NYT: In These Games, the Points Are All Political

Advergames are becoming rather popular in political marketing, gaining Internet exposure without great media costs. Detractors say the cartoonish games that tend to have humorous punch lines are merely faddish. But something that goes unexamined in the New York Times article linked above is the fact that advergames share a trait with the most popular form of political awareness generation: the snarky political commentary of late night hosts like Jay Leno and David Letterman. Both engage voters with humor and in a superficial way that allows the audience to both feel smart and have a sense that they understand complex political issues.