Welcome to a new world of campaigning! by Michael Wermers

      Video Games have grown to a multi-billion dollar industry. Some people can't get enough of them.  Many spend thousands of dollars on them a year, some a few couple hundred a year, and it would be hard to find people who spend nothing on video games. Regardless of your viewpoint or whether or not you feel you have a video; chances are you have one.  That game could be on a computer, used through a video game console, or even on a tablet.  If the device is electronic there is a giant possibility that you can get video games on it.

There were three giant blockbuster games, made just for gaming consoles, that came out this year; Madden 13, Halo 4, and Black Ops II. Madden sold out in the first week and earned $95 million.  Halo 4 sold out in just 24 hours and made $200 million.  The Black Ops II numbers have yet to be published.  Increasing video game profits have been enhanced over the last decade, by video games companies finally clicking onto the idea of embedding and selling advertisements into their games.  The video console games have hidden advertisements as well as advertisements plastered everywhere.  It did not take iOS games long to jump on this bandwagon.  iOS games often provide two versions:  a pay for version without advertisements or a fee version with ads.  The free iOS games are littered with advertisements.

            With this year’s presidential election one of the candidates entered territory no other presidential candidate has ever entered.  Most people are used to seeing attack, get out the vote, and I’m the right candidate for you.    For decades candidates have been making appearances on MTV shows to attract the 18 to 25 year old voter.  Their goal is to promote themselves and to preach about going out and registering to vote. Even though television has been used to attract this age group of voters, they still are not reaching the level of audience they want.  What these candidates need to realize is that their audience is right there waiting for them.  They are the audience playing a video game.  As indicated above, two games alone sold out in a week, this creates a perfect marketing medium.  Through video game advertising candidates would have a great way to reach the 18 to 25 year old audience.  This year it finally happened, President Barrack Obama stepped into the untapped market.   In the 2012 president race Obama stepped up his advertisements, he placed ads on video games. Here is one of his ads:

This advertisement appeared in Madden 13.  Through this advertisement he not only promoted himself, he is encouraging people to register and then vote.  Additionally, he did not just reach the 18-25 year olds playing Madden, he reached everyone playing Madden.  If a player of this game had not considered voting important before this may have been all that was needed to get out the vote.  By the time the next elections roll around it should be anticipated that video games will be used as the vehicle to place attack, get out the vote, and I’m the right candidate for you ads.  Candidates will no longer have to depend on television, billboard, and newspaper advertisements.