Last week we noted unconfirmed sightings of an “Obama for President” billboard in the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise. Today we’re able to report that it is, in fact, an official advertisement placed by the senator’s campaign team.
“I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout,” Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher, told me via email, noting that EA regularly allows ad placements in their online games. “Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates,” she continued. “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.”
To my knowledge, this Burnout ad is far and away the most prominent use of a major online game to promote a presidential candidate’s campaign. There have been near-misses, of course: In 2006, for example, when he was seriously considering a run for the Democratic nomination, ex-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner made an avatar-based appearance at a press conference in Second Life.
Of course, detractors could accuse Sen. Obama of sending out mixed messages; earlier this year he was telling audiences that parents need to “turn off the television set, and put the video games away.” Then again, since the Burnout billboard specifically advises gamers to vote early, maybe it’s his subtle way of trying to get them off the couch.
Image credit: 360 gamer “Jeffson”, from his Rooster Teeth journal.
Despite what some may say – you have to admit Obama has been running a pretty impressive campaign. It’s been progressive – in your face, and uses unconventional means to get the word out.
Nick, I’m no spring chicken (in fact, I’m getting pretty long in the beak these days) but Obama has easily run the most flawless presidential campaign in my lifetime, which covers 9 elected presidents so far.
Props to Obama for knowing where the media is going.
Is that Obama’s pimped out ride with the dual pipes?
The Obama campaign is just incredible… Who would have thought of this? I am a registered Republican BUT what the heck… I’ll vote for Obama. If he runs the country the way he’s run his campaign, things will only get better.
The campaign was actually sold and served by a company called Massive Incorporated, a subsidiary of Microsoft, and the leader in dynamic video game advertising.
From a commercial perspective in-game advertising is a neat revenue trick. As the parent of a new video gamer I’m negatively disposed to having McDonald’s appearing in his game of Wii Tennis.
Perhaps in the future we’ll see ad-supported games heavily discounted and ad-free versions at the regular price.
Obamababy!
awesome…maybe ACORN can sign up a bunch of 13 year olds to vote for him.
“Of course, detractors could accuse Sen. Obama of sending out mixed messages; earlier this year he was telling audiences that parents need to ‘turn off the television set, and put the video games away.’”
Couldn’t detractors use the same “logic” against the idea of running television ads?
I think it’s a brilliant move — especially the call for early voting. Remind young people that they can still have their vote be heard without standing in line on election day.
indydude said:
awesome…maybe ACORN can sign up a bunch of 13 year olds to vote for him.
Yeah! Totally….oh wait. Then those 13-year olds would actually have to show up and verify their age in order to actually vote. Newsflash: there’s a very large difference between registration fraud and voter fraud. Free bonus newsflash: In almost every state, ACORN is required BY LAW to submit ALL registration forms they receive even if it is blatantly bogus and ACORN is usually the one that informs the registrars of the bogus forms.
Here’s the thing… you place an ad like this and it’s so innovative that it’s impact is doubled, tripled or more when it’s covered as news by sites like this – just by virtue of it being a new idea. That’s advertising dollars well spent.
Obviously the ad is for adult gamers, as far as I Know, kids can’t vote, nor adults need parents telling them to get off the video games.
therefore your conclusion of a mixed message its very bad.
The awesomeness of this report is unsurprassed.
gunner, gunner… tisk, tisk. John McCain was the ACORN keynote speaker in 2006. The ACORN smear is just for the credulous few, and not supposed to grab YOUR attention. ACORN is a highly respected organization, with the support of both parties. Any fool knows that registration drives get their share of Indiana Jones’, Micky Mouse’s, and no doubt a few John McCain’s, address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C., for that matter. :-)
Wow, what a difference a few months can make. Would you care to edit your comment about “Acorn is a highly respected organization”?
But yard signs cost $8!!
wow ! great !
Spend, spend, spend. That seems to be Obama’s theory. What’s another few million on top of the 90 million he already has spent…and people think he’s going to fix the economy. Right!!!
I mean indydude, indydude, tisk, tisk… (not gunner, sorry gunner!)
Love it.
“Spend, spend, spend. That seems to be Obama’s theory.”
Uhh… people donated this money to his campaign specifically for him to SPEND on winning the presidency. Idiot.
This is just one more reason not to purchase the game. Hope they make it so you can turn the crap off. May as well have Dukakis ont he billboard. Nobody remembers him, and nobody will remember Barry O. after the election.
It’s very good and creative to send the message which unfotunately is misunderstood by the GOP to the good American electorates through the games media ..NO DOUBT OBAMA IS FOR REAL CHANGE
Spend Baby Spend! if the results reap profits and results. Yes, Chris that is what you republicans refer to as WISE INVESTING.
Regarding people donating money to BHO, about $33.8 million of it came from foreign sources that the FEC considers questionable. That’s in addition to at least tens of thousands from people using fake names like “Good Will”. Details at my name’s link. If you’re going to vote for BHO, look into the highly negative information about him first. You don’t want to be fooled into supporting someone who isn’t what he pretends to be, right?
Wagner, how is this sending mixed messages to children? Is Obama shooting for the under 18 vote? I’m guessing it’s aimed at the millions of American adults that play video games (and vote).
Was this a silly attempt at a partisan jab or did you just have a brain-fart when you wrote that?
This is the result of a people-driven, bottom-up, Democratic campaign (ironically, the first time the Democrats have actually run this way in 40 years).
I’ll bet that this XBox ad idea came from campaign volunteers and ordinary people in the campaign, and made its way up to the top pretty quickly. Not the other way around. There’s no way that any fat-cat inside-the-Beltway-bubble D.C. political consultant would even have thought this up, let alone suggested it or even approved it. Change is indeed in the air.
If this bottom-up, people-driven decision-making is the way Obama will govern the country, I’m very excited.
Of course, detractors could accuse Sen. Obama of sending out mixed messages; earlier this year he was telling audiences that parents need to “turn off the television set, and put the video games away.”
If you’re voting hopefully your parents aren’t still regulating your time.
Yes, obviously the ads were aimed at gamers old enough to vote. But that would also include a lot of eligible young voters still living in their parents’ house playing videogames.
[...]today, they confirmed that Obama actually is using a game to rock the vote[...]
The haters are just pissed at the awesome marketing strategy of Team O and the bum Republicans being are about to be tossed from the White House.
wow that’s great! new strategy
Re: “Obama’s foreign money”
Sorry dude, claims made by NewsMax are not-credible. I tried to find an FEC report that backs up your cited claim that $33.8M have come from questionable sources. You may — or may not — be surprised to find that there is no such FEC report.
Listen, if you have legitimate concerns about his fundraising, why can’t you find first-hand sources or reporting from respectable journalistic sources to back up what you’re saying?
Quoting NewsMax is barely a step above quoting The Onion: at least The Onion admits that it makes up its stories.
If you put them on a few, you should also include “Saints Row,” “Grand Theft Auto,” or “Crime Life Gang Wars.” I guess it’s too violent for a person who’s connected to radical groups.
Quote: “Of course, detractors could accuse Sen. Obama of sending out mixed messages; earlier this year he was telling audiences that parents need to “turn off the television set, and put the video games away.” ”
–The majority of gamers are adults in their 20s.
Of course, Obama has been in our user’s games for a while now…
http://playmockingbird.com/search.php?search=obama
In fact, one of the first games we made with Mockingbird featured Obama!
http://playmockingbird.com/games/198
Jesse:
The FEC makes donations publicly available at fec.gov and if you have contrary information you’re willing to search. If you find something to contradict Newsmax I’ll provide a correction, but I’m sure you won’t. Otherwise, you’re simply engaging in an ad hom attack.
From the Newsmax article:
‘The FEC has compiled a separate database of potentially questionable overseas donations that contains more than 11,500 contributions totaling $33.8 million. More than 520 listed their “state” as “IR,” which the FEC often uses as an abbreviation for “information requested.” Another 63 listed it as “UK,” the United Kingdom.’
Note: since that time, others – including the NYT – have uncovered highly questionable contributions to Obama from made-up names.
Wow, that is truly amazing! Obama ROCKS!
Jiff
http://www.privacy-center.ru.tc
That was pretty kool – He is so hip unlike stogy Mccain
check out this ad also its just as hip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utirJ1RHiNs
send it to friends it sends the point home – YOU WILL AGREE good going guys
Read about this on 1up.com
This game is also for the PS3 and i believe his campaigning is not exclusive to just the 360 console
THIS IS WHY I AM VOTING FOR OBAMA , HE IS SO COOL !!!
Americans are the dumbest people in history. No other Nation would ever even consider making the kind of change that we are obviously about to make. The world is laughing at us and believe me they all (our enemies) will have alot to laugh about when it’s done. FOOLS
I still don’t know who to vote for, but I think its pretty cool. He’s exploring other ways to reach the youth of America, and if it gets them out and voting no matter who they are voting for is cool with me.
What I don’t get is how people can’t understand in game advertising. Some video games cost a lot of money to make, and a lot of the time, video game sales alone either wont cover the full cost of making the game, or the profits are not good enough off of sales alone. That is why they run advertisements. Think about it… you pay for cable or satellite TV service, and there are still adverts on the channels for the exact same reason.
As well, Vince, the majority of non-Americans want Obama to win according to polls.
I pay for a game I don’t want to be hit with this crap. No more EA for me, EVER.
cool. yet another reason to be impressed with obama’s campaign.
i am not american, but i feel i would be happy to have a man like obama as our president over here. clearly intelligent, thoughtful, a listener, and able to inspire, the kind of person needed in a world like today’s where problems are complex, multitudinous and happening all at once.
On Monday, election officials in Ohio’s most populous county asked a prosecutor to investigate multiple registrations by four people who signed up through ACORN. One voter said he signed 73 voter registration forms during a five-month period.
Wake up America!
That’s straight but I guess it would be kind of counter-productive to put a billboard ad in a game like burnout. The game moves way too fast and you’ll probably miss it unless you’re just messing around in free roam.
Nick said:
Despite what some may say – you have to admit Obama has been running a pretty impressive campaign. It’s been progressive – in your face, and uses unconventional means to get the word out.
Yeah…like using ACORN to commit voter registration fraud by registering the Dallas Cowboys and dead people.
Wow…everybody is basing their votes on stuff like “wow he’s so cool.” You know…how many leaders in the world have destroyed their countries, or turned to communism, or dictatorships all because people voted them based on them “being cool.” Maybe not in those same words, the the same principle.
Wake the hell up people…he’s already stating he wants to “spread the wealth.” Taking from those that have worked hard to get where they are…and giving it to those who haven’t done jack diddly.
It scares me to think about what will happen if he is elected.
“Chris said:
“Spend, spend, spend. That seems to be Obama’s theory.”
Uhh… people donated this money to his campaign specifically for him to SPEND on winning the presidency. Idiot.”
Well taxpayers send money to the government to spend wisely but they Spend, Spend, and Spend too. That is the lesson Obama is teaching here. Spend Spend Spend because it isn’t his money. You are an Idiot for thinking that way Chris.
I love how FoxNews links to this article, and in the article they say such stupid crap as “Game maker Electronic Arts” and “The online version of Burnout Paradise”
Where’s the Criterion respect?
Barack Hussein Obama is a socialist piece of trash. He’s going to destroy the country. God help us all.
Yep, I hope the kiddies vote for Obama because when he “spreads the wealth around” they will be the first to bitch about how they can no longer afford their little video games and 300/400 dollar video game systems with their flat screen T.V’s, (Hey! We need that money you make to help all the poor people in the U.S. and Africa, and the Middle East…..and so on!).
I never thought I would live to see the day when a politician openly admits he will spread the wealth around (aka Marxism) and stupid College students actually buy into that crap as “being good.”
I have to hand it to the College “Professors” and “teachers”, they sure know how to brainwash kids. (Not that our current College educated students are that smart anyway, if they would open a history book and actually learn from it they would see this has been tried before and has failed miserably, but go ahead, keep playing your games, Obama ‘08, LOL!)
Bob Barr ‘08
obama is such a fucking joke. hell say and do anything to get elected, it doesnt change the fact that hes an inexperienced 1 term senator who wants to raise our taxes and “distribute the wealth”(in his own words) only system of governments ive seen that use the “distrubution of wealth” as a motive is socialism and communism.
and anyone who believes that clown’s ads, theres no way you can have a trillion in pork project spending and only tax the top 3% and expect to pay for it, pull your heads out of where you have them stuck if hes president hell lead us into a depression
The republicans have completely lost touch! Obama has done an incredible job of reaching out to young people….Oh and Cody we are already there in case you havent noticed.
Wow,
I use to like some EA games..
What sell-outs!
They should at least put the Red Hammer & Sickle up with those ads!
Now we get to pay to be advertised to with this BS!
Think Hitler or Stalin trying to influence every aspect of your life!
It’s a grim future indeed with this NoBama Nazi!
No more escapism, not in an Obama world…
Have you heard? McCain has followed Obama’s lead and is running his own in-game advertising campaign. Czech out the examples here: http://tinyurl.com/4bppkw
Sleep Bear, we are already there? Really?
I must have missed the soup kitchens on my way to work and the shelters that house the 25% unemployed because of this “depression” we are in.
Americans are just stupid; since they cannot buy that new BMW or take a vacation to Cancun we are in a “depression.”
Hey Sleepy Bear maybe you should go back and read a little history about the depression. People were starving and if it wasn’t for the “rich” people donating to soup kitchens millions of “middle class” people would have died.
Here in Chicago (that’s Illinois, you know, where Obama is from) we are currently enjoying a 7.5% unemployment rate. (National average is 6.1%) so if the Republicans are doing a bad job the Democrats (including Obama) are doing a WORSE job!
Oh and Illinois is 46 out of 50 states for Job creation as well….so go ahead and vote for Obama, America is getting what it deserves by not learning history and being ignorant/jealous of the people who are successful in this country.
Oh and if you believe Obama will give tax cuts to 95% of Americans (which is an outright lie since only 53% of Americans actually pay taxes) AND you believe he will give you free health care, and better social services for free, you have to be a complete idiot.
The Government debt has doubled in a year, we are printing money like crazy and where do you think all this money will come from to fund our debt? How about the free health care, “95% tax cut for Americans”, and all the other bullcrap programs Mr. Marxist has planned for us?
Do you really believe by raising the capital gains tax (thus making America the most expensive place to run a business in the world) will raise enough capital? Do you believe taxing the rich MORE then what they are being taxed now will bring in enough capital for all his great “plans?”
If you believe that, I have an island in the Caribbean to sell you, really cheap!
Sure, raise capital gains tax, tax the rich and those evil corporations that give you jobs…..I cannot wait to see the unemployment rate when that happens! Let me ask you something sleepy bear, when was the last time you were hired by a poor person?
Ok, now following me on this, what happens when you tax the rich/evil Corporations? Do they:
A. Just accept the tax out of the kindness of their hearts and let the bottom line take a hit
B. Pass on the tax to the consumers by raising the price of their goods/services
C. Layoff or not hire any employees to make up the difference of the new tax
D. Both B and C
If you answered D you are correct! If you are still voting for him after that simple test that you my friend are out of touch.
You will get what you deserve and the last thing you will worry about is how “in touch” Obama is by advertising in video games.
I think American needs to go through this to see socialism doesn’t work and neither does wealth distribution. Sadly the smart people (like me) that know history will suffer for the idiotic college students that want “hope.”
Moves like this prove time and time again how Obama is about the future, about innovation, and creatively going about things in a new way. He is a multi-tasker, a thinker, and a problem solver with a future direction to create new jobs, new technology, and a new and brighter future.
Obama is a presidential candiddate of the future, technology, creative problem solving and including all races, sexes, ages and people in his campaign as well as in his plans to rebuild America for the people.
GOBAMA!
Hey Rob!
Don’t you just love how your conservative economic policies worked over the last eight years? Oh wait, that’s right, we are in the biggest financial crisis since the great depression, and just like the great depression, the presiding President is a Republican. Look at that!
Oh, and you know what’s more remarkable? When the liberal Democrat that occupied the office before Bush (Hint hint, Bill Clinton) left office, he left with a surplus in revenue! Gotta love that Democratic socialism at work!
Rob, did you know that a tax cut only raises revenue when the economy is expanding? Right now, the economy is shrinking. But you didn’t know that did you? All you know is “Taxes bad! Tax cuts good!”
I’ll give you the capital gains tax issue. You have a point there. Though, you clearly haven’t looked at Obama’s tax plan, which aims to eliminate capital gains for small businesses, and only raises them on Oil companies, which recorded record profits this year. And the solution to the oil problem is not to drill for more, its to take their excess revenue and invest it in alternate energy sources, so that they are deprived of a market to manipulate. But, you didn’t think about that, now did you?
The last president to come close to decreasing the size of the Government was Ronald Reagan, and even he did not succeed. The demands of the office do not allow it to shrink, only to grow, which is why Republican and conservative efforts to stem that growth always fail, and in their efforts to cut taxes, they do not decrease spending, and that is what adds to the national debt. We wouldn’t be in this financial mess consuming all of our fine tax dollars if Alan Greenspan, a republican, actually did his job when the housing bubble appeared and raised interest rates. Alas, now it is up to the Democrats to once again clean up after the mess.
So please, spare me you’re anti-intellectual rant on college students. If you weren’t smart enough to go to college, that’s your own fault. Don’t take it out on us for actually being, you know, educated.
And Bob Barr is every bit as misguided as Ron Paul was. Though I will admit that they are both one hell of alot smarter than McCain and Palin combined.
Come on…
What happened to us…i know it is just a advertisement, but a
Presidential candidate placing ad in video games?
Some twelve year old is going to see this ad. I am just concerned about the spending from one presidential candidate. Let’s get focus on the true game the economy…. I guess the candidate is helping the economy by spending money on a ad that some kid would have bought if they wanted the game ANYWAY!
Come on.
IT really sucks now, I regret buying my Xbox 360 and waiting in line to pay so much more money for nothing. BS economics, and they wouldn’t even replace my console when it got the red lights. I had to get a repair guide from http://redlightxbox360.com Microsoft is really making me mad these days and not just because the 360’s are breaking but even windows vista is a sham.
XBOX has more adult gamers. This is a serious entertainment outlet for a lot of men. I know my brother and his friends get together and play MADDEN FOOTBALL. Obama would not pay large sums of money to advertise to children…………………………Think
lol, thats funny, thats the first time ive seen something like that.
Electronic Arts confirmed that Barack Obama purchased in-game advertising space within the Xbox 360 game, Burnout Paradise.
Then those 13-year olds would actually have to show up and verify their age in order to actually vote. Newsflash: there’s a very large difference between registration fraud and voter fraud. Free bonus newsflash: In almost every state, ACORN is required BY LAW to submit ALL registration forms they receive even if it is blatantly bogus and ACORN is usually the one that informs the registrars of the bogus forms.
big up to the man glad to see someone in power still has there finger on real life…lol
it did work, never before has a president had so much awareness among the young generation