Machogames: How Does Barack Obama's Team Wind Down? Rock Band Marathons

Whether you’re amped about Barack Obama’s big win or reeling from John McCain’s defeat, you can always take your mind off the political world with a few hours of your favorite video game. If you’re distraction of choice happens to be the Rock Band franchise, you’re in good company. Obama’s winning campaign squad turned to the game often when it was time to relax after a hard day’s campaigning, according to a new piece by Ryan Lizza in the New Yorker.

Like many campaign teams, Obama’s was young. The communications department—made up mostly of guys in their twenties and thirties—had a fraternity-house quality. On weekends, they would often drink beer together and play the video game Rock Band at a group house in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

They had been brought up in Democratic politics in the previous two decades with an understanding that the people who worked for Bill and Hillary Clinton were the best operatives in Washington, especially when it came to dealing with the media. They had watched “The War Room,” the documentary about the 1992 Clinton campaign, which featured strategists like James Carville and George Stephanopoulos manically responding to every negative story and trying to win every news cycle.

So, Obama’s crew played some Rock Band in Lincoln Park. But did they play any actual Linkin Park tunes? And just which group of all-star campaign workers made the best team? Inquiring minds want to know, and hopefully this will be addressed at the next presidential presser. Apparently, everyone’s a gamer. Our only hope is that these staffers didn’t opt to give their in-game bands cheesy, campaign-based names. Any cool points they’ve earned here will be totally lost if we hear of late night riff competitions pitting the “Change Crew” against “Yes We Can…Rock!” Battle Plans: How Obama Won [New Yorker]