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RIGHT- AND LEFT-CLICK POLITICS

Author(s): Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff Date: August 19, 2004 Page: E1 Section: Business

The 2004 presidential race ended last week in a stunning defeat for Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, as incumbent President George W. Bush cruised to an easy victory.

At least that's how it played out at Kirk McPike's house. McPike, a 27-year-old graphic designer in Dallas, and a Kerry supporter, blamed himself for Kerry's poor showing. "I got slaughtered," he said. McPike might have done better if he had read the instructions that came with his copy of The Political Machine, a new computer game that lets players simulate the race for the White House. Developed by Stardock Corp. of Livonia, Mich., The Political Machine is one of several new game titles that cater to civics junkies.

Political computer games are nothing new; an early effort, President-Elect by Strategic Simulations Inc., made its debut two decades ago. But computer gaming was still a rare and esoteric hobby in the 1980s. Today, half of all Americans play digital games, and political buffs have taken notice.

That's why such candidates as President Bush and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean have published entertaining minigames for their websites, to attract Internet-savvy voters and perhaps change a few minds.

And it's why Paris-based Ubisoft, one of the world's leading game companies, cut a deal with Stardock to sell Political Machine for $29.95 at major software retailers.

"Video games are a legitimate part of pop culture today," said Jay Cohen, Ubisoft's vice president of publishing. Injecting the real-world rivalries of American politics "really makes for good controversy, fun controversy," he said.

Stardock specializes in software that lets users modify the appearance of their computer screens. But the company has also dabbled in games, such as a science-fiction strategy title, Galactic Civilizations. "Over the years, we have always had a high interest in doing games," chief executive Brad Wardell said. "We just like making them."

The razor-thin Bush victory of 2000 presented Wardell with an opportunity. The electorate was cut in half," he said. "We knew we could make a game. The sides were even." So Wardell assembled a five-person development team and spent $250,000 a pittance by today's standards to develop the game, which lacks the complex 3-D graphics of most popular computer software.

Instead, the focus is on strategy. Players can act as the campaign manager for Bush, for Kerry, or for other real or fictional candidates. You can run Arnold Schwarzenegger's presidential campaign, for instance, even though the Austrian-born actor turned California governor is constitutionally barred from the presidency. Candidates can boost their standing in each of the 50 states by holding rallies, appearing on talk shows, creating TV commercials, and taking stands on a variety of controversial issues, from abortion to the war on terrorism. The candidate who racks up the necessary 270 electoral votes is the winner.

The Political Machine is designed to be fair to liberals and conservatives alike. "We try to be as nonpartisan as possible," Wardell said. "If we're biased for one side or the other, it's going to come out and then people won't buy the game."

Its availability at retail stores means that The Political Machine will probably be the most visible political game of the year.

Magic Lantern Inc., of Monmouth, Ill., is relying on its website, www.lanterngames.com, to sell its $24.95 election game, Frontrunner. In this game, candidates are given issues that they play like cards in a poker hand. There are no gray areas a candidate is either for or against allowing abortion, for instance.

"We felt that polarizing them, it would be a much more fun way to play the game," said Dawn Maye, Magic Lantern's publishing director. Candidates try to acquire the optimum mix of issues that will win over enough voters to put them over the top.

The simplistic design might not suit the hard-core political junkie, but that's not Magic Lantern's core market. "I'm hoping to get one in every household," Maye said. "We've really designed it so it's great for kids, especially Grade 6 and up." This also makes the game more accessible to adults with just a casual interest in politics. These casual players are also being targeted directly by political candidates.

During his failed bid for the Democratic nomination, Howard Dean turned to Ian Bogost to design a game for his website. Bogost, a founding partner of Persuasive Games LLC in Atlanta and a professor of digital media at Georgia Tech, designed an online game in which players won points for encouraging Iowa Democrats to support Dean in that state's caucuses.

Bogost thinks his game was the first created especially for a presidential campaign, but he expects to see plenty of others.

Indeed, the main Republican Party website, www.gop.org, features several Web-based games, mostly devoted to mockery of John Kerry. One of them, titled Kerry vs. Kerry, targets the Democratic candidate's reputation for frequently changing his position on important issues. Boxing promoter Don King, a Bush supporter, referees a match between two versions of John Kerry, each holding a different view of a major political issue.

GOP spokeswoman Christine Iverson said a million games of Kerry vs. Kerry have been played so far.

But do games like Kerry vs. Kerry attract only people who are already committed Bush supporters?

"Not necessarily," Iverson replied. Many visitors send the website link to their friends, thus exposing them to the Republican message. "Internet games are a way for us to deliver a serious political message in an unconventional way. They tend to have a much wider audience than you might expect."

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.

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RIGHT- AND LEFT-CLICK POLITICS Author(s): Hiawatha Bray Globe Staff Date: August 19, 2004 Page: E1 Section: Business The 2004 presidential race ended last week in a stunning defeat for Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, as incumbent President George W. Bush cruised to an easy victory. At least that's how it played out at Kirk McPike's house. McPike, a 27-year-old graphic designer in Dallas, and a Kerry supporter, blamed himself for Kerry's poor showing. "I got slaughtered," he said. McPike might have done better if he had read the instructions that came with his copy of The Political Machine, a new computer game that lets players simulate the race for the White House. Developed by Stardock Corp. of Livonia, Mich., The Political Machine is one of several new game titles that cater to civics junkies. Political computer games are nothing new; an early effort, President-Elect by Strategic Simulations Inc., made its debut two decades ago. But computer gaming was still a rare and esoteric hobby in the 1980s. Today, half of all Americans play digital games, and political buffs have taken notice. That's why such candidates as President Bush and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean have published entertaining minigames for their websites, to attract Internet-savvy voters and perhaps change a few minds. And it's why Paris-based Ubisoft, one of the world's leading game companies, cut a deal with Stardock to sell Political Machine for $29.95 at major software retailers. "Video games are a legitimate part of pop culture today," said Jay Cohen, Ubisoft's vice president of publishing. Injecting the real-world rivalries of American politics "really makes for good controversy, fun controversy," he said. Stardock specializes in software that lets users modify the appearance of their computer screens. But the company has also dabbled in games, such as a science-fiction strategy title, Galactic Civilizations. "Over the years, we have always had a high interest in doing games," chief executive Brad Wardell said. "We just like making them." The razor-thin Bush victory of 2000 presented Wardell with an opportunity. The electorate was cut in half," he said. "We knew we could make a game. The sides were even." So Wardell assembled a five-person development team and spent $250,000 a pittance by today's standards to develop the game, which lacks the complex 3-D graphics of most popular computer software. Instead, the focus is on strategy. Players can act as the campaign manager for Bush, for Kerry, or for other real or fictional candidates. You can run Arnold Schwarzenegger's presidential campaign, for instance, even though the Austrian-born actor turned California governor is constitutionally barred from the presidency. Candidates can boost their standing in each of the 50 states by holding rallies, appearing on talk shows, creating TV commercials, and taking stands on a variety of controversial issues, from abortion to the war on terrorism. The candidate who racks up the necessary 270 electoral votes is the winner. The Political Machine is designed to be fair to liberals and conservatives alike. "We try to be as nonpartisan as possible," Wardell said. "If we're biased for one side or the other, it's going to come out and then people won't buy the game." Its availability at retail stores means that The Political Machine will probably be the most visible political game of the year. Magic Lantern Inc., of Monmouth, Ill., is relying on its website, www.lanterngames.com, to sell its $24.95 election game, Frontrunner. In this game, candidates are given issues that they play like cards in a poker hand. There are no gray areas a candidate is either for or against allowing abortion, for instance. "We felt that polarizing them, it would be a much more fun way to play the game," said Dawn Maye, Magic Lantern's publishing director. Candidates try to acquire the optimum mix of issues that will win over enough voters to put them over the top. The simplistic design might not suit the hard-core political junkie, but that's not Magic Lantern's core market. "I'm hoping to get one in every household," Maye said. "We've really designed it so it's great for kids, especially Grade 6 and up." This also makes the game more accessible to adults with just a casual interest in politics. These casual players are also being targeted directly by political candidates. During his failed bid for the Democratic nomination, Howard Dean turned to Ian Bogost to design a game for his website. Bogost, a founding partner of Persuasive Games LLC in Atlanta and a professor of digital media at Georgia Tech, designed an online game in which players won points for encouraging Iowa Democrats to support Dean in that state's caucuses. Bogost thinks his game was the first created especially for a presidential campaign, but he expects to see plenty of others. Indeed, the main Republican Party website, www.gop.org, features several Web-based games, mostly devoted to mockery of John Kerry. One of them, titled Kerry vs. Kerry, targets the Democratic candidate's reputation for frequently changing his position on important issues. Boxing promoter Don King, a Bush supporter, referees a match between two versions of John Kerry, each holding a different view of a major political issue. GOP spokeswoman Christine Iverson said a million games of Kerry vs. Kerry have been played so far. But do games like Kerry vs. Kerry attract only people who are already committed Bush supporters? "Not necessarily," Iverson replied. Many visitors send the website link to their friends, thus exposing them to the Republican message. "Internet games are a way for us to deliver a serious political message in an unconventional way. They tend to have a much wider audience than you might expect." Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. Easy-print version \| Search again Technical problems: If you have a technical problem with your account please contact Newsbank at 1-800-896-5587 or by e-mail at bostonglobe@newsbank.com. Return to the home page of The Boston Globe Online © Copyright 2003 New York Times Company