President is a Wii fan, buys dance game

[SoulBlazer]

When you're the President of the US, and insist on doing anything 'normal' for youself, it's impossible to do said activity without 1) The secret service all over you and 2) a mob of reporters.

 

The latter made it impossible for him to buy Christmas gifts for his girls at a Best Buy as a secret:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/pool-reporters-obama-best-buy-ruin-sasha-malia-230014303.html

 

Let's hope the girls don't look online between now and then.

[iswitt]

Meanwhile, over on Google + ....

[Hyper_Eye]

I can see this thread going well.

[TwinChargers]

Think that this is the first president to have a video game system in the White House? Did Reagan ever have an Atari? I can't see either Bush presidents playing video games. Perhaps Chelsea Clinton is our only other hope. Think she owned a SNES or Genesis? I'm thinking a GameBoy is most likely. Anybody know?

[jaybird3rd]

I'd almost be willing to bet money that somebody conducted some sort of poll to figure out which video game system would be most appealing to the right kinds of people before anybody decided to buy anything. Nothing that any president does is truly spontaneous; even a "quick run to the store" has to be planned weeks in advance because of the arrangements necessary for adequate security (not to mention favorable reporters with cameras), and everything is done to create or cultivate an image.

 

As for presidents and video games ... it's probably just a generational thing, along with the fact that this is the first president we've had in a while with young children in the White House; I believe Chelsea Clinton was a teenager and Bush 43's kids were nearly twenty when they first lived there. I remember Reagan being enthusiastic about video games, even half-jokingly suggesting that the hand/eye coordination skills of young gameplayers would make them excellent Air Force pilots, but I doubt he ever actually had any games set up in the White House, except maybe for a demonstration or photo op. Remember also that video games had a bad name among the political class for the longest time (and still do to some extent) because of the brouhaha over "violent video games", and it's only fairly recently that family-friendly systems and genres have achieved a significant enough market share to avoid that stigma.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I'm surprised no one has brought up Obama's past stance on video games.

Ironic.

[atarian63]

First thing this guy got right!

[jetset]

And there it is.

Didn't take long for the trolling to start.

[atarian63]

considering who the subject is , what did you expect?

[jetset]

considering who the subject is , what did you expect?

 

From most people a discussion on the actual topic.

From others...I guess the opportunity for an uninformed hit and run is too much to pass up.

[atarian63]

Or instead the opportunity to state an obvious fact. too bad you just can't get it. soon you will though.

[PsychoKittyNet]

Good to know even the president is a.late Christmas shopper, now I don't feel so bad.

[Reaperman]

Good to know even the president is a.late Christmas shopper, now I don't feel so bad.

I think that encouraging late-term consumerism was the primary purpose of that press event.

Edited December 24, 2011 by Reaperman

[Punisher5.0]

Let's not turn a discussion on a video game purchase into a political debate please.

[jetset]

Let's not turn a discussion on a video game purchase into a political debate please.

 

Nope. No more food for the troll from me.

[Reaperman]

Let's not turn a discussion on a video game purchase into a political debate please.

Let's not turn this carefully organized political move into a political debate? Just take it at face press value?

 

I'm honestly not sure if I agree or not. On one hand that's entirely what this kind of action is there for, on the other, it doesn't really even matter who the boss is here, does it? Sky fell long ago for me--it's all fake.

 

I will say that 'Just Dance' is the kind of intellectually devoid crap that isn't allowed in my house--best read a book instead. The 'other guy' would have bought the same game, though.

Edited December 26, 2011 by Reaperman

[atarian63]

no more troll food for the florida guy..he can't resist

 

Just dance is great if you have girls, otherwise. well it certainly is lacking in value.

[godslabrat]

Does Obama care if I bought Wii games this week? No? Then why should I care if he did?

 

That's pretty much the only response I could think of that wouldn't be political, and therefore not allowed on this forum. Really, though, this story is only news because he's the president, which is a political job, so the topic is by its very nature political.