MTV is hoping to give its get-out-the-vote campaign a viral boost with an online game, inspired by fantasy sports, that rewards players for participating in the 2012 elections.<\/p>\n
Gamers will rack up points in “Fantasy Election ’12” for registering to vote, watching debates and publicly supporting candidates with transparent fundraising records and who refrain from political mudslinging.<\/p>\n
“This can be can be a crash course in what people should demand from those pursuing the privilege of elected office,” said Jason Rzepka, MTV’s vice president of public affairs, who revealed details about the game to in advance of its Tuesday launch.<\/p>\n
As in fantasy football or baseball, “Fantasy Election” is an online social game in which participants strategically build virtual teams of candidates and compete against other players from around the country for glory and prizes. Players can “draft” any candidate running for the U.S. presidency, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
To encourage players to select honest, inspiring politicians, the most valuable candidates will have measurable integrity as well as strong poll numbers. Each candidate’s “value” will be an aggregation of several key data points from specific partners:<\/p>\n