I just drove by this sign on the way home from work!

No way, U.S. politics on Games on Net! The horror, but many of you are astute and keen on the political climate not only at home but abroad. All eyes are on America, and in a few weeks U.S. citizens will vote in a general election for a new President. The two front-runners, Democratic nominee Barack Obama and the Republican nominee John McCain face off in a contested battle.

The latest political advertisements are filled with mischief, misguided half-truths, and sometimes optimism. In the key battleground states where polls show a statistical dead heat the Obama campaign is trying to reach men in the 18-34 age range by buying ad space through Microsoft owned Massive Incorporated which places ads in various Xbox 360 games. Obama ads are now running in over 18 different titles.

Unlocking the Obama achievement

This is definitely a first for new media advertising and politics. It’s also refreshing to see the Obama ads encourage early-voting as opposed to last minute character attacks. Before you go firing up Burnout or one of the many Electronic Arts games in search of Obama’s call for change the ads only target gamers residing in the following battleground U.S. states: Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

When approached by Massive Incorporated, McCain’s campaign passed on a similar ad buy in Burnout. Gamers are conflicted about interjected ads, the practice is gaining acceptance as long as they don’t detract from the game and in some sense add realism. Massive Incorporated does not accept tobacco or alcohol ads. Other restrictions vary depending on the rating of the game in question. There's still no word from Electronic Arts on whether or not gamers will see cheaper box prices as a result of this influx of revenue from in-game advertisements.