MTV, Gamers Hope Video Clicks With Young VotersIt's not JoJo, not Britney, but Lara Croft in that hip-hugging outfit, who raps, "You've got to stand and choose."
"Everybody."
The lyrics aren't regular music video flava either, certainly not out of "Baby It's You" or "My Prerogative," which crowned last week's Top 10 hits on "TRL" -- or "Total Request Live," the viewer-voted countdown on MTV that is prime real estate for anyone scrambling for the elusive youth vote.
Then again, "Stand and Choose," the 2-minute 46-second music video debuting on "TRL" today, is an all-star cast of more than 50 video gaming characters, a "We Are the World" virtual reality extravaganza set in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.
The music is hip-hop. The mood is serious. The message is clear: Young people need to take this voting thing seriously.
The other message is clearer still: For the 18-to-24-year-old electorate, Psymon (of SSX Tricky), Nick Kang (of True Crime), Raiden (of Mortal Kombat) and SpongeBob (of, well, SpongeBob), are pop culture icons to rival most anyone in Spin magazine.
The video is written and produced by Ross Robinson, who has worked with Limp Bizkit, Korn and, most recently, the Cure. It starts off with Psymon walking through Washington Square Park, as a virtual Tony Hawk, Lara Croft, Sonic and characters from the Sims and Leisure Suit Larry come into view, all singing the chorus, "Come on and stand / Choose / Everybody / Anybody stand / Choose / Anybody / Come on." The project was directed by Tony Shiff, a producer for MTV2. It's only one of many components used by MTV's Choose or Lose: 20 Million Loud! campaign to mobilize the more than 20 million young adults ages 18 to 30 who could greatly influence the election but who routinely have not shown up at the polls.
MTV releases a hip-hop video starring a number of characters from various video games. Among them are Lara Croft, Raiden, and LEISURE SUIT LARRY.
I myself have never seen the video.
You know what should be done? A video of Generations characters either fragging it out or bumpin' to hip-hop (or both) - to get out the vote, of course.