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Here’s Some Australian Politicians Enjoying Video Games For A Change

Alex Walker Avatar
Alex Walker
Here’s Some Australian Politicians Enjoying Video Games For A Change

It’s been immensely frustrating over the years to see Australian legislators treat video games more like a joke, and not the economic juggernaut it is globally. But over the weekend, a group of Australian politicians offered a nice window into the future: A future where politicians get it.

As these things often do, it started with an innocuous Twitter thread. It was a simple callout designed to go viral. Name your 5 favourite games, or 5 games you really connect with, and tag 5 mates for their replies. So naturally, as this spread around the internet more and more, it eventually found its way into my feed.

So after adding a mix of people — my brother, the editor of Gizmodo Australia and some Good Game hosts — the thread carried on. From there, a conversation was sparked which got a surprising amount of Australian politicians involved:

If Tim Watts rings a bell, it’s because he’s written about video games before. The shadow cyber security minister has been encouraging more support for video games in Parliament, and he spoke lovingly about sharing Untitled Goose Game and taking his family to PAX Australia — following in the footsteps of Scott Ludlam, another large supporter of video games.

So while others took the thread in their own directions, the Labor MP continued proceedings by prodding his colleagues to chime in with some nice memories of their own.

A nice surprise: Terri Butler, as it turns out, is a bit of a fan of World of Warcraft and the legendary Boulder Dash. Not sure which version, but if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the Atari.

Not everyone had as much experience as Butler and Watts, but things continued to be incredibly wholesome from that point.

At this point, Anika Wells — who represents Queensland’s Lilley electorate — wondered out loud whether there might be any games chilled enough to help a young mother get through “extensive time feeding newborns” over the next couple of months. Stardew Valley was put forward as a candidate, and its wine hoarding capabilities went down a treat:

The whole thread, which is still going, was certainly a lot more wholesome than the sudden invasion of Twitch chat into Australian politics. It’s a nice reminder that there are more and more people in the halls of power who understand the value and social connectivity that video games can provide. That makes it a hell of a lot easier when companies and businesses are trying to explain video games as an industry, and the far-reaching economic benefits of funding video game development.

Of course, there’s the small part that no-one from the Nationals or Liberals are involved in this thread. It’d be nice to see a bit more cross-party love, and I’m sure quite a few members of the Greens (such as Senator Jordon Steele-John, who headed the inquiry into microtransactions, or game developer Dr Penny Kyburz) would have a few fond memories of their own. Either way, it’s nice to see video games spoken about in a way that shows more people get it. Understanding is the biggest battle. Year by year, that fight is getting easier.

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