Water Cooler Games
Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.
The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
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Another Political Whack-a-Mole Clone
by Ian Bogost November 26, 2007
categories:
Political Games
Matt Blunt: Document Destroyer is a simple game about Missouri Governor Matt Blunt's alleged destruction of official documents.
It's another -- yes ANOTHER Whack-a-Mole clone. Go ahead, search this site for more. I thought that Whack-a-Mole was a stepping stone for political games, but it seems that its the one mechanic that applies to all circumstances. "Find", "catch", and "hit" are verbs that seem particularly suited to simplistic gripes with candidates or issues.
Check out how deftly the Missouri Republicans shifted the frame on the game though. A great example of how deftly the GOP can respond to the Dems typically half-assed efforts, in or out of games.
While Democrats prefer to spend their time and donor resources on frivolous pursuits in a make-believe world, Governor Blunt and Republicans are focused on real-world concerns like improving the quality of life for all Missourians, which is certainly no game.
(via Wired News, thanks to Mavenu)
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