Presidential campaigns and computer gaming have intersected in this election cycle for the first time.  EA Sports has included advertising for Barack Obama in nine of its games, in their Xbox versions, and will run them until Election Day:

Nine video games from Electronic Arts Inc., ranging from the extremely popular “Madden 09” football game to the street racing “Burnout: Paradise,” feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads—they appear on billboards and other signage—remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site.

The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.

The Democrat’s ads are aimed at gamers who like sports, including NASCAR, NBA, NHL and skateboarding, meaning EA Sports’ motto, “It’s in the game,” now applies to presidential politics as well.

Sounds like a smart move by Team Obama, although it plays to a demographic Obama already has, and on voters who have low reliability at actually showing up on Election Day.  They have the money to innovate, though, and they won’t likely lose much on the transaction.  Their ads could get millions of views at a relatively low cost.

I do have to wonder about EA Sports and their marketing, though.  First, accepting political ads unnecessarily annoys at least part of their market.  Moreover, why should players have to see ads at all?  They invest hundreds of dollars into the game system, and then spend plenty of money on each game they play.  If I spent that kind of money playing “Madden 09”, I’d resent EA Sports’s attempt to exploit me for even more money to advertisers, especially on products I don’t want or like.

Of course, I don’t play Madden 09 or any of the other EA Sports games, and perhaps they rely on a lack of sophistication among their clientele and hope they don’t know any better.  That would certainly explain the Obama ads.

Update: It’s early, but I think this would win Comment of the Day, if we had such a thing.  From Bishop:

Coming soon from EA:

‘Community Organizer 2009′

Battle against your friends or the AI as you attempt to wrest control of Chicago for your own gain. Bribing city officials, befriending communists, blackmailing opponents, it’s all here in the game that’s guaranteed to make you want to be a community organizer too.

Comes with three bonus levels: Stealing A Senate Election, Crushing Your Female Opponent, and Destroying the Nation.

Ouch.