When Games and Politics Collide: Campaign Records Reveal Donations of Key Industry Figures

By searching through public campaign records, GamesPolitics has compiled a list of politically-active prominent game industry figures and who they support.

Of the 16 found so far, 9 have personally donated to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, while 3 favor Republican candidate John McCain. An Xbox Live poll previously found that Xbox Live users tended to support Obama.

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and Spore creator Will Wright rank among McCain's more high-profile supporters. Meanwhile, Obama has been backed by ESRB president Patricia Vance, Star Wars creator George Lucas, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick and ESA general counsel Kenneth Doroshow, among others.

Still a work-in-progress, the current list can be found below:

Republican Contributors
• Will Wright: (Spore, The Sims) $3,000 to McCain; previously donated $2,350 to Giuliani

• Bobby Kotick (Activision CEO) $2,300 to McCain; previously donated $2,100 to Romney

• Curt Schilling (38 Studios) $2,300 to McCain

Democratic Contributors

• Strauss Zelnick (Chairman, Take-Two) $2,000 to Obama; had previously donated to $2,500 to Edwards, $1,000 each to Biden & Richardson

• Ben Feder (CEO, Take-Two) contributed $1,000 to Biden in 2007

• Sam Houser (Rockstar) $4,600 to Obama

• Patricia Vance (president, ESRB) $2,000 to Obama

• John Riccitiello (CEO, EA) $4,600 to Obama

• John Smedley (Sony Online Entertainment) $2,300 to Obama

• Richard Garriott aka "Lord British" (Ultima series, NC Soft) $2,300 to Hillary Clinton

• Alex Rigopulos (CEO, Harmonix) $32,900 to Obama

• Kathy Vrabeck (president, EA Casual) $2,300 to Obama

• George Lucas (LucasFilm) $33,100 to Obama

• Doug Lowenstein (former ESA head) $2,300 to Hillary Clinton

• Kenneth Doroshow (new ESA general counsel) $2,500 to Obama

• Gabe Newell (pres., Valve) $2,300 to Dodd