MTV to host election game that looks kind of fun

This summer MTV is launching an election game to help inform and engage young voters. It's all pretty much played using social media like Facebook, Twitter and foursquare.

PolitiFact, Real Clear Politics, the Center for Responsive Politics, Project Vote Smart and the Wesleyan Media Project are co-hosting the game to fact-check candidates, monitor polling data and track money in politics and government.

Similar to Fantasy Football, "Fantasy Election ‘12" enables users to draft a team of candidates pursuing the presidency or Congress, earning and losing points based on how their players behave in the real world.  Users will also earn bonus points for real world actions like registering to vote, voting, and testing their political knowledge.  Overall, success in the game will be based on two things: how candidates behave and what players do.

And this is how to play:

Players of "Fantasy Election ‘12" will earn bonus points for getting informed on political issues and by engaging and participating in the political process.  On foursquare and GetGlue, young people who "check-in" on their mobile devices to in-person town hall events, on-air political debates and to cast their ballots on November 6th will gain extra points. Additionally, players can earn bonus points by registering to vote via Rock the Vote’s simple registration tool.  Points can also be gained by sharing the game and getting friends involved, or by participating in a series of daily challenges that will launch this summer.

[PolitiFact]