Games In Neta Style
Politics, they say, is a game. In this digital age, that’s not just a metaphor but also the literal truth. Suddenly citizens, including those below voting age, seem to be participating in the electoral process simply by going online—and playing games.
Several web-based political games have been launched recently to cash in on the poll frenzy. Players can vote or run for prime ministership before they turn 18, or hurl virtual shoes at prominent politicians, or watch the likes of Chandrababu Naidu in shorts.
Riding on the popularity of shoeattack videos on YouTube, websites such asjutamaro.com let users pick a politician and hurl a shoe at him or her. The quick-thrill game comes with a disclaimer, ‘This game is not influenced by politics but by good humour’.
Insite Digital has apparently also been influenced by the popularity of shoe-chucking, but in its game Chappal Ki Gunj, the shoe is on the other foot. Parties eye potential of political gaming and is riding the electoral wave sweeping the country. Several games are launched on indiavoting.com and networking sites like Facebook and Orkut. They feature election-related quizzes, trivia and animated caricatures of Manmohan Singh, L K Advani and Lalu Prasad that prance, play cricket, climb a ladder and score votes as they win.
Far from being put off, political parties see potential in the popularity of such games, and have approached gaming companies to reach out to web-savvy youth. MNS recently tied up with Zapak.com, a gaming portal, and launched the English-language website manase.zapak.com. It features party details,videos,a contest and a game titled Tiger of Mysore. The idea here is to create interest in MNS not only among the studious but also among others.’’
Kids are being drawn into the election frenzy in the offline world too. Many game launched in this year, consists of three sets of cards (vote, state and surprise cards). Players can win over states and call on a fellow player for something known as a TV debate. “The aim was to inculcate knowledge about elections in a fun way,’’
Several web-based political games have been launched recently to cash in on the poll frenzy. Players can vote or run for prime ministership before they turn 18, or hurl virtual shoes at prominent politicians, or watch the likes of Chandrababu Naidu in shorts.
Riding on the popularity of shoeattack videos on YouTube, websites such asjutamaro.com let users pick a politician and hurl a shoe at him or her. The quick-thrill game comes with a disclaimer, ‘This game is not influenced by politics but by good humour’.
Insite Digital has apparently also been influenced by the popularity of shoe-chucking, but in its game Chappal Ki Gunj, the shoe is on the other foot. Parties eye potential of political gaming and is riding the electoral wave sweeping the country. Several games are launched on indiavoting.com and networking sites like Facebook and Orkut. They feature election-related quizzes, trivia and animated caricatures of Manmohan Singh, L K Advani and Lalu Prasad that prance, play cricket, climb a ladder and score votes as they win.
Far from being put off, political parties see potential in the popularity of such games, and have approached gaming companies to reach out to web-savvy youth. MNS recently tied up with Zapak.com, a gaming portal, and launched the English-language website manase.zapak.com. It features party details,videos,a contest and a game titled Tiger of Mysore. The idea here is to create interest in MNS not only among the studious but also among others.’’
Kids are being drawn into the election frenzy in the offline world too. Many game launched in this year, consists of three sets of cards (vote, state and surprise cards). Players can win over states and call on a fellow player for something known as a TV debate. “The aim was to inculcate knowledge about elections in a fun way,’’
Comments
Post a Comment