Ian Bogost - Water Cooler Games - Whack-a-Politician

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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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Whack-a-Politician

by Ian Bogost April 8, 2006

categories: Political Games

According to The Washington Post, a group of researchers at the Stanford political communication lab are using an online whack-a-mole game to measure players feelings about politicians. They built whack-a-mole games with politician heads instead of rodents, then measured the effects of "cathartic whacking." The results?

...political independents had a significantly less sour view of Bush and the GOP after spending 45 seconds whacking images of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and other rogue leaders.

In addition to the politician version, featuring the likes of Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Fidel Castro, the group also has a version with whackable Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart and Britney Spears. The most popular whackees? Dick Cheney, Michael Jackson, and Adolf Hitler. Hmm...

(thanks to Kenton, via Serious Games)

Comments (4)

The most popular whackees? ... Michael Jackson ...

I assumed he was a whacker.

Bunny Fru Fru on April 8, 2006 4:27 AM

Those who are feeling particularly patriotic can also whack "commie" spies in the "Whack a Mole" game at the National Spy Museum in Washington D.C. See http://www.spymuseum.org/games/mole.html for the actual online fun.

Elizabeth Losh on April 10, 2006 5:13 AM

Have you seen the Thatcher related whack-em-up, where you whack striking miners? You can play it at http://www.milksnatcher.com and they have one called 'The Lady's not for Burning' after her quote, 'The lady's not for turning' at http://www.maggiethatcher.com/burning.html

maggie on May 16, 2006 5:00 PM

Hmm someone should sell a bumper sticker: "President Bush: At least's he's better than Hitler!"

charlie_six on June 8, 2006 11:17 AM