The Political Game: The Virtual Candidate
by Dennis McCauley 
{ Sep 8th 2006 at 11:55AM }
Each week Dennis McCauley contributes The Political Game, a column on the collision of politics and video games:
Is it youthful and hip -- or just geeky and weird -- for a major political candidate to shake hands with a furry or kiss a baby avatar in the virtual world?
We'll find out in 2008.
When presidential hopeful Mark Warner visited Second Life last week, it represented a milestone for both online gaming and American politics.
For the online game community, the former Virginia governor's Second Life stop was a definite boost. Most notably, it marked the first time anything but negative political attention -- violence! addiction! -- has ever been paid to an MMO. Moreover, Warner's visit was a tacit admission that there is something worth tapping into within the Second Life space -- that, despite the game's virtual landscape and offbeat avatars, SL is a real place, populated by gamers with genuine concerns, and, most importantly, gamers who vote.
Warner, a Democrat, is seen as a strong candidate for his party's nomination in 2008. His Second Life appearance was brief, and, like most real-world campaign stops, carefully managed. After flying onstage, Warner was interviewed by Wagner James Au, Second's Life resident journalist, also in character. Audience questions were not on the menu, although Warner pledged to return to SL later this year for a more wide-open "virtual town hall" meeting.
Warner didn't talk much about the mechanics of his Second Life appearance, other than cracking a joke about feeling "disembodied." The candidate stuck to big, real-world issues like abortion and Iraq.
As campaign appearances go, this one earned mixed reviews. A staffer from Forward Together, Warner's fund-raising PAC, was positive, of course, posting on GamePolitics, "For a first try it went pretty smoothly. And that's what this was, a first try. There will be much more done by Forward Together and Governor Warner in the future when it comes to Second Life."
Second Lifer Rik Panganiban, who attended the event and goes by "Rik Riel" in-game, took a more objective view, telling me, "I think the mainstream, over-30, non-gamers will find this to be at most a curiosity. Middle America is not ready for a virtual presidential candidate. No matter how carefully his avatar is crafted and his gestures are animated, he will still come off as stiff and artificial in Second Life. That's kryptonite for a presidential hopeful."
Political pundits were generally unimpressed. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank poked fun at the event -- and, to be fair, where Second Life avatars go, fun-poking is sure to follow. Zack Exley at the Huffington Post noted the low turnout and pronounced the Warner visit a "huge failure."
But Exley is missing the point. It wasn't about how many avatars showed up to watch. Rather, the visit was part of the Warner campaign's effort to position their guy as energetic, tech-savvy and youthful. He's no Ted "series of tubes" Stevens, that's for sure. Only 30 avatars may have attended, but how many thousands of potential voters heard or read about the Second Life event after the fact? Remember, no one cared much about Meetup.com until 2004 when Howard Dean demonstrated how crucial Internet strategies are for modern political campaigns.
WaPo blogger Chris Cillizza, however, seemed to get it. While terming the Second Life appearance "the strangest 'event' of the 2008 presidential race to date," Cillizza added, "Warner's online efforts shouldn't be discounted. His willingness to participate in a campaign event on Second Life shows that candidates are seeking to reach voters wherever they are -- online and offline, in the real and virtual worlds."
Still, there were some obvious problems. Warner's avatar was just this side of creepy, resembling nothing so much as the G-Man from Half-Life 2. Plus, there's a certain amount of freaky avatar sex going on in certain areas of Second Life. Uh, so I'm told ... . When rival campaigns "go negative," as they invariably will, could Warner's Second Life visit be spun as an excursion to some type of animated porn site?
Obviously, not every MMO is ripe for a campaign event. Visiting a WoW PvP server, for example, would require a virtual Secret Service detail of epic-equipped level 60's to smite would-be Horde assassins. But perhaps a whistle-stop in some of the casual game spaces like Club Pogo might win over middle-aged Bingo or Cribbage players who don't think of themselves as gamers and who would never dream of stepping into Second Life or any other MMO.
In the final analysis, whether or not this gimmick pays off for the candidate at the polls, online gamers win. Warner's Second Life visit helps legitimize the oft-criticized virtual realm.
Dennis McCauley is Editor of GamePolitics.com and writes about games for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Opinions expressed in The Political Game are his own. Reach him at dennis@GamePolitics.com.
Is it youthful and hip -- or just geeky and weird -- for a major political candidate to shake hands with a furry or kiss a baby avatar in the virtual world?
We'll find out in 2008.
When presidential hopeful Mark Warner visited Second Life last week, it represented a milestone for both online gaming and American politics.
For the online game community, the former Virginia governor's Second Life stop was a definite boost. Most notably, it marked the first time anything but negative political attention -- violence! addiction! -- has ever been paid to an MMO. Moreover, Warner's visit was a tacit admission that there is something worth tapping into within the Second Life space -- that, despite the game's virtual landscape and offbeat avatars, SL is a real place, populated by gamers with genuine concerns, and, most importantly, gamers who vote.
Warner, a Democrat, is seen as a strong candidate for his party's nomination in 2008. His Second Life appearance was brief, and, like most real-world campaign stops, carefully managed. After flying onstage, Warner was interviewed by Wagner James Au, Second's Life resident journalist, also in character. Audience questions were not on the menu, although Warner pledged to return to SL later this year for a more wide-open "virtual town hall" meeting.
Warner didn't talk much about the mechanics of his Second Life appearance, other than cracking a joke about feeling "disembodied." The candidate stuck to big, real-world issues like abortion and Iraq.
As campaign appearances go, this one earned mixed reviews. A staffer from Forward Together, Warner's fund-raising PAC, was positive, of course, posting on GamePolitics, "For a first try it went pretty smoothly. And that's what this was, a first try. There will be much more done by Forward Together and Governor Warner in the future when it comes to Second Life."
Second Lifer Rik Panganiban, who attended the event and goes by "Rik Riel" in-game, took a more objective view, telling me, "I think the mainstream, over-30, non-gamers will find this to be at most a curiosity. Middle America is not ready for a virtual presidential candidate. No matter how carefully his avatar is crafted and his gestures are animated, he will still come off as stiff and artificial in Second Life. That's kryptonite for a presidential hopeful."
Political pundits were generally unimpressed. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank poked fun at the event -- and, to be fair, where Second Life avatars go, fun-poking is sure to follow. Zack Exley at the Huffington Post noted the low turnout and pronounced the Warner visit a "huge failure."
But Exley is missing the point. It wasn't about how many avatars showed up to watch. Rather, the visit was part of the Warner campaign's effort to position their guy as energetic, tech-savvy and youthful. He's no Ted "series of tubes" Stevens, that's for sure. Only 30 avatars may have attended, but how many thousands of potential voters heard or read about the Second Life event after the fact? Remember, no one cared much about Meetup.com until 2004 when Howard Dean demonstrated how crucial Internet strategies are for modern political campaigns.
WaPo blogger Chris Cillizza, however, seemed to get it. While terming the Second Life appearance "the strangest 'event' of the 2008 presidential race to date," Cillizza added, "Warner's online efforts shouldn't be discounted. His willingness to participate in a campaign event on Second Life shows that candidates are seeking to reach voters wherever they are -- online and offline, in the real and virtual worlds."
Still, there were some obvious problems. Warner's avatar was just this side of creepy, resembling nothing so much as the G-Man from Half-Life 2. Plus, there's a certain amount of freaky avatar sex going on in certain areas of Second Life. Uh, so I'm told ... . When rival campaigns "go negative," as they invariably will, could Warner's Second Life visit be spun as an excursion to some type of animated porn site?
Obviously, not every MMO is ripe for a campaign event. Visiting a WoW PvP server, for example, would require a virtual Secret Service detail of epic-equipped level 60's to smite would-be Horde assassins. But perhaps a whistle-stop in some of the casual game spaces like Club Pogo might win over middle-aged Bingo or Cribbage players who don't think of themselves as gamers and who would never dream of stepping into Second Life or any other MMO.
In the final analysis, whether or not this gimmick pays off for the candidate at the polls, online gamers win. Warner's Second Life visit helps legitimize the oft-criticized virtual realm.
Dennis McCauley is Editor of GamePolitics.com and writes about games for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Opinions expressed in The Political Game are his own. Reach him at dennis@GamePolitics.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
cringer8 @ Sep 8th 2006 12:17PM
This reminds me of Bill Clinton on MTV.
If the young voters can increase their presence at the polls, their issues and concerns *will* be addressed during the campaign process. Will that attention carry through once the candidate is elected? Probably not. Corporations fund those campaigns and corporations will always have legislation swing in their favor.
If the young voters can *sustain* a high voter turnout election-after-election, we might see some of our issues actually addressed via legislation toward the *end* of politicians' terms. Even *that* would be a welcome change.
J.Goodwin @ Sep 8th 2006 12:24PM
MMO players abandon their jobs and families to play online. They empty their savings when their employers sack them for calling in sick the fiftieth time. They wouldn't notice the apocalpse unless their server farm in Virginia happened to be nuked or their network cables were chewed through by the monstrous zombie squirrels that will inherit the earth.
What in the world has convinced people that MMO players are willing to leave the house to vote?
Myles Weissleder @ Sep 8th 2006 1:20PM
I wouldn't say "no one cared much" about Meetup.com prior to 2004 ... It's probably more accurate to say that people "didn't know about" Meetup.com back then.
Chris Taran @ Sep 8th 2006 1:23PM
Lovely generalization there J.Goodwin. Because of course all MMO players are exactly as you described.
nightwng2000 @ Sep 8th 2006 4:09PM
Goodwin,
Perhaps you've forgotten that several places had been working on the idea of online voting. Of course, there's still plenty of kinks to work out in that idea.
Still, it's clear that despite all the negative hoopla and misconception about a variety of media, many people are beginning to look beyond the "expected" use of that media and put the media to their own uses. From getting out propaganda messages, to messages looking for some form of sympathy, to informing people about important issues, to even spreading hate and ignorance. This is just evidence that people are thinking of a wider range of uses for the media out there. I can't say it's necessarily a bad thing. After all, not everyone who plays MMOs are as you describe.
nightwng2000
Ghede @ Sep 27th 2006 7:32PM
one question... How do we know he was actually controlling the avatar in second life? why not hand it to a well-payed lackey? Most presidential hopefuls don't write their own speeches... couldn't this just be the next step?
GamePolitics @ Sep 8th 2006 4:45PM
Goodwin - generalize, much?
devian @ Sep 8th 2006 6:34PM
"Perhaps you've forgotten that several places had been working on the idea of online voting. Of course, there's still plenty of kinks to work out in that idea."
Online voting?
Maybe when we can get the fucking offline voting machines to be correctly used, then the idea is plausible. Until then, online voting is like the nGage. It looks like a good idea, but no one is gonna use it.
nightwng2000 @ Sep 9th 2006 9:16AM
Devian, like I said, there's plenty of kinks.
Here's one article from 2004 about the temporary dropping of the idea to allow military personnel to use online voting. There have been similar arguments for non-military personnel as well.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0204/020504d2.htm
kyt @ Sep 10th 2006 7:06PM
I think its cool that atleast the guy is trying.
most other political jerks (like hillary) would rather blow up second life, than atleast try to get around in it to meet the people that do spend their time there.
I give him props
TeddyN @ Sep 9th 2006 1:18PM
Joystiq, you are always coming up with such cool thoughts about gaming :p
This is totally true- sometimes, as I'm playing Counter Strike: Source, I wonder whether in 20-30 years when I'm at a ripe enough age to get involved in politics, it could be considered acceptable to have a 'game meet', where the politician can meet on a server or something in which they could chat and play alongside the guy running for office. People would feel that they are doing something really personal with that politician (since people usually game in their homes, privately) and can be impressed whith the candidate if he does well for the team and behaves in a respectable friendly way online.
I know it's far-fetched, but it certainly is possible in a future when every generation has had some contact playing and enjoying video games in a way that only a small minority do now.
Pixelantes Anonymous @ Sep 9th 2006 11:58PM
Devian, there's nothing technologically or procedurally difficult about online voting. It's just that Diebold and others are doing such a piss poor job at it that there's the illusion that it can never work.
If banks can do online and electronic banking, technologically a much more difficult problem, online voting is completely achievable now.
The absence of online voting, IMHO, is just evidence of the forces of nature that makes Mark Warner's virtual campaigning so unusual; politicians live in the freakin' stone age.
In addition to that, I also happen to think there's political unwillingness to enable voting in a medium that overwhelmingly is favored by young people. Politicians are fearing what would happen to their "careers", if all these slackers started voting in droves all of a sudden. They have no clue on how to react to such an environment, so they're fighting tooth and nail against it.
As for Mark Warner's appearance...I think it's incredibly encouraging he's using social media and virtual worlds, such as Second Life, to engage his audience. Maybe he already is "pro-gaming", but I'm pretty sure he's developing a stonger understanding towards the role of video games (I know Second Life is not really a game) in our society. His involvement should only be good for gamers. He's less likely to join with blowhards like Joe Lieberman next time some asshat brings up a new "think of the children" anti-video gaming law.
shgaelic @ Sep 10th 2006 10:55AM
I think Warner going on SL is a clever strategy to get on the gaming culture radar. Some gamers may be familiar with whom Mark Warner is, but now those who participate in SL or read Joystiq, Gamepolitics, or any other source that covered the event, are definitely going to remember Warner if, indeed, his name comes up for candidacy in 2008. "Isn't he the guy that went onto that game and blah, blah, blah?"
Personally, I think it is a win-win situation. He wins by gaining attention in the gaming world. Gamers win b/c it is tacit approval from a slice of America (i.e. politicians) who generally don't quite get the gaming culture. Gamers are an untapped population that can garner some much needed numbers come election day.
Rik Riel @ Sep 11th 2006 11:04AM
Thanks for the quote, Dennis. For those who missed it, here's some of my video and pics from the event:
http://www.rikomatic.com/blog/2006/08/short_video_of_.html
http://www.rikomatic.com/blog/2006/08/governor_warner_1.html
Time to print up some shirts that say "I'm a g@mer and I v0te."
Wagner James Au @ Sep 11th 2006 2:21PM
Also, it's worth noting that Exley's comments about low turnout are patently inaccurate and uninformed. The turnout peaked at about 50, which was the *cap* set beforehand for the appearance by the event managers, to maintain an optimal experience. (Over 50 in a single area, lag and crowd control become a huge factor to worry about.)