14 DAY TRIAL // For quite some time, politicians have talked about videogames as a plague on society and championed schemes designed to limit their sales while blaming them for the ills of society.
But even as their rhetoric seems to be toning down, a new generation of gaming politicians seems to be rising up and seeking positions of power. One of the first representatives of this generation could be Ray Tenorio, a Guam Senate member who is describing himself as being a hardcore World of Warcraft player. He plans to run for the position of Lieutenant Governor of Guam, with another Senator Baza Calvo, running for the position of Governor.
He sent a letter to specialized site GamePolitics.com, announcing his intentions, making remarks about the Blizzard-made MMO. He said that “I hope everyone at GamePolitics.com are healthy and doing well. As most everyone in WoW are eyeing level 85 in the Cataclysm expansion, waiting to take down the Lich King and still grinding heroic Ulduar... I wanted to let GamePolitics.com know first that I am running for Lt. Governor.”
Tenorio plays a Dwarf Priest named Paleray, in level 80, and can be found on the Silverhand server. He is a member of the Knights of Marianas guild in game. It's not clear how he can continue his duty to the guild in World of Warcraft if he is elected Lieutenant Governor.
It will be interesting to see how the fact that he is open about his gaming passion will affect the prospects of Tenorio's candidacy. On the one hand, he might manage to attract the youth vote because he shares one of their passions. On the other hand, more conservative politicians might attack him on the issue, saying that he cannot handle the responsibility that comes with his position while also continuing to devote time to the World of Warcraft MMO.