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Video Game Characters to Get Out the Vote

Posted by Zonk on from the vote-mario-in-2004 dept.

Thanks to Gamasutra for the heads up about a political music video starring video game characters that is to start airing on MTV today. The newest "Choose or Lose" video will feature characters from popular video games such as The Sims and BloodRayne and is intended to encourage youth voters to show up at the polls. The video will air for the first time on MTV today on TRL, and afterwards can be seen on the MTV Choose or Lose site. This follows closely on the heels of MTV2's Video Mods series, which uses video game footage for the visuals in music videos.

30 of 368 comments (clear)

  1. If it takes video game characters by hsmith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to get people to vote, obviously they don't need to be voting.

    An informed public is far better than one that just votes to vote

    1. Re:If it takes video game characters by BillyZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So you are then implying that gamers are uninformed? Simply because someone needs motivation to vote, does not necessarily mean they are also uninformed.

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      I take no responsibility for any spelling mistakes in the above post.
    2. Re:If it takes video game characters by mcmonkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What is the standard? How informed is informed enough? When is an opinion enough of an opinion? So voting based on the last yard sign I saw isn't enough. Is listening to talk radio? Reading one newspaper a day? Reading slashdot?

      I respond to every time someone presumes to have some standard on who should vote and who is better off staying home. None of the big shots who presume to tell other people they shouldn't vote ever steps up with some specifics.

      What is the standard for "an informed public"?

    3. Re:If it takes video game characters by GoofyBoy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They are uninformed how important their vote is.

      If they lack this basic knowledge, how would they know about the real, deep, political issues are?

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    4. Re:If it takes video game characters by gfxguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you have someone who is not motivated by current events, not motivated by friends, family, and teachers...

      But they are motivated by a fictional video game character... I agree with the grandparent post.

      I think people ought to be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of how our election process works, and who their politicians are (senators and representatives). I'm not talking about 100 question test, I'm asking: who are your senators and congressman? Who is your governer? Who is the vice president and speaker of the house? How is a representative elected? How is that different from how the president is elected?

      Also explain to me how a picture ID shouldn't be required for first time voters... we are all concerned about voting machine fraud, what about rampant voter fraud?

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
    5. Re:If it takes video game characters by Chris+Carollo · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Motivating someone to vote is a respectable goal no matter what the means.
      Well that's a bit of a ridiculous statement -- I doubt you'd support my motivating someone to vote via the use of a shotgun.

      I think one of the points that are trying to be made is that voting, in and of itself, isn't a worthy goal. Being informed enough to want to voice your political opinion is the goal that we should be shooting for. If you're voting simply because you feel obligated to or because it's "cool" without taking the time to actually educate yourself on the issues and form a coherent, defensible position...you're doing no favors to your country.

      I've always found the "rock the vote"-type efforts to be somewhat putting the cart ahead of the horse -- voting isn't what we should be encouraging -- developing a political opinion that citizens want to voice is.
    6. Re:If it takes video game characters by SilentChris · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "They are uninformed how important their vote is."

      Yes, and we all know gamers are the only classification of people this applies to. *rolls eyes*.

      From my perspective, 9 out of 10 of my gamer friends know how to build their own machines, have good-paying jobs, and know their vote is important.

    7. Re:If it takes video game characters by goon+america · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Who says that non-gamers that vote know anything about real, deep political issues?

    8. Re:If it takes video game characters by The-Bus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'll bite.

      First off, using video game characters to promote voting is not different than any Toby Keith video, warmed over Good Morning America "news piece", Ann Coulter radio "interview", or misinformed blog rehashing other people's opinions before forming their own.

      Secondly, what are the "real" "deep" "political" "issues" you speak of? The economy, of which the president has extremely limited control? Quotas in higher education? Healthcare and social security? Taxes? Iraq? Immigration? National park use? War record? Homeland security? Religion? Elementary education? Tariffs? Outsourcing? Unions? Control over the media? The Patriot Act? DMCA? Broadband for everyone? NASA? Reparations? Bank reform? Abortion? Homosexuality? Your "real" issues are not other people's "real" issues, and vice versa. Some people might vote because Bush is a Republican and they always vote Republican. Or they vote for Kerry because of REAP. Or they vote for X because of BCD, etc.

      To somehow believe that your vote is more important because you have a different level of knowledge of certain issues is a bit ignorant. If you have thorough knowledge on every issue, please make a website with that information to inform others.

      --

      Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

    9. Re:If it takes video game characters by BillyZ · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This is what is frustrating me.
      Being informed enough to want to voice your political opinion is the goal that we should be shooting for.
      Someones level of motivation and their level of knowledge have absolutely nothing to do with each other. I could be 100% for or against a particular candidate for, by your standards even, "a well informed reason". But just don't think it matters if I vote. Perhaps the couple of elections I witnessed, the candidate I would have voted for, had I voted, got elected so I don't think I need to vote. These are the people that SHOULD VOTE. They have an opinion, they ARE informed, they just don't think their vote counts or matters. You and I know this isn't true, and we're trying to INFORM THEM that it isn't true. Why is convincing people that their vote matters a bad thing?

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      I take no responsibility for any spelling mistakes in the above post.
    10. Re:If it takes video game characters by Felinoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They are uninformed how important their vote is.

      If they lack this basic knowledge, how would they know about the real, deep, political issues are?

      Most people I've known who don't vote do so not out of ignorence of the vote but of knowladge.

      "My one vote won't make a diffrence"

      It's apathy and what most people don't realise is the wise lead by example. Even when it's a bad example.

      One less vote becomes 50, becomes 1,000.
      But nobody really seams to understand that.

      Your one vote dosen't make for a hill of beans. It's the people who vote folowing your example that make it count.

      However one might wonder what example is set by a yellow circle with an eating disorder.

      --
      I don't actually exist.
  2. Don't blame me by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... I voted for Lara and Sonic

    --
    Free gmail invites

  3. Here's the thing I don't get about MTV. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is it that I got old, or does it actually suck as unrepentantly, and unrelentingly as it appears to?

    1. Re:Here's the thing I don't get about MTV. by robochan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      About a million years ago, back in 1992, MTV was actually partially reasponible for getting the 1st President Bush out of office.

      Way back then, the USA had been involved a war in the Middle East. The folks fighting it weren't quite aware of actually who they were fighting for. At that time, a young politician from Arkansas came to light, and MTV went all out - personal interviews, polls to their audience, even a personal audience with said candidate, with questions from the audience. Sure not all the questions were relevant (boxers or briefs?), but the candidate was brought directly to the audience by a fairly major force in their lives - in terms they could relate to. A young candidate being brought to a young voting constituency in a way that had never been seen before. That candidate's opposition basically shrugged that audience off... and paid the price.

      MTV was pretty big back then, but back then they also actually showed videos too. MTV news actually consisted of something more than just record release party announcements. Kurt Loder actually seemed like a real, authoritative, news anchor - or at least sincere one - not some snotty kid in glasses and a t-shirt with a microphone.

      The Rock The Vote campaign they (co)sponsored back then was amazingly effective. It brought a huge voting population onto the scene, which would normally be apathetic, and tried to educate them - at least to some extent, even if it was one-sided. These days it's half-hearted at best. Recycled slogans with little or nothing to back them up.

      I can almost understand why the younger folks are more apathetic these days. I remember a time when I really thought people with important titles, important positions, and who made important decisions were people to be respected and listened to. Now it seems more and more evident the world is a global high school for super rich men with unlimited resources to fling poo at each other, and the only thing we little bitty humans can do is say...
      "Damn. It smells like shit in here."

      --
      ...Rob
      The American Dream isn't an SUV and a house in the suburbs; it's Don't Tread On Me.
  4. Halo Vote by grunt107 · · Score: 4, Funny

    So for whom is the Master Chief voting? I'll wager Republican, since the military likes to vote that way.

  5. My Eyes! by Geek+of+Tech · · Score: 4, Funny
    Am I the only person that read that as "Video Game Characters get to vote"? I was really starting to get worried there.

    Of course, that could explain the sudden demand for electronic voting....

    --
    Stop the Slashdot effect! Don't read the articles!
  6. It's a bit sad... by smaug195 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I just think it's a sad statement on your country when you have to use every big name rapper, actor, and now video game characters, in order to get people to just register to vote.

    1. Re:It's a bit sad... by PhrostyMcByte · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Kids in high school don't want to watch political debates, they want to watch MTV. Hell, I dont know of much adults that want to watch the debates.

      If this can help us spark a little interest in would-be voters, why not do it.

  7. By all means vote if you have an opinion by cerebralsugar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Another get out and vote drive. It's cool they use video game characters. But I can't help but feel these "public service announcments" are politically motivated.

    Before I seem like a troll, lets consider:

    Anyone who is not a felon, at least 18, and not an african american from florida, can register to vote. *drumroll*! I'm just kidding. That last part was uncalled for. But disenfranchised voters is another discussion, and a more serious one. So lets just say, most people who are 18 and not in jail can vote. They have the right. Politically motivated disenfranchising laws aside.

    Why do we care if people vote or not? Why do we try to chide them into it? If you are directly affected by the policies of your elected officials, you will probably vote. If you don't care, why should you be made to vote?

    And then they have these voter drives. Why does MTV care if their viewers vote? I'm guessing somewhere somebody has statistics that shows men 18-24 or whatever their demographic is, is "predominatly left" or "predominantly right". So, lets use propaganda to mobilize them. Lets mobilize a flock of voters that carry our view.

    Its dumb, if you care vote, if you don't, don't. I certainly don't care if you do or not. The only crime is if you do care and you don't vote.

    A much more serious issue is voter disenfranchisement - people who do care, who would vote, who are silenced. That is a huge issue. Why dont we see any commercials with video game charactars that say "voter disenfranchisment is bad"?

    I like civic participation but i'm for civic knowledge first, if you don't care, don't go in and blindly pick because MTV tells you too! That doesn't help anyone.

    --
    Easy guys, I put my pants on one leg at a time. The difference is after I put on my pants I make gold records!
    1. Re:By all means vote if you have an opinion by goneutt · · Score: 3, Funny

      Viacom, as all liberal media, want to redistribute wealth to lower socio-economic classes so that they can consume more and the advertisers can pay more for the commercials.

      This is due to the lower marginal savings rates for people that don't make much or any money, where as wealthier ($75k+) start having a higher savings rate, which means they aren't buying as much as they make. Economics 101 meets Media 101.

      --
      Bacardi + slashdot = negative karma.
    2. Re:By all means vote if you have an opinion by Ephemeriis · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Personally, I want people to vote because that makes it more likely we'll have a government that actually represents the people it is governing.

      I constantly hear people complain about the current government. They don't like this new law, or that new war, or some guy in office...but when you ask them if they voted they reply with something along the lines of "of course not, it doesn't do any good."

      Yes, I would like it if more people who thought like I do went out and voted...then maybe we'd get a government that works the way I think it should. However, even if the folks I want don't get elected, I'd still be happier if it was a government that more accurately represented the vast majority of the nation.

      yrs,
      Ephemeriis

      --
      "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
  8. slashdot election campaign by flynt · · Score: 3, Funny

    Get ready for Slashdot's election campaign to start airing commercials next week, it's titled "Choose or Loose".

  9. Bad Idea by Doesn't_Comment_Code · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm all for high voter turnout. But I also think people should be informed before rushing to the ballot box.

    I don't really care for a lot of these recent "get out the vote" efforts. A lot of people who don't vote don't have a clue about who is running. Many can't name the president, and certainly not their congressman. Do they know where each candidate stands on even one issue? Probably not. They do know who just broke up in Hollywood though, and the last person to be kicked off Survivor.

    If these people flock to the polls, they'll simply dilute the votes of people like you and me, who really, honestly, and deeply care about voting. They will probably vote for whoever their friends are voting for. They might randomly pick somebody off the ballot. They'll probably just pick whoever they recognize or like more from the 10 seconds they saw them on TV. Is this a good idea? Not really.

    Convince people to care, then convince them to vote. That's what I say.

    --

    Slashdot Syndrome: the sudden, extreme urge to correct someone in order to validate one's self.
  10. Some people never learned the importance of voting by TrentL · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I used to be of the mindset that if you need to be encouraged to vote, you shouldn't be voting. But I've since changed my mind.

    No one is born realizing the importance of voting. Somewhere, you are socialized, and you come to believe that voting is important. Maybe it was due to school, or family, or friends. But not everyone has that experience. Some people come from families were there was no pattern of voting. Or their schools sucked and never talked about it.

    So that's why I do support these "unconventional" methods. And I think you should, too. When a large segment of the population feels disconnected from their government, the entire society becomes unstable.

  11. Reality check by jasmusic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    a) Who do you think MTV wants to see as president? b) Who do you think is underrepresented at the polls? While legitimate, don't believe for a minute that campaigns like these are without partisan motive.

  12. What next, GI Joe and the Transformers? by the_skywise · · Score: 4, Funny

    Get out the vote?

    Optimus Prime: "Hey Spike, where're you going?"
    Spike: "I'm going to go vote! I have the power to choose clean water, new schools and do my civic duty to the country."
    Optimus Prime: "Now you're talking!"
    Everybody: "Transform the world, Vote!"

    Or maybe a nice Thundercats ad
    Snarf: "Meow, Lion-o you know who Dick Cheney reminds me of?"
    Lion-o: "No Snarf, who?"
    Snarf: "Mumm-ra! That's why I'm voting for John Kerry, he won't blow up Thundara the way Bush/Cheney are!"
    Lion-o: "Wow Snarf, I like our planet. I never thought of it that way. Maybe I should vote in this election."
    Panthro: "Snarf, get your liberal butt out of here!"
    Snarf: "Panthro, you're such a closet homosexual!"
    Everyone: "Hahahahahahaha! Get out the vote!"

    But then we're a generation that was taught environmental rights and wrongs by Captain Planet and the Planeteers...

    No wonder the world laughs at us. We don't watch news programs or stay informed... We have animated characters tell us what to think and how to act.

    1. Re:What next, GI Joe and the Transformers? by elrick_the_brave · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Lol... whats scary is I can relate totally to this... although I would throw in some Family Guy/Futurama

      Scene: Drunken Clam with Peter and Brian at the bar watching TV
      Peter (Hand on beer): "Holy crap Brian, there's an election!"
      Brian (Sipping martini): "Yeah, doesn't democracy turn your crank?"
      TV - Commercial with monster trucks & bikini babes: "Monday Monday Monday.. vote your mind.. see Bush-zilla go against Scary Kerry!"
      Peter: "Holy crap Brian, there's monster trucks coming to town!"
      Brian: "Yeah, I vote for the babe in the red."
      Everyone: "Get out and vote... or miss awesome democratic action.. Monday Monday Monday."

      Scene: Fry and Leela in the Hall of Heads - Presidents section.
      Fry: "Look Leela! It's former President Bush Jr. and former presidential candidate Kerry."
      Leela: "Weren't those guys the odd couple from your century... destroying countries for oil and imposing Western civility on everyone?"
      Fry (blank look): "Riiight... something like that."
      Bush Jr. Head: "I stand by my decision to defend and pummel their asses!"
      Kerry Head: "I stand by him and say I would have made similar but different decisions that saves lives but costs money!"
      Everyone: "Vote your conscience! Vote for Candidate Blarg from Ceti-Alpha Six!"

      --
      (1st sig) If this were a snappy sig, you'd be reading it right now. (2nd sig) I'm a karma whore. >Insert FUD here
  13. To what party would they belong? by Chagatai · · Score: 3, Funny
    Let's see:

    Mario and Luigi: While they are independent contractors and likely own their own LLC for their plumbing business, they would side heavily with the unions. Besides, their gratuitous use of "mushrooms" would tend to look for a party with some liberal laws. My guess? Democratic

    Link: Heavily independent, but believes in the maxim that there is always a damsel in distress. Tends to alter the time-space continuum. Republican

    Lara Croft: Big on guns, big elsewhere, too. Values the ability to use her body any way she pleases and keep her prized possessions to herself. Libertarian

    Donkey Kong: Takes a stand that no one should be in his jungles, going so far as to take hostages and have rescue parties sent in. If you ignore the fact that he is a monkey, he has some decent environmental goals. Green

    --
    --Chag
  14. Re:apathy? by Ephemeriis · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Problem is, apathy doesn't do you any good. If you're tired of the same old bullshit, but don't do anything about it and rely on your failure to vote to send a message, nothing is going to change. You need to actually do something to make the same old bullshit go away.

    Doing nothing, being apathetic, refusing to vote in some form of protest just isn't going to get you anywhere.

    yrs,
    Ephemeriis

    --
    "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
  15. A voting message from The Sims?! by Brain+Stew · · Score: 4, Funny

    MTV ANNOUNCER: And now, a message from The Sims

    MAN: Fraba dey...huhhh...ka tey do una so
    WOMAN: UNA MOI! UNA MOI! Hmmmmm! [MOTIONS TO STOMACH]

    MTV ANNOUNCER: And that was a friendly reminder from The Sims to get out and vote! Or feed them, I'm not entirely sure, check their aspiration meters...

    --
    "Here's a spoiler: You're will die alone."-Triumph the Insult Comic Dog