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SALT LAKE CITY — If you want to see President Obama and Mitt Romney duke it out, face to face, you don't have to wait for the debates. A Utah video game company lets gamers play as their favorite candidate and fight the opponent.
In "Vote!! The Game," Mitt Romney and Barack Obama actually fight each other. The game is released by ChAIR Entertainment Group, the same company that released the popular game "Infinity Blade" for iPhones and iPads. Creative Director Donald Mustard says the two games use the same kind of game play.
"Players can dodge, block and swipe in a one-on-one fight against an opponent. In this particular game, it's Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney," he said.
Instead of using swords or daggers, the candidates use weapons like ice cream cones, foam fingers and rubber chickens.
If you're concerned about the game being overly violent, Mustard says you shouldn't worry. Instead of using weapons like swords or daggers, the candidates use weapons like ice cream cones, foam fingers and rubber chickens.
"We wanted to make something that was good humored and funny. Making this game, we were just laughing the whole time," he said.
The winner of each fight, or "debate" as they're called in the game, wins "votes," while the loser falls on his rear.
Mustard says people can do more than just fight as their chosen candidate. They've partnered with Rock The Vote to help people register to vote through the game.
"I was testing it. I put in my name. I put in ‘Utah.' I put in my zip code and it immediately brought me to the right Utah papers that I could fill out electronically," he said. "It even would take me to help me print out those papers and print out the postage."
Plus, it tracks which presidential hopeful is liked more by the gamers.
"As you're playing, let's say as Barack Obama, and you're winning votes through these rounds, those votes are being allocated to your candidate," he explained.
Mustard says young gamers can sometimes be hard to convince to come to the polls. He's hoping this game can change that.
It's available in the iTunes App Store, and it's free.
