Hillary Clinton launches game-style app for election
Despite the inner-DNC turmoil of the past few days, the Democratic National Convention opens in Philadelphia on Monday and the Hillary Clinton campaign is moving full-steam ahead, including the launch of a new app that takes its cues from social-based games.
The app is currently iOS-only and just launched on Sunday in the App Store. Called simply "Hillary 2016," the app allows users to sign in using Facebook or an email address and, in a move that's also skippable, use phone numbers to connect with friends.
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Each user is given a new "campaign HQ" that's a "little bare" once starting but there are fun challenges (depending on your view of fun) that help you build credits (stars) that you can use to buy things in the virtual shop for your HQ, or real swag, including a Hillary Clinton autograph.
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As you complete each challenge, including quizzes like "Trump or False," a completed challenge meter, not unlike the one used by Fitbit, fills up.
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And you also have to water a plant.
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There are, so far, no Pokémon available to catch in your virtual HQ.
Still, the app is designed to go beyond quizzes. More specifically, it's aimed to get supporters to actually get off their couches and into a campaign office to volunteer.
It's not the first time a campaign has rolled out an app, even with the Democratic Party. Earlier this year, Bernie Sanders supporters launched the canvassing app Field The Bern that helped them gather data while canvassing. And the second Obama campaign in 2012 used a similar canvassing app.
But the Clinton app is definitely more game-based than those with the SimCity-esque virtual HQ.
As of Sunday night, there doesn't appear to be any similar Trump app but there is a Trump soundboard app.
Topics Elections Hillary Clinton
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
