When there is something important happening on the horizon, you can always rely on independent app developers to create a tongue-in-cheek parody of it in a silly game format.
In anticipation of the long-awaited 14th General Elections that are coming up in just a few days, there have been quite a few games developed just for the upcoming GE14.
None of these games are endorsed by any political party.
Some of them include:
1. GE14: Who Will Win?
We were expecting a low key tic tac toe-based game when we downloaded GE14: Who Will Win?
What we got instead is a fast-paced tournament game with adorable characters that share an uncanny resemblance to some Malaysian politicians. You can choose to play as either Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan, and your job is to tap on the logo of your preferred party when it appears. Each successful tap is a seat for your cute politician avatar.
If you score enough seats in a region, you win that round.
Other logos that will appear to shake up the game are the neutral face emoji, an Undi Rosak logo, and the red version of the Pakatan Harapan logo.
Each of these logos will impact the scores differently. For example, tapping on the Undi Rosak logo will grant points to Barisan Nasional, and tapping on the emoji will cost Pakatan Harapan one point.
Meanwhile, tapping on the red Pakatan Harapan logo does nothing.
The game is available for both iOS and Android devices.
2. Word Search: Malaysian Politicians Edition
Don’t let the name of this app fool you. What sounded like a word jumble to hunt down politicians’ names in turned out to be a hangman-based game with politics-related terms and phrases for me to guess before my stick man is hung.
Words that came out include SPPB, Parti Pakatan Harapan Sabah, SBB, Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia, and other similar terms. So far, we haven’t come across any politician names, but screenshots of the app on the Google Play Store show us that they’re there.
It’s safe to play with friends of different political opinions too.
The app does suffer from a little clunkiness, like how certain phrases bleed into the hangman layout, and sometimes even stretch beyond the game’s borders. But otherwise, it is still a straightforward game.
The game can be downloaded on Android devices only.
3. Politiko
Politiko actually started out as a board game built for GE13, but the team behind it have since decided to port it to mobile for the upcoming GE14.
Unlike the multiplayer board game for groups, the app is a single-player game for players to duke it out with an AI opponent.
For now, you only have the option to choose between Pakatan Harapan or Barisan Nasional-… oops, we mean People’s Hope Coalition or United Nationalists Front.
Players have to try to win more seats than their opponents to win the game, and can play the game using different policies and tactics, like redelineations, sex scandals, petrol subsidies, LGBT scapegoats, MRT developments, ceramahs, free water, and a plethora of cards with suspiciously familiar situations.
The game can be downloaded on Android devices only, with an iOS version on the way.
4. babykisser – GE14
Babykisser – GE14 is a challenging whack-a-mole inspired game where you, again, tap on the logos of the political parties to win.
Personally, I see this as GE14: Who Will Win? with a difficulty spike.
Instead of just choosing between Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan logos, you can tap on a wider variety of political entities—UMNO, MIC, MCA, DAP, Hindraf, Bersatu, Gerakan, Undi Rosak, Amanah, PAS, among others.
They will appear on the board, overlapping each other to add a touch of trickiness. And you can also choose to send them your favour, or fling mud at them.
The game can be downloaded on Android devices only.
5. Putra Kick 2018
Besides characters that look suspiciously like Najib and another with an uncanny resemblance to Mahathir, Putra Kick 2018 really has nothing to do with current politics.
Nevertheless, it’s a pretty fun PvP (player versus player) game.
You’ll be matched up tournament-style with a competing player, and be put in a penalty kick situation.
You’ll take turns kicking a ball into the goal, or blocking your enemy from scoring against you.
There are even emojis that allow you to tell your nemesis exactly how their move made you feel.
Otherwise, it’s a pretty simple game. A lot of it is based on luck, but it is a fairly entertaining game that can tide you over while you’re travelling in a bus, or even in line while you wait for your turn to vote.
The game can be downloaded on Android devices only.
- If you’re a first-time voter and not sure of the do’s and don’ts, you can read this article and clear those doubts.
Feature Image: Compilation from GE14: Who Will Win?, Putra Kick 2018 and Politiko
