The Political Machine [Game Review]

Ubisoft’s presidential election game, “The Political Machine,” is enjoyable, particularly if you’re caught up in the political hoopla and just can’t get enough of it. The designers have produced an entertaining game that involves making the electoral college system work for you.

By default, the game starts you off as John Kerry playing against George W. Bush, which means your first time out, you are sure to see Kerry crushed by W (at least until you figure out how the game works, or change the settings). My first time through the game, I was impressed to find George W. Bush setting up campaign headquarters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida — exactly the battleground states that I as Kerry was targeting.

However, again playing as Kerry, it was far too easy to take Texas away from the Republicans by buying lots of advertisements trumpeting myself as the candidate who opposes crime and supports the war on terror. Likewise, as Bush, I easily took New York away from Kerry with the same message, and wrested California from the liberals by smearing Kerry’s record on the environment. —Dennis G. JerzThe Political Machine [Game Review] (New Media Journalism @ Seton Hill University)

My blog was down for a while this weekend, so I posted the full review on the New Media Journalism website.

4 thoughts on “The Political Machine [Game Review]

  1. You blog was down over the weekend? – sheesh, you should really talk to whomever’s managing your blog and tell them to get their act together because downtime is just not acceptable! ;-) (hahahaha)

  2. Heh, no, I wouldn’t worry about it. Over the past few years, I have developed a pattern that I follow in each blog entry, so I just filled in my own name where the “author” goes. Force of habit, that’s all.

  3. This has nothing to do with the article, but I still have a question (surprise surprise). I noticed that you cited yourself from your own blog post – is that how they’re doing it these days? Will I be plagiarising if I don’t give credit to myself when I’m citing my own work?

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