The Circle

Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Politics

Players of "Burnout Paradise" see an Obama advertisement.

Driving along the highway, you spot a billboard advertising something and it makes you want to get a second look - from your couch. That's the alternate reality video gamers encounter these days as campaign politicking meets playtime.

In the popular video game "Burnout Paradise," racers on a highway can see a colorful billboard of Barack Obama with the slogan, "EARLY VOTING HAS BEGUN. VOTEFORCHANGE.COM."

For the first time in the history of presidential campaigning, Obama advertised in video games like "Madden NFL 09," "NBA Live 08," "Burnout Paradise," and six other video games created by Electronic Arts (EA), to attract supporters.

"Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of Electronic Arts or the opinions of its development teams," said Holly Rockwood, the director of corporate communications for EA, to Jalopnik.com, a Web site for sports car enthusiasts.

Targeting the younger demographic and encouraging them to vote, campaigns are looking to this brand of fresh advertisement.

But does the average video gamer concentrate on the billboard or on winning the race?

"In the games I play, stuff goes by too fast," said freshman Steve Werdick, a video game fanatic. "You write it off as being unimportant-it's subliminal advertising."

But not all video gamers share this outlook.

"I would pay more attention to advertisements in video games rather than on TV," said freshman Alex Roithmayr. "I feel that in the coming years, there will no doubt be an increase in advertising in video games."

One-third of American households have an up-to-date gaming system and most gamers are in the age range of 18-34 years old, according to Atelier-Us.com, a technology-themed Web site. However, due to President-elect Obama's popularity with video gamers, players' attention spans possibly expanded.

"When people hear he's advertising, it makes him easier to identify with kids our age," Werdick added.

Demographics for the multi-billion dollar video gaming industry have changed dramatically within the past few years. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the average video gamer is "35 years old and has been playing games for 13 years." In addition, the ESA stated that 40 percent of video gamers are females, and that women older than 18 represent a larger proportion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys aged 17 or younger (18 percent).

Freshman Angela Carafas, a video gamer, agreed that much has changed since she began playing them in the 1990s. Yet, when asked to describe the average gamer, she still visualizes a male figure.

"When I was little, I was always outside playing. I didn't spend a lot of time inside and now I see my little cousins and it's pretty much reversed," Carafas said.

In his pre-election filing with the Federal Election Committee, President-elect Obama paid Microsoft, the makers of Xbox, $44,465 for his in-game billboards. Yet, having only advertised for Xbox 360 Online, the effect of Obama's virtual campaigning is arguable.

"I am astounded at the amount of people that came out to vote," Roithmayr said. "It really helps me believe that there will be change for the future."

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