Fantasy Politics Website Caters To Political Junkies

If you're like me, then you don't really understand the whole point of fantasy football. But put a bunch of presidential candidates in an auditorium and let them go at it in a debate and you'll be captivated. If that's you, then a new website called Fantasy Politics may be the perfect outlet for you. The site connects with Facebook and Twitter and lets users build their own teams of politicians and pundits.

Then it works in a very similar fashion to fantasy football, with participants who pay a fee eligible to take part in a national championship. It's a social experience that allows users to create "leagues" with up to seven other friends. So far, Fantasy Politics has raised $50,000 in seed money. It has been criticized as being too niche in scope, but on the other side of the coin it has gained praise for making politics fun and interesting.

The website's CEO Aaron Michel, who started the idea with $1,500 and very low ambitions, says it is like "a gateway drug to a great civic education." Unlike fantasy football, this game actually teaches players something useful that could impact the fate of the country. Among the other people on the Fantasy Politics team is George Marootian who has 15 years of experience in building software for the financial industry. He's the company's chief technology officer. In other words, there's a lot of brainpower behind this thing. And with the election coming up in just even months, expect it to rapidly grow in popularity.

[via VentureBeat]