Who would your favorite game characters vote for?

Do your civic duty

Were often thinking about the stars of our favorite games, as our recent ranking of the 100 best game heroes proves. And we dont just think about their actions--we like to consider their feelings and motivations. Sometimes, we even like to g uess how they would vote in circumstances like the upcoming 2012 US Presidential Election. So we put on our thinking caps and predicted how 10 different gaming greats would vote if they, you know, actually existed.

Mario

His vote for President: Republican Mitt Romney

Mario has been a working class guy from the beginning, whether he's fighting apes at a construction site or plumbing pipes filled with turtles. He works hard for his gold coins and doesn't want them going to wasteful government programs. And, like Romney, Mario isn't a fan of entitlement societies, especially since he built Mario Bros. Plumbing and Princess Saving with his own two hands. However, don't let the liberal media trick you into thinking Mario is heartless. Over the years, hes helped a ton of troubled Toads by himself, and he does it quicker than any government program would.

Link

His vote for President: Democrat Barack Obama

Link knows about the importance of helping others, but he knows he can get so much more done with the support of the local government. He works with the establishment like Zelda, the King of Hyrule, and Navi because he knows that, whether the task is unfreezing a society of Zoras or universal healthcare, a good person that's active within government can use those resources to do a lot of good. Also, given his background of growing up in forests and caring for animals that arent out to kill him, Link's conservationist leanings would further push him towards Obama.

Solid Snake

His vote for President: Write-in

Snake has a very complicated relationship with the office of President. While he supported it in his youth with peace-keeping missions for the US government, after his evil clone took over the Oval Office as part of the world-conquering conspiracy, its unlikely hed ever vote for anyone thats part of the standard political system. But at this point. Snake is a senior citizen, the most committed group of voters in the United States, so he cant resist showing up for the polls. Most likely on his ballot hell simply write, War (and politics) have changed.

Ezio

His vote for President: Libertarian Gary Johnson

Remember what the actual Assassins Creed says? Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Even if Ezio was transported to modern-day America and able to pass his citizenship test to be eligible to vote, hed still live by that dogma. In that case, hed likely go with the Libertarian Party, a group known for its love of personal freedom, distrust for the government, and pushing to repeal restrictions on drugs and guns. Also, if Ezio is new to America, he wouldnt yet be cynical enough to believe hes throwing away his vote on a third party.

Sonic

His vote for President: Obama

Since he isnt human, Sonic technically cant vote, but we imagine hed find a way to sneak in via an absentee ballot--yes, were saying Sonic would commit voter fraud. Why? Because hes so committed to environmentalism, specifically freeing cute animals from robotic enslavement and preventing evil scientist from building giant factories. Out of the two candidates, Obama has been much more open about fighting for the future of Earths environment.

John Marston

His vote for President: Cant vote due to felony and lack of proof-of-birth documentation

Even back in the Old West, John Marston would've had trouble voting, based on his status as a felon and the fact that he probably cant prove he was born in the United States. But thats fine, because given how poorly representatives of the US government have treated him, we doubt hed feel much like leaving Beechers Hope for Blackwater to cast his vote. On top of that, given his love and respect for his wife, hed likely be somewhat annoyed that the government didnt grant her the right to vote until 1920, six years after her death.

Lara Croft

Her vote for President: Romney

Out of everyone on the list, Lara not only stands out as the only woman on the list, but shes also the richest by a large margin. Though shes not the biggest fan of Romneys binders full of women quote, were the British native to become a US citizen, shed ultimately side with Mitt for economic reasons. She makes much of her income by selling excavated artifacts, so Romneys economic plan for across the board tax cuts means shell keep more of her earnings. And since she inherited a good deal of money from her father, shed also appreciate Romneys dislike of the estate tax.

Garrus

His vote for President: Abstaining

Garrus has been described as a "hot head" that thinks he can change the world by himself. As such, he has little regard for the US government, and spends his time hopping between different countries, helping people in need. Last we heard, he was in Egypt during the 2011 revolution, protecting rebels from the shadows instead of casting a petty ballot.

Minecraft Steve

His vote for President: Obama

Minecraft Steve, the mascot for the indie hit Minecraft, doesnt have much money and is virtually unemployed--but the pixelated man still believes hes part of what makes America great. He works hard to build ridiculous structures in the online playground; he just doesnt have much taxable income to show for it. When he heard Romneys 47% comments that implied non-taxpayers like Steve didnt matter to the Republican candidates campaign, Steve was insulted. Ultimately, Mitts covertly recorded comments pushed Steve to vote for Obama.

Nathan Drake

His vote for President: Forgot to mail in absentee ballot

Drakes American by birth, so hes eligible to vote, but very often he finds himself plying his trade in foreign countries. Sometimes hes smashing up a bar in London, others hes jumping onto a cargo plane in Yemen, or he's busy shooting people in the face in Nepal. With all his treasure hunting and near-death experiences, Nathan rarely finds the time to track down an absentee ballot, no matter how many times his more informed and politically-minded girlfriend Elena reminds him about it. Maybe next election.

Get informed

No matter who we think our favorite game characters will vote for, we encourage anyone exercising their right to vote. If youre eligible, make sure you do it November 6. And if you think the political appraisals in this feature were wrong, tell us why you think theyd vote differently in the comments. We love intelligent political discourse!

Want to further mix gaming and politics? Check out our where the 2012 candidates stand on games and game characters for Obama.