Political Arena
| Political Arena | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Wayside Press FarBridge |
| Director(s) | Eliot Nelson |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Political Arena is an upcoming singleplayer government simulation video game developed by former Huffington Post reporter Eliot Nelson and his company, Wayside Press along with Texas-based development studio FarBridge.[1][2]
Gameplay
[edit]After creating their politician by forming stances on various political issues, the player will be prompted to run for United States House of Representatives in a district of their choice in anywhere across the United States.[3][4][5] Each politician in Political Arena has a total of five skills: intelligence, empathy, charisma, stamina and discipline.[3] These skills are then used to determine strengths and weaknesses in a candidate.[3] In addition to these skills, there are three kinds of currency: money, fame and political capital.[2]
Players will have to manage special interests groups, appeasing voters, and will be able to commit crimes and manage political scandals.[2][3][6]
Development and Release
[edit]Inspired by games he played during his childhood such as SimCity and The Oregon Trail, former HuffPost reporter Eliot Nelson began working on the game in 2018.[2][4] The game also takes heavy inspiration from sports video games such as NBA 2K and Madden NFL.[3][4] On Kickstarter, the game managed to crowdfund over $105,000 US dollars.[5] Among the notable individuals at Nelson's company, Wayside Press, are Jess McIntosh, the former Press Secretary for United States Senator Al Franken, game developer Patrick Curry, and Steve Place, an advisor to the Obama Administration concerning esports.[2][3] Initially, the game intended to release in November 2023 with early-access starting in winter of 2022, but has suffered delays.[3][7] The game is now slated for release in November 2024, with Alpha testing having begun in 2022.[1] Nelson intends to add multiplayer features to the game sometime after release.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Schwartz, Rafi (2024-02-20). "Capitol Hill just got its own version of 'The Sims'". Mic. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b c d e Hounshell, Blake; Askarinam, Leah (2022-02-10). "You Can Be Mitch McConnell for a Day". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g Amenabar, Teddy (2021-10-22). "Former HuffPost journalist aims to make an 'NBA 2K' for American politics". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b c Summers, Juana (2021-11-04). "In this case, politics is a (video) game". NPR. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b Binckes, Jeremy (2021-10-18). "This DC insider wants to turn politics into a videogame — 'Imagine an arch-conservative in San Francisco, or Nancy Pelosi in Mississippi'". Marketwatch. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ "'Political Arena': A game about American power". Cheddar via Twitter. 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ Washington, Hugh Tomlinson (2024-07-01). "Playing the game: Political Arena offers a taste of life on Capitol Hill". The Times. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ Beaujon, Andrew (2021-10-15). "A Videogame About Politics Is in the Works—and It Doesn't Look Terrible? - Washingtonian". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 2024-05-05. Retrieved 2024-07-01.