MW on MSNBC

the -minus world on October 30th, 2008

Looks like Thwomp The Vote is taking on the world of legitimate news journalism! Winda Benedetti over at MSNBC was kind enough to get the low down on this year’s 2nd most important election, check it out! And to read the full transcript of the interview, just hit the jump. Damn it feels good to see people up on it.

How did you come up with “Thwomp the Vote?” And why?

The staff at the Minus World is mostly comprised of jaded, politically informed gamers in our late 20’s and we haven’t really had a reason to get too excited for an election until now. You probably noticed, but the last two of them were pretty abysmal. Everything just feels more exciting and charged right now and the internet is really at the cusp of it. We’ve always prided ourselves on completely original content and wanted to cover this election in our signature fashion, so the political race between Mario and Luigi was born. We’re hoping it brings gamers closer to the political world out there while giving the people who are actively following the election a new and entertaining spin on things.

Why use game references to make a political statement?

Our generation grew up with video games as a constantly evolving artistic medium, so while some people might view gaming as a mindless orgy of beeps and pixels, we see it as an evocative platform for progress, storytelling, and potential satire. It’s really just an extension of how a political cartoonist works, reinterpreting actual events through a distinctly approachable visual style.

Do you have anything in particular you’re trying to say? I do realize that you’re the distinguished source for video game comedy…but is “Thwomp the Vote” just for laughs…or something more?

It’s definitely a not-so-blatant vessel for our own political views at times, but much of the comedy parallels actual headlines perfectly without us having to twist it at all. So while some of it relies on humorous art or writing, an actual Sarah Palin quote can be just as absurd as its Mushroom Kingdom counterpart, if not more so. We’d love to help bridge the worlds of gaming and politics so that the two get to know each other better, maybe grab a drink and a split a bloomin’ onion at the bar. Gamers really only hear about politicians when they try to take away our games and politicians only hear about gamers when we do something stupid. There’s more to us all than that.

I’ve noticed that quite a lot of people are using games and game content to make their political opinions known (i.e. election-themed flash games, Spore characters created in the likeness of the candidates, election-themed machinma, etc) and I’m wondering: Do you think there’s any particular reason this is happening this election? Are gamers more politically active and engaged than they used to be? Or are the tools just easier to use?

The online social aspect of gaming is pretty remarkable. In a way, there is a bigger communal sense than there ever was before. Not only are millions of gamers interacting with one another through this new medium, they’re sharing their ideas and creations. Custom character mods and levels designs and such. It’s like a giant art class where everyone is trying to one-up each other. At the same time, we’re all being completely bombarded with so many different things in the corner of every web page - news, pop culture, politics - that it just seeps into our language and our way of life. It’s absolutely a combination of everything coming together at the right time and it’s incredibly exciting to partake in.

Who do you think would make a better president – Mario or Luigi?

Luigi, without a doubt. Mario is certainly a more seasoned veteran when it comes to the spotlight, but he’s allowed decades of repetitious strategical approach to hinder his progress. Seriously, how many times can we possibly allow the Princess to be kidnapped? Vote Luigi, it’s time for a change. Plus he can jump farther.