Obama Ads Appear In Xbox Live Video Games

Barack Obama has become the first presidential candidate to advertise in a video game. The Obama campaign purchased ad space in the Xbox live versions of 18 different video games. The ads will run up until Nov. 3, and only be displayed in 10 major swing states.

The ads show that Obama is willing to embrace new technology, and that may be the most important aspect of this whole video game campaign.

Obama’s face and name will be on billboards and signs in “NBA Live ’08″, “Burnout Paradise”, “Nascar 09″, “Need For Speed Carbon”, “Need For Speed Pro Street”, “NFL on Tour”, “NHL ’09″, “Skate”, and “Guitar Hero”, among some others. And the 10 states that are targeted include some major battleground states: Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado.

No word on how much the ads cost yet, but that should get leaked in time.

Generally, the 18-34 year old demographic is hard to reach, so advertising in games could be a smart move. I’m just not so sure it’s smart for Obama. Among 18-34 year old video game players, he’s already the candidate of choice. The ads may just be a wasted wad of cash.