Mega-Thread: 2020 United States General Election

[Edge-]

There's a different between that can campaigns operating at an official capacity.

Again, I'm with you. I'd love to see US elections handled more like they are in some EU countries where candidates all have the same cap on funding, have the same limited window to campaign (none of this yearlong nonsense), and have a range of restrictions and limitations on when/where they can campaign and the content of their campaign messages.

But that ain't happening anytime soon, especially with HR1 destined to die on McConnell's doorstep this term, unsurprisingly. But until we get there, this is the reality we have to live with and you gotta play the game if you wanna win, even if that means getting a bit dirty sometimes. And comparatively, this is a light dusting compared to the Trump campaign wallowing in the mud.

[Benggaul]

You think it's going to stop there? Because it is not going to stop there, especially if Biden wins and it's deemed a success strategy. Bad enough when you have campaigns spamming your phone and inbox. They will definitely go after virtual spaces if people say 'well it's mostly harmless'. The nail is that Republicans are so much better at messaging too so they'll dominate the medium.

Oh noes! I will be advertised at in games and forums! Whatever shall I--...oh that's already been happening for years? So I can just do what I already do with ads I don't care about and just ignore it? Cool.

And as Felya mentioned, there were already people who had created fake MAGA hats in the AC game. You know what everyone did who didn't like that? Didn't visit those islands and didn't scan the code to have them put in their island. So again: Making a big deal about this--as opposed to the actual creation and implementation of it--actually IS a huge fucking waste of time and resources.

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Yeah I don't want either party thinking it's okay to invade peoples outlet. It's one thing if players want to show their support, mostly trolling anyway. It's another if campaigns are actual spending money and going over data to best see how to inject themselves into your free time.

You. Have. To. Invite. Them. In. They can't "invade your outlet" in AC. I'm not sure how much more that has to be said before it sinks in.

[Truhan]

Again, I'm with you. I'd love to see US elections handled more like they are in some EU countries where candidates all have the same cap on funding, have the same limited window to campaign (none of this yearlong nonsense), and have a range of restrictions and limitations on when/where they can campaign and the content of their campaign messages.

But that ain't happening anytime soon, especially with HR1 destined to die on McConnell's doorstep this term, unsurprisingly. But until we get there, this is the reality we have to live with and you gotta play the game if you wanna win, even if that means getting a bit dirty sometimes. And comparatively, this is a light dusting compared to the Trump campaign wallowing in the mud.

I didn't know it was mud they're wallowing in. Certainly doesn't smell like mud to me.

[Felya]

My sig has what to do with anything? And you're not looking hard enough if you think it is any kind of endorsement.

I’m not taking it as an endorsement, I’m taking it as entertainment in politics.

[PACOX]

Again, I'm with you. I'd love to see US elections handled more like they are in some EU countries where candidates all have the same cap on funding, have the same limited window to campaign (none of this yearlong nonsense), and have a range of restrictions and limitations on when/where they can campaign and the content of their campaign messages.

You move that direction by not letting the 'innocent' violations. A code here, an optional chat room there, next thing you know you have campaign volunteers who nothing but whisper campaign messages. But that's fine because you can just block them..

I'll tell you what I'd do if I worked on a campaign. I'd be combing through this site, Facebook, reddit, discord, twitch, etc for gaming handles and the games people play. I'm then assigning a 'video game' volunteer' to go any 'play' these games, making sure they do a little outreach by messaging the usernames I've collected while they are at it. We all know people tend to use the same user names and not turn off social features so it would not be difficult to mine trends based on habits to be most effective.

How about we just not go down that route instead of tempting it.

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I’m not taking it as an endorsement, I’m taking it as entertainment in politics.

I'm on a forum with a political section and operating in no official capacity.

[Elegiac]

You think it's going to stop there?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slope

Y'all are really fuckin' reaching for reasons to be critical at this point.

Need I remind everyone except Felya that Steve Bannon was a gold seller. Saying "keep the medium pure" is nonsense, do you think the right wing will have any such scruples?

And y'all complain about liberals being bad at electoral strategy, christ and allah.

[Felya]

I'm on a forum with a political section and operating in no official capacity.

Neither do people who choose to scan a QR code...

[Edge-]

You move that direction by not letting the 'innocent' violations. A code here, an optional chat room there, next thing you know you have campaign volunteers who nothing but whisper campaign messages. But that's fine because you can just block them..

Ah yes, it really is a slippery slope?

I mean, it's the game right now. You either play the game, or you get played by someone that plays the game better. Like Trump did in 2016. No amount of principled stances and positions will help you win if you're getting outplayed badly with the current rules.

I'll tell you what I'd do if I worked on a campaign. I'd be combing through this site, Facebook, reddit, discord, twitch, etc for gaming handles and the games people play. I'm then assigning a 'video game' volunteer' to go any 'play' these games, making sure they do a little outreach by messaging the usernames I've collected while they are at it. We all know people tend to use the same user names and not turn off social features so it would not be difficult to mine trends based on habits to be most effective.

Good luck finding funding, and volunteers, to do that on any meaningful scale. Because that sounds like a monumental waste of time, effort, and resources in the way that creating a few optional skins for one game is.

How about we just not go down that route instead of tempting it.

The only route we seem to be going down is one of pure fantasy. What you proposed would be laughed out of any campaign as a massive waste of resources, specifically staff/volunteer time, that would be infinitely better spent trying to contact actual registered voters who live in the US rather than shitposting on every online game imaginable in the hopes that you're directing your campaign shitposts at a 12 year old in Finland who just wants to pwn some noobs in CS:GO.

Edit: Campaign volunteers are not primarily very online young people. They're middle aged folks, many of whom may game but not seriously. How are you going to find people who know what these games are? How are you going to get the games in their hands? Are they expected to pay for them? Is the campaign buying them? I assume they'll have a script, but how do you teach a 56 year old to "speak the language" of very online people, which varies considerably from game to game? Will you have game expert-volunteers teaching people? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!

[PACOX]

Yall are smarter than just throwing out the slippery slope fallacy. It's not a fallacy if the slope is real and is slippery.

I'm just to point to the mess called Facebook if you think campaigns moving into entertainment stops at 'harmless QR codes'.

[Felya]

I'm just to point to the mess called Facebook if you think campaigns moving into entertainment stops at 'harmless QR codes'.

You don’t have a choice what ads you see on Facebook... We have Trump bitching about NFL and NBA, making them explicitly political, but QR code is a slippery slope? To what?

Oh and I wouldn’t use harmless... I’d say voluntary...

[PACOX]

Good luck finding funding, and volunteers, to do that on any meaningful scale. Because that sounds like a monumental waste of time, effort, and resources in the way that creating a few optional skins for one game is.

Have you've ever dabbled into the campaign world? Volunteers will canvas where and however their candidate asks. If it's their job they do it. It's like saying someone isn't going to sit around and farm gold all day...or spam chats.

[Edge-]

Have you've ever dabbled into the campaign world? Volunteers will canvas where and however their candidate asks. If it's their job they do it. It's like saying someone isn't going to sit around and farm gold all day...or spam chats.

Yeah, quite a bit actually. And based on all my experience, trying to organize something this radically different would require a herculean effort to properly prepare the initiative and volunteers to start their gaming shitposting careers. And that wouldn't even guarantee quality results, as the quality of work from volunteers that mean well (or even staffers) can be wildly inconsistent.

Volunteers will canvas where and how needed, but that doesn't mean their good with it. Knocking on doors, phone/text banking and what have you are all very straightforward processes and even something like text banking can get complicated and confusing for volunteers. And you're asking them to engage in tasks that will be far more complicated and far more foreign to what many of them are used to, which would require extensive training to prep them.

Are they spamming general chat in Runescape? Which one, retail or classic? Is it the mobile version? Are you sure it wasn't "Ruin"? My account is new and won't let me post in general channels, what do I do?!

[Benggaul]

For the last time: Scanning the code is a voluntary choice you must make in order to get the MAGA/Biden images in YOUR game. In other words you already have to WANT them to get them. This isn't a case of propaganda being thrust through mail slots or plastered on banner ads on gaming forums.

"The Dems aren't getting their message out! The GOP are so far ahead of the game!"
"The Dems are pushing their message through voluntary cosmetics in a game and that's a slippery slope!"

Good. Fucking. Grief.

[PACOX]

You don’t have a choice what ads you see on Facebook... We have Trump bitching about NFL and NBA, making them explicitly political, but QR code is a slippery slope? To what?

Oh and I wouldn’t use harmless... I’d say voluntary...

Was referring to Facebook ads being targeted and rather invasive and that Facebook doesn't about how invasive or dishonest the ads are as long as they are paid - not them simply existing.

[Felya]

For the last time: Scanning the code is a voluntary choice you must make in order to get the MAGA/Biden images in YOUR game. In other words you already have to WANT them to get them. This isn't a case of propaganda being thrust through mail slots or plastered on banner ads on gaming forums.

"The Dems aren't getting their message out! The GOP are so far ahead of the game!"
"The Dems are pushing their message through voluntary cosmetics in a game and that's a slippery slope!"

Good. Fucking. Grief.

If anyone is interested, you can get the MAGA ones, here:

https://thedonald.win/p/FMJb1Mf7/red...mal-crossing-/

[Edge-]

Was referring to Facebook ads being targeted and rather invasive and that Facebook doesn't about how invasive or dishonest the ads are as long as they are paid - not them simply existing.

Which is a uniquely Facebook problem, not an overall campaign problem.

[Felya]

Was referring to Facebook ads being targeted and rather invasive and that Facebook doesn't about how invasive or dishonest the ads are as long as they are paid - not them simply existing.

So... how does that relate to Animal Crossing QR code?

[DingDongKing]

I think political advertisement needs to stay the fuck away from gaming. There's enough wingnuts in the gaming world, there's no requirement to radicalise them into MAGAhats. I've not played WoW in years, but I don't want to return to a raid where people have MAGA transmogs on (joke).

[PACOX]

For the last time: Scanning the code is a voluntary choice you must make in order to get the MAGA/Biden images in YOUR game. In other words you already have to WANT them to get them. This isn't a case of propaganda being thrust through mail slots or plastered on banner ads on gaming forums.

"The Dems aren't getting their message out! The GOP are so far ahead of the game!"
"The Dems are pushing their message through voluntary cosmetics in a game and that's a slippery slope!"

Good. Fucking. Grief.

Its still solicitation. Don't just skirt around that.

[Felya]

Which is a uniquely Facebook problem, not an overall campaign problem.

... which are not usually even directed by Trump’s campaign, but are symbiotic or PACs.