Microsoft Uses Xbox LIVE as Presidential Debate Moderator

Microsoft is bringing the 2012 U.S. presidential debates to its gaming community and vice versa, with the Election 2012 Hub on its Xbox Live.

Viewers will be able to watch a live stream of the debates on the Hub and weigh in on real-time poll questions.

A total of four debates are scheduled, one of them a vice presidential debate, and viewers who watch three out of four will receive a Halo 4 Warrior Armor avatar, reports say.

Microsoft will also hold town hall forums on issues surrounding the election and the debates, and provide information on voter registration.

In its announcement on the plans, the company noted how young people emerged as a force in the 2008 election, and the need to keep them involved.

"I personally think that just as young people played a pivotal role in the 2008 election," Brad Smith, Microsoft executive vice president and general counsel said in the announcement, "they could play a pivotal role in this election. Young people are defining where the economy and technology are going, and yet at the same time the next generation faces stronger economic challenges than they have in many decades."

See more coverage of video games in the 2012 election at the Offcide Studios blog.

(C) 2012, by Story Crest Press.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft.