With Political Arena's development underway, we're pleased to present to you our first development diary. We'll be releasing these regularly to update you on our production and to highlight game features.

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Politics is the accumulation and exercise of power, and politicians amass power in a multitude of ways: Sometimes its luring canvassers to your campaign with free Dominos; sometimes its begging a regional car dealership magnate for money in their living room; and other times its giving the speakers nephew an internship in your office because the kid lives in your district. Political Arena is a game about American power, so its only appropriate that for our inaugural dev diary, we discuss *screams in Nina Simone*
Specifically, were going to provide a brief overview of how power is represented in Political Arena. It all boils down to three currencies: Money, Political Capital and Fame. How much a player focuses on each currency will depend on their own goals and circumstances. All three currencies play off one another, and no playthrough will have the player completely ignoring any single one.

MONEY

Money is the root of all evil, so naturally it plays a big role in politics. In Political Arena, politicians use money to fund campaigns -- both their own and those of colleagues with whom they wish to curry favor -- and by citizens and outside actors hoping to influence the government. Politicians accrue campaign cash through voters, organizations, megadonors and occasionally from legally dubious sources. Yes, there will be super PACs, but more on those at another point.

POLITICAL CAPITAL

Political Capital is the currency of Washington: its what politicians spend to influence other political actors, whether its goading leadership into putting a bill up for a vote, getting a prominent advocacy group to rally around specific legislation or to get a pesky investigation into your foreign campaign contributions dropped. Obtaining higher office, holding key leadership or committee posts, being in the graces of influential special interests and having ones legislation passed are among the ways a player accumulates Political Capital.

FAME

Fame is central to a politicians ambitions. Without increased name recognition, a senator cant be elected president, a congressperson cant be elected a senator, or, heaven forbid, the 7th-most successful telecom executive in Pennsylvanias 6th Congressional District will remain the seventh-most successful telecom executive in Pennsylvanias 6th Congressional District forever. Politicians spend Fame on media appearances, campaign rallies and constituent events. Having more fame translates to polling boosts, media invitations and a greater interest among voters to donate to campaigns and show up to campaign rallies.

One Last Thing...

In Political Arena, as in politics, sometimes you have to wield your influence to gain more power. Youll often spend these currencies to help increase the rate you accrue them (like spending a set amount of fame on a TV appearance only to watch your fame tick up faster afterwards). Moreover, a great many in-game features and developments can impact the rate you gain power currencies: the triumphs and failures of other politicians in your party, your traits (more on those later) and various events and event chains, to name a few. Thats it for now. Well be back soon with another Political Arena dev diary. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of Ronald Reagan being shown the latest Political Arena developments:

[ 2022-02-03 23:38:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

POLITICAL ARENA is a one-of-a-kind strategy/sim about American power. Seek fame or infamy in a fully simulated political world, complete with high stakes campaign strategizing, backroom deals, scandals, special interests, and the press. Be the politician of your dreams (or nightmares).

Run a top-notch campaign by leveraging Political Arena’s real world data. Learn what issues drive your constituents to the ballot box, scrutinize the latest polls, and analyze the unique demographics of every congressional district.

Master the art of negotiation and become a Washington power broker. Navigate D.C.’s maze of special interests by analyzing the strengths, weaknesses and ambitions of your friends and enemies … even hold unfavorable information as leverage to gain concessions. Single out powerful allies -- the legislative leaders, the rising stars, the kingmakers -- and do everything you can to get on their good side.

Play the news cycle and try not to let it play you. Strategically time your actions to generate the most (or least) attention from the press.Announce your campaign, introduce legislation, and time campaign events when the media is least distracted -- or publicize compromising information when the public has its eyes elsewhere. Friday is a great time to announce that pesky IRS investigation into your spouse's finances.