Shack Chat: Which video game character should run for president?

It's an election year in the United States, and that means unadulterated chaos all the way up until we collectively determine our next President in November. Let's take the spotlight off of Democrats and Republicans and instead discuss a new political party: video game characters. Imagine the candidates that the video game world would produce.

Question: Which video game character should run for president?

Cody - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Presidential Candidate

An ongoing story in gaming that struck me has been the evolution of Cody from Final Fight. When we first met him, he was a street tough looking to beat up gangsters to get his girlfriend back from an evil kingpin in a motorized wheelchair. Then he found himself on the wrong side of the law himself, unable to ever stop fighting, and ultimately wound up in jail.

Then Street Fighter 5 happened. Cody served his time and found that his friend Mayor Mike Haggar has found a higher calling (probably something involving the Marvel Universe and punching Galactus, but that's another conversation) and trusted him to be Metro City's mayor. Cody has since proven himself to be pretty good at this public servant thing, so the next step is for him to aim higher.

I would vote for Cody. I'm scared of that guy. He's got a knife and sometimes a lead pipe.

Chipp Zanuff - TJ Denzer, Would vote for President Zanuff again

People may not know this about Guilty Gear’s resident ninja, Chipp, but he’s a president. I can’t quite remember what he’s the president of, but he’s very serious about it and brings it up regularly throughout the events of Guilty Gear Xrd and Strive. You see, in Guilty Gear X2, Chipp learned that it’s not enough to be strong in the world. He found he also needed to understand politics to move events forward without violence, so he studied hard (as he has an ability to learn and adapt to most situations) and became a politician. By Guilty Gear Xrd, he’s a full-blown president of whatever.

More importantly, I’d vote for him again. Chipp has a good heart and a solid sense of justice. He can also cut his more unruly opponents in twain with the use of his wrist blade and pummel them with his Ninjutsu. He’s kind of like the Theodore Roosevelt of ninjas. And that’s the kind of craziness I want to put my vote behind, instead of the ridiculously corrupt kind we have in current day politics.

Michael Wilson from Metal Wolf Chaod - Asif Khan, CEO/EIC/EIEIO

It’s about time that America has a president who isn’t afraid to address corruption in Washington D.C. Michael Wilson stood up to his own vice president and can pilot a mech. While it’s not clear what kind of agenda Wilson would bring to his platform, we at least know that he has the confidence to just say “nothing is pointless, and the reason is because I’m the President of the Great United States of America.” It’s really hard to argue with such ironclad logic.

Arthur Morgan - Bill Lavoy, Bad Cop

Very few video game characters get the sort of love that Arthur Morgan does. It’s not unheard of, but my pick is this old-school outlaw who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He’s fiercely loyal to those around him, and he’s the man you send when you just need to get things done. He’d be an easy leader to follow. And, we’d probably get duels in the street back.

GLaDOS - Sam Chandler, AI Overload Peon

GLaDOS will make the tough decisions. GLaDOS will provide us all with comfortable housing (labs), create jobs (experiments), and ensure each household gets the food (cake) that they need to live (solve puzzles). I, for one, welcome President GLaDOS and hope we see the day where we can vote for her to preside (rule) over us.

Halsin - Donovan Erskine, Sorcerer

Halsin is a kind, honest, and considerate person. He cares about the plight of his people and will put himself on the line to protect them without hesitation. He's also a cool Druid who can transform into animals and lay the beatdown on enemies. Halsin would instill faith in the American public and give them something to be excited about. He's got my vote.

Super Mario - Steve Tyminski, A chicken in every pot and Mario Karts in every garage!

What video game character should run for president? I have to go with Super Mario on this one. Mario has all the makings to be the President of the United States. The original Super Mario Brothers came out in 1985 so he’s old enough to run for office and he’s from Brooklyn, NY. He has relationships with several international powers and has even gone to space. Super Mario is the ideal choice for a video game character that should run for President.

Those are the video game candidates we'd like to see on the ballot this November. If there are any characters you'd like to see throw their hat in the ring, sound off in the Chatty!

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.