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.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
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.