Play the Game, Play the System

Political Intrigue and Gamer Culture are rarely seen as overlapping, and any instance of them doing so is usually decried as some form of heresy by participants on either side of the equation. The trouble with the idea of political games has always been a question of consequences: where video games - or for that matter, games in general - are seen as having indefinite and abstract consequences, the outcome of political engagements is certain and concrete.
I personally find this rather ironic in that the democratic process is portrayed, by much of our media as a spectator sport. Intrinsically, the American Political system IS a game: it has rules in the form of policy, point-of-order, and checks and balances; it has multiple players, in the form of the politicians, the lobbyists, and public supporters; it has clearn winners, losers, and in-betweens. Even bugs and loopholes can be found in politics in the form of the bureaucracies and agendas so vital and yet so detrimental to the bias of the game.
However, the above is very much an occurrence of "Need-to-See-it-to-believe-it" syndrome, as proven by the fact that I was unable to understand the game-based nature of politics until I saw a game that adequately portrayed political goings-on. Granted, I had seen games meant to push a political agenda, but most of these took the form of games built AROUND political overtones. Only recently have I seen game designers, armed with what I guess must be a somewhat more pioneering attitude, actually building politics into games themselves.
I think one of my favorite examples of this would have do be the works of Paulo Pedercini, a grad student at this very institution. He has created several games over the past several years, mostly for the purposes of education and culture jamming. Some, such as Faith Fighter, are merely designed meant to make people think about the issues that divide us. Others, such as Oiligarchy and, to a far more extreme extent Operation: PedoPriest immerse players in what the creator envisions the scenario at hand to actually be handled like.
Of course, the biggest problem facing these games - and, I would assume, most games in politics - would be a non-universal appeal. Politics are divisive, splitting people along their differences in opinion. Most gamers I know can't even agree on which kind of game to play. With this all in mind, while the idea of political games is interesting, it is more-than-likely a novelty at best and better kept away from the market.