Water Cooler Games - Spille Communication

Spille Communication
June 29, 2004 - by Ian Bogost

You know something must be popular when recording artists start doing it. Well, the Beastie Boys have their own political game, Triple Trouble. Here's what music news site Aversion has to say about it:

The game, posted on Capitol Records' web site, makes users get all three members of the band across the street to get to a political rally. The band, however, must dodge President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice to avoid death. The game was built to promote the act's latest single, "Triple Trouble."

The game itself has Frogger (or Chicken, I suppose) gameplay. It's very simple to be sure but it does carry a position. Reminds me a little of Jack Black wearing a "Vote Kerry" t-shirt at the recent MTV Movie Awards.

(Thanks to Dakota. And apologies to my ITU friends for the Danish pun. I'm trying.)

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Comment from zach on June 30, 2004

Interesting. After level 10, "the tables turn" and you have to play as Bush, Condaleeza or Rumsfeld, and (I guess) since it's a higher level it's harder to get across the street.

What's the rhetorical message of that? Since it's harder to play as a member of the administration, is that a subtle sympathy for the incumbent? Or does the fact that Rummy is a more cumberson avatar (I thought) than Mike D, make us feel badly about Donald Rumsfield?

In other words, if this is operating with a rhetorical appeal to emotion, is it counting on our identification with or alienation from the avatar? Repeated failure at, say, level 14 is frustrating to the extent that one is actually invested in beating the game (albeit, a small likelihood), so it's interesting that it seems to rely on us directing our frustration at the "enemy" for the first 10 levels and the avatar for the next 10 levels.

Also, what does it mean that the Beastie's rallies consist of people with signs and the Republican ralliers appear to carry sticks of some sort?

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