Obama hates video games, but loves video game advertising.

October 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am · 55 Comments

A new Ad by the Obama Campaign encourages Americans to take election day off and vote instead of playing video games. I wonder if this is the message that appears on all of the Burnout Paradise ads that they’ve been buying up lately?

VIdeo and speculation after the break.

First, here’s the video.

Did you spot it? At about the 6 second mark, a Wii mote is emblazoned upon the screen, with the caption ‘YOU CAN’T MAKE HISTORY FROM HERE’.

Yet why not a DualShock3 or a 360 controller? It’s clear that the Obama campaign sees the Wii mote as the most recognizable symbol for video games, above a 360, PS3, or their corresponding input devices and, to be honest, this only enforces how successful Nintendo have been, or are they woefully ignorant of what a hardcore gamer would be using instead of voting?

This is not the first time that Obama has made reference to video games. He has told American parents on a number of occasions (since as far back as April 2006) that they need to “turn off the television set, and put the video games away.” In fact, Obama goes as far as linking gamers with failure:

I know how hard it will be to alleviate poverty that has built up over centuries, how hard it will be to fix schools, because changing our schools will require not just money, but a change in attitudes. We’re going to have to parent better, and turn off the television set, and put the video games away, and instill a sense of excellence in our children, and that’s going to take some time. (2/20/08 Washington Post)

But he also has ads for his campaign running in the 360 version of Burnout Paradise.

A contradiction? Post your thoughts in the comment box below.

Source: YouTube




Related posts:

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  3. EA loves to AD
  4. Five of the Best Video Game Trailers of 2008
  5. Top 5 shameless video game tie-ins

Tags: · · ·
Categories: Fiction Friday · News · PSP · Wii

  • blade2k6954

    I’m not seeing any contradiction there at all… what’s wrong with someone finally calling out these punk ass parents??? They shouldn’t be just sticking their kids in front of the tv all day have you been on xbox live or psn lately? It’s full of ignorant kids who have nothing better to say except racists or homophobic slurs i swear if i have to play one more game of cod 4 with a bunch of dumb 12 yr. old red necks yelling white power and n this and f that I’m going to hurt someone. Kids need to put down their controllers and pick up a book… any book hell get america the book by John Stewart i have it i use it all the time as a teaching tool… this is just another election year non-story like the “joe the plumber” or palins’ wardrobe stuff who cares just get to the issues…. (here’s a tip i learned last election if you want election news go to news sources that aren’t in america they report the actual stories not all this stupid spin sh*t)

  • http://www.puredigitalthought.com Saccia

    Okay, Eoco. You get a fail for the title. There were three things in that video: the couch for the “TV & Movie” watching couch potatoes, the Wii-mote which is more recognizable controller since it has had widespread recognition since every newspaper and magazine have show it or reported on it in some way, and the office desk for working people. It was just telling people to get out and vote that’s all. Didn’t see any more hate for video games than for TV, movies, or work. Lame post. Please reset.

  • Heli

    Its interesting to read your comments. I am not directly involved in that stuff, because I am from another country, but it´s still interesting and (excuse my possibly insult) very funny.
    I read about “Obama the communist” and the stuff about the money he spend for advertising.
    First: I would guess, people which are calling him a communist are:
    a) People who are not brave enough to say: “He is black, I dont vote him, he should be a slave”.
    b) people which slept too long and missed the end of the cold war, wikipedia and the search bar where you can type in: “communism”.
    Second: Obama doesnt earn money for selling weapons, children or stolen organs. He got them by donations. People are afraid somebody like Bush (or some old dude who is affected by Bush-like people) becomes president. Again. So they do something that wont happen.
    And now I am hungry.
    By the way: If he tells you he gives you a compulsory health insurance fund (thank you dictonary :D ), vote for him.

    Uh, almost forgot: If all the communisms were devils from hell, guess who invented trade unions? Hmm?
    Well, I wrote too much. Have a nice day.

  • Delta470

    So far Heli is making the most sense to me.

  • Sab187

    I find what Heli is saying is more racist that most things I have ever heard. I am not and will not vote for Obama…How does this make me a racist??
    I wont vote for him because most of his policies that he hold dear, have failed before. I don’t call him a Communist. I call him a socialist. He want the federal government to run pretty much everything. I think and believe that is just plain wrong. It didn’t work in the USSR. It isn’t working in China or Cuba. Why do you think people want to come here from there. Socialism in idea could work if it were run by honest, and truly good people, but we are talking about Washington DC here. You can’t throw a dirty politician without hitting another one.
    Notice during this I never brought up his color, background, or questionable associates. I like his color. It’s very pretty on him. I don’t care about a man’s color. I care about what he has done, and Obama has done nothing worthy of the presidency of the United States.
    He hasn’t served in the Military.
    He hasn’t taken a stand against the wrong policies of his own Party.
    He has always been a fan of higher taxes for the middle class. No matter what he says now he IS going to raise taxes on the overburdened middle class.
    He and his background hasn’t been truly vetted by any media outlet.
    The people that he has celebrated in the past with questionable backgrounds i.e. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, and Rashid Khalidi
    He is just a Junior Senator from Illinois with a Messiah complex that the media has fanned into a furry.
    So does it make me racist that I wont and cant vote for him? That is for you to decide.
    Peace
    McCain/Palin ’08