Political Internet Games: Engaging an Audience.

We aimed to investigate how online political games contribute to the development of political engagement. Using Raessens' (2006) functions and Van Zoonen's (2007) perspectives as an analytical framework, we investigated six online games with respect to their expressive and engaging power in terms of the performance of a 'political self'. Our exploratory research was guided by two questions. The first aimed to uncover, through interviews, why independent developers of online political games created them, and how they took their potential players into consideration during this process. The second research question was focused on players. Using an online questionnaire, we asked them how they judged the impact of playing a political game on their knowledge and opinions about the issue addressed therein. We invited them to play a political game as part of our research procedure. Questions were also asked about the players' intentions after they had played the game, thus connecting the experience of play to possible behavioral changes. Interviews with developers revealed that the development of such a game contributes to the enhancement of the everyday political context. Similar results are found amongst players (n=80, online survey). The results also suggest that the construction and expression of a 'political self' through the act of playing a political game may have consequences in the real world. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]