Xenophon gets serious with gaming, by Jamie Walker - The Australian - 25th August 2008

SO, it's all Kevin Rudd's fault. Nick Xenophon, the former No Pokies MP who carved out a political career by being a thorn in the side of state governments in South Australia, and is now honing his act in Canberra, revealed yesterday it was the Prime Minister who had inspired him to jump to federal politics.

Senator Xenophon shared this insight with what might be regarded as a hostile audience: a room full of gaming industry movers and shakers, who had gathered in Sydney for their annual convention.

He began by saying what he wasn't. "I am not a zealot," Senator Xenophon said, kicking off a week which, with parliament's resumption, will see him finally take up the Senate seat he won at last November's federal election.

"I am not some religious type who sees the world in terms of black and white, good and evil.

"I am not some Supernanny of the nanny state who's here to tell the poker machine barons to sit on 'the naughty chair'."

Then it was time to tell his audience a few home truths, Xenophon-style. While they might use the terms "entertainment or gaming" to describe their industry, he preferred to call it "obscene". Poker machines were unsafe and caused untold harm, he said.

And, worse, everyone in the room knew that.

"How can you pretend for a moment that a poker machine addict's money is better spent making you rich, than feeding their children," Senator Xenophon said, addressing the Australasian Gaming Expo.

"The charade is over. I am calling you on it (and) I am not willing to accept that you don't see the harm that you do.

"I honestly believe that you know the harm you do ... yet you choose to do it anyway."

As for the Prime Minister, who is yet to meet the new independent from SA with a share of the Senate balance of power, credit where credit was due.

Senator Xenophon said Mr Rudd's pre-election declaration of his "hatred" for poker machines helped him decide to switch to federal politics.

"I believed if I could get to Canberra, I could achieve what state governments never would ... an end to the misery your industry causes," Senator Xenophon told delegates at the gaming conference, who heard him out in polite silence. "Your machines are inherently unsafe ... and ultimately you know your position is untenable."

When "common sense prevailed", the industry would be shut down for good. "I hope the federal Government joins me in my efforts," he said.

"I want to work with the PM to achieve his goal to wind back your influence and to tackle the damage caused to families."

But Mr Rudd had to lead by example. And, according to Senator Xenophon, he might start by having the Labor Club in Canberra get rid of its banks of pokies.

"After all, how can you be opposed to something your own party profits from?" Senator Xenophon asked.

Additional reporting: Sanna Trad

Obama campaigns in video games - Fairfax - 15th October 2008

For those too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television, Barack Obama has a solution. He's become the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game.

Nine video games from Electronic Arts, ranging from the extremely popular Madden 09 football game to the street racing Burnout: Paradise, feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads - they appear on billboards and other signage - remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign website.

The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.

The Democrat's ads are aimed at gamers who like sports, including NASCAR, NBA, NHL and skateboarding. That suggests that EA Sports' motto, "It's in the game," now applies to presidential politics as well.

EA spokeswoman Holly Rockwood would not say how much the ads cost, but she said they are running on the Xbox Live versions of the game until November 3. They began earlier this month.

The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for the whole month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period.

"It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach - young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."

For those who still associate video games with clunky Pac Man or Space Invaders consoles, here's how in-game advertising works: The Xbox 360 console connects to the internet, so it can be updated with new features, including ads. In the case of Burnout, the game came out in stores in January, but the Obama ads were only inserted this month.

Rockwood declined to say how much revenue the company generates from selling ad space in its games.

"What we're trying to do is offer ads in games where we're simulating a real-world environment, so our racing games, our sports games lend themselves to that," she said.

(Credit: Fairfax)

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