Wreaking Havoc On The Political Machine 2016

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We all know how complicated elections can be after the Trump and Bush elections, but what does it really take to become President of the United States? I decided to find out for myself by playing the Presidential Race simulation game, The Political Machine 2016. The point is simple, do whatever it takes to become the next President. Whether you take an empathetic approach or a ruthless one, it’s up for you to decide how you’re going to run your campaign. With policies, operatives, funds and your charisma acting as tools to get you votes, the only question is will you be the next President?

In my first playthrough I discovered you get to decide the candidate you play as and the opponent you run against in the primaries. My only qualm with this game is that they focus on strictly Democrats and Republicans. As a registered Independent myself, I was excited to play as someone who didn’t stick to the party guidelines. However, people like Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and others are all in whichever of the two main parties most of their political ideals reside with. So, without this as an option I decided to play as a candidate of the people, from my own home state no less, Bernie Sanders.

(Representing The Green Mountain State)

Selecting my opponent was simple, I decided that there was no more fitting rival for me than Donald Trump. Thus, once I chose the two candidates the campaign begun, and I hit the campaign road running. With an excellent charisma rating, Bernie Sanders is the kind for candidate who benefits best in the game from giving speeches. I went from state to state, primarily the states I felt would be battleground states, and used Bernie’s uncanny ability to woo the masses to earn awareness and votes wherever I went. Using this tactic, I gained an early lead in the polls. Sadly, my pockets didn’t run nearly as deep as Donald Trump. He purchased ads, set up campaign sites in multiple states, and exerted his influence using the power of currency. Early in the race I had the clear advantage but before long Trump was gaining, I needed to adapt and prepare for a heated battle to win the presidency.

(Got the early lead!)

After a grueling first half, I had a slight lead in the polls over Trump, I needed more money and credibility to strengthen my campaign against him. At the midpoint of the election I was given the opportunity to select a running-mate. Something interesting about The Political Machine 2016 is that you can play as previous presidential candidates as well as ones from last year. When considering who to pick as my Vice President I scrolled through the list of names gruelingly. Suddenly, I saw the person who would help me win it all, Bill Clinton. The former President is someone deeply admired by almost everyone in the DNC and Democrats nationwide. If I was going to win the election I needed him by my side, the admiration for him as well as his ability to raise funds for the campaign would be crucial in the weeks to come.

(Which operative to get...)

After announcing my running-mate, it was back to the grind. Trump was at my heels and his persistence was daunting, I was feeling the pressure as I watched states on the map slowly but surely shift from gray to red filled. There were many places I couldn’t hope to defeat Trump in so I focused on the purple filled swing states. I bought ads, set up headquarters and gave moving speeches to try to win the people in the battleground states to my side. Trump was doing the same, it seemed every time I got somewhere he had already left his mark there. As the weeks flew by I knew it would be close, and there was a good chance Trump would come out on top.

(Ultimate fund raising ability needed to help in my campaign)

Finally, the time for the people to choose their candidate had arrived. The projections were incredibly close, there was no clear standout among myself or Trump. As the voting began I watched helplessly as most of the first states to vote were won by Trump. The voting continued and Trump had the lead, it was then Florida’s turn to vote, as the color of the state went blue I watched my votes skyrocket, taking a short lead over Trump. As the voting continued we were side by side, there was no telling who would win. Finally, we reached the west. I watched as Oregon, Washington, and California were all won by me, giving me a narrow victory over trump. Bernie Sanders was now the next President of the United States! I won the popular vote by 5 million and the electoral vote by only 12, but a win is a win and I came out on top.

(I emerged victorious!)

After playing a few other scenarios, I got more accustomed to how the game worked and enjoyed the fast-paced simple mechanics that make The Political Machine 2016 an easy game to get used to. Although I was initially incredibly disappointed that you could only play as a Democrat or a Republican, The Political Machine 2016 ended up being a ton of fun. I’m excited to try out more of the characters and I’m considering purchasing the campaign mode where you go up against a line of opponents to become the ultimate campaign master. If you like simulation games, or maybe weren’t quite satisfied with the outcome of last year’s election, this is a great game to pick up.