Who’s the best leader for Westeros? HBO is leaving it up to you. The network is inviting fans to participate in the GoT Party, “an unique, interactive and engaging online campaign” that trades on the election year hubbub we’re currently having in the United States. It’s set up a website where you can currently choose between four candidates and their runnings mates: Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow and Lyanna Mormont, Cersei Lannister and Qyburn, and Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish and Sansa Stark. The race is on!
HBO has also whipped up a campaign video. Watch and be inspired.
HBO promises that the GoT Party website will be “continually updated with original video content” and “real-time polls and infographics.” There’s also a dedicated hashtag: #GOT2016.
This is a great idea from HBO, but it’s not just for kicks: the network is debuting the GoT Party today to celebrate the digital release of Game of Thrones Season 6, available now on iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, and more. Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season on Digital HD comes complete with all ten episodes from the show’s sixth season, plus several special features—watch a snippet from “Bran’s Journey” here.
The GoT Party website is cleverly done, and includes bios for all the candidates as well as breakdowns of their platforms. Cersei, for example, is pro-trial by combat, and supports separation of church and crown, while Petyr Baelish favors small business growth and “Innovation in Transportation.” It should be fun to see what else HBO comes up with as the GoT Party campaign goes on—it runs through August 31.
Incidentally, even though the campaign just launched today, the polls are already looking pretty lopsided in favor of some candidates.
UPDATE: August 3: the polls continue to shift. Littlefinger is still surging, and Jon’s once-commanding lead is gone—he’s now just a couple points ahead of Daenerys, where once he was beating her by a wide margin. Cersei’s still dead last.
It’s not terribly surprising that Cersei’s policy favoring the wanton destruction of innocent bystanders isn’t winning her many followers. But anything can happen during an election cycle.