameDevMich, were a Ron Paul hater. I can see how my rant appeared that way, though.

To others, like Cheese:

Please try to be more civil. You are free to disagree with Ron Paul, but it would be nice if you just pointed out why, rather than resorting to insults. I can't promise you that someone won't still try to convert you, but at least you could claim the higher ground. As I said, even Jesus wouldn't pull 100% of the votes. I can live with your disagreement and even respect it. I am only offended by the childish insults.

Cheese
agenda? and do tell me that the status quo neo dims and cons are somehow better? at last what he wants is goverment as it was 20+ years ago when it had oversight and less stupid regulations.

Compared to the lot of status quo of the 2 party nazis hes a breath of fresh air, the best thing about it is that any of his more "radical" goverment ideas can not put into effect because the other party's have the house and senate, so what changes he can bring will be moderate and something this country needs.

Its fine if you don't like him but you have to admit the system is broken, and hes no worse a choice than the rest.

Zebthemarmot
Sure RP supporters are vocal and whiny but it s almost better than the placid sheeple who think the 2 party system still works.

@Scott McDonald - Thanks for popping back in to reply. I enjoyed our civil exchange of opinions.

@Zebthemarmot - A bit extreme, don't ya think? I can't stand a vast majority of tourists, yet I still go to Seaworld every other month. I don't like a few of my best friend's mutual acquaintances, yet I still hang out with him. Should Ron Paul get elected, it doesn't mean his supporters would be running the country.

@ZippyDSMlee - Love the message, hate the term sheeple. It's not the definition of 'sheeple' that bugs me, it's just the sound of it =)

@DarthCylon - Yes, they in fact can and should. Forget the past 8 years, the events of the past 16 years in the USA should provide enough material for candidates to complain about and fix. Sadly, only a couple are sincerely complaining and planning to do something. The rest are just agreeing with everyone else because it sounds good.

By the by, it is nice to see Bogost is laughing this event off. Some designers/developers vehemently defend their games.

People get upset, more news @ 11...

Ron Paul isn't going to do anything especially with a congress that'd be against him.

Loon, moonbat, crazy, etc..

Oddly no one ever wants to discuss issues about Paul.

I wonder why?

All you do with that sort of nonsense is enforce the status quo.

It is not a very good status quo.

@Joe Schmoe:

I don't come onto your fora and plug games I like. Do reciprocate.

Anyway, there's a reason he's not running as a Libertarian: he's pretty much a tool of the religious right, never met a morally repressive bill he didn't like. He'd probably have Bioware arrested for their little lesbian scene. He's just a better actor than most.

It is sad to see so much misinformation and ignorance when it comes to politics. Make an effort to research a candidate before you bash him/her. This is a presidential election, not celebrity expose. And stop acting as if you need to root for your 'team', be it Rep or Dem. Vote for the candidate, not the party. If you look closely they are nearly identical on the big issues. Take this seriously, Do your research, or shut your mouth (and don't bother voting). Never thought you'd discover an honest politician? Ron Paul is one. He is a good man with 'we the people' at the heart of his decisions. Please grow up and stop judging a candidate based on tie color, party affiliation, smile, hairstyle, money, loud vocal supporters, a single issue, etc.

Agh, typos. Game, not gae.

commonsense
Sorry after checking out Hillery's polices and what not I no I do not want to vote for another snake oli salesmen.

while Ron is a rep I see him as a indapentant since his own party treats him like soap in the middle of grease.

I'll take Ron over anyone and Edwards/Obama as the ultimate lesser of evils.

Mad_Scientist
Pretty much hes not a mad ban hammering SOB like the rest of them that want to pander for votes/favor at the cost of citizen rights, for the most part he wants goverment to govern and business to be free to compete with each other, as the system is now the goverment creates and grows monopolies not shrinks them, some of his views are OTT but will never be made part of goverment because a strong conisius would need to be in place to pass them, so it comes down to what he can do and that would be balancing goverment and business religion and what not is a local matter between voters and courts between them the fed dose not need to get involved.

He can save the nation if he can separate state and big biz(save it from the eventual collapse the un fettered status quo will bring) and he is the only one running who wants to even try.

Out of the lot Ron is only non "star" or "in fame only" candidate running, I still think he is the best choice from the lot of failed neo con/dims.


BTW if politics was not such a joke I might respect it more but I see greedy lairing hypocrites, as sub human and refuse to give them the time of day.

Thus why I can only really stand Ron,Obama and Edwards the rest are sub human dictators ready to screw up humanity even more.


On a side note Romney is looking better to me but his mindless fear of apparent un religious thigns (gays,sex,marriage,ect) really just turns me off, the rest are hacks so full of fail its not even funny.

Well, it was inevitable. Quite a few RP supporters who have never been to this site come in assuming we are bashing the candidate, and make no effort to contribute to the main article discussion line.

With the exception of Scott McDonald, who took the time to engage in civil conversation and correct others, as well as himself, some of you just came
in and searched (ctrl+f) for anything negative you could find so that you could spread your message.

WE GET IT! Ron Paul is an interesting and refreshing runner for the presidency. YES! There are worst politicians out there. YES! We understand why he gets such widespread support, and that not all supporters are annoying zealots.

..........I can't contain it anymore.....my composure has finally been obliterated......

NOW GET THIS THROUGH YOUR SKULLS: THIS ARTICLE AND 95% OF ITS VIEWERS AND POSTERS DID NOT SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE ABOUT RON PAUL.


For the love of all that represents common sense and courtesy, take the time to read through an article and the thread before you pass judgment.

Dropping into the middle of a discussion telling people that they are "hating" on someone without knowing what is going on is PURE F*CKING HYPOCRISY!!!!!!!

I honestly do not get it. How can such a large group of people seem so vastly different from the person they support...

Bash Ron Paul all you want, we have the numbers and we have the money. We continue to contribute to him because he stands for the constitution. Ron Paul does not tolerate big business lawlessness or underhanded politics as usual.. All I can say is wake up, you guys seem asleep to me, this election is one of the most important in the past 2-3 decades..

Ron Paul is the only man that refers to the constitution seriously and you make fun of him.. That is very un-American!! To me it is quite pathetic and undeserving to do this. At least we stand for something!!! You bashers do not stand for anything good it seems!! God willing Ron Paul will win. Oh, BTW.. Here is another fact, my friends stationed in Iraq also contribute to him.. I guess they're nutjobs too huh??

@Terrible Tom -

"Ron Paul wasn’t going to appear in the first debates. So we didn’t include him in the game… "

He had a valid reason. He created a game for THAT situation. He didn't exclude RP for malicious reasons. People are looking too deeply into this, as with most things.

@Greg - Thank you for proving my point you poor, ignorant, blind fool. In the distant future, you will die having missed so much and you are going to be pissed.

FOR ANY OTHER RP SUPPORTERS COMING LATE TO THIS LITTLE PARTY, I NOW TYPE IN CAPS SO YOU CAN READ THIS. READ THE DAMN ARTICLE AND THE POSTS BEFORE YOU JUDGE THE PEOPLE AND THE ARTICLE WRITER.

***THIS IS NOT AN ANTI-RON PAUL ARTICLE OR BASH SESSION***

Do we have to use magnificently colored icons and words for you to get this!?!?!?!?

...when you are not sober. **