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Fantasy Sports Turn to ... Politics?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the best-team-would-be-the-1923-congress dept.

Xiaoxiaofreak2 writes "Via Joystiq, Reuters is reporting on a new fantasy sports title that draws on a new source — politics." From the article: "Fantasy Congress plays a lot like any other online Fantasy sports game. The game, officially launched on Monday, is a new spin on the popular online fantasy sports games where players chose a team of real-life players and tally points based on their statistical performance. In Fantasy Congress, found at http://www.fantasycongress.us/fc/, a player drafts a team of actual U.S. lawmakers and then competes against other teams. Andrew Lee, a senior at Claremont McKenna College in the greater Los Angeles area and one of the game's creators, said lawmakers were ranked based on the progress of their proposed legislation, picking up points on its journey to possibly getting passed into law."

3 of 24 comments (clear)

  1. Knowledge is a dangerous thing by EMeta · · Score: 2, Interesting
    The problem is, knowing much at all about how politics plays out can have a very demoralizing effect. Once you get down to the nitty-gritty, most politicians compromise here and there (which is good, it does make stuff happen), and so without a lot of information about the big picture of compromises, investigations into politics is quite likely to get people turned off to it.

    Of course, that hypothetical big picture might not help either, but that's a different problem.

  2. Re:Once again... by ack154 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It could be November Madness (or a suitable word that starts with N)... and you could win points in a pool for picking people that win their elections.

  3. It was coming... by Flailmonkey · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh. My. God.
    I knew that this idea was something that was needed to bring all the real details about today's politics to peoples attention.
    I did not expect to see it posted on Slashdot a week after thinking of it...
    The elements are all there, with a huge amount of statistical data to use and a variety of levels allowing localities to each have their own "home players," while at the same time there's the bigger National picture going on as well.
    As "cynical" as it may seem, packaging politics as we already package sports may be the only way to really involve the people of today.