Software:Shadow President

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Short description: 1993 video game
Shadow President
Shadow President
Developer(s)DC True
Publisher(s)DC True
Designer(s)Robin Antonick
Brad Stock
SeriesShadow President
Platform(s)MS-DOS
Release
  • NA: February 1993
Genre(s)Geopolitical simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Shadow President is a geopolitical simulation video game released in 1993 for the MS-DOS by DC True containing elements of cyberpunk and dark science fiction.

The game has a sequel called CyberJudas.

Gameplay

Failing to keep the governments of the world peaceful with each other may result in a "hot war"; the Soviet Union is invading Japan in this screenshot.

The game puts the player in the role of the President of the United States in a situation loosely based on the Cold War and the early 1990s. Using a timeline that starts during the end of the Ogaden War, players can prepare Kuwait to be invaded by Iraq during Operation Desert Shield. After dealing with the Iraqi adversaries, the player can opt to overthrow the military overlords and political cartels that are keeping the people of South America and Africa in relative poverty.[1]

Being popular enough to be re-elected is a vital component of the game, though re-elections can be disabled which in turn greatly reduces the effect of popularity. Managing the budget of the United States, sending aid to foreign countries, dealing with diplomatic crises, and even fighting wars are a largely unavoidable aspect of the game.[2] The player starts the game with seven advisors, which makes the game a bit less confusing. During every American election year, players are not allowed to access their virtual screen starting at midnight on election night so that a panel of bureaucrats can analyze their progress. If their popularity and efficiency is good enough, the player is authorized to use the terminal for four more years. Not getting re-elected automatically means "game over.[1]"

Furthermore, if the player makes poor decisions or abuses their power, their advisors may resign, Congress will attempt to impeach them, foreign governments may overthrow them, or terrorist groups may attempt an assassination.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
GameSpot7.7/10[3]

GameSpot currently has the game ranked at a 7.7/10 based on 13 reviews.[3] Chuck Moss of Computer Gaming World in 1993 wrote that Shadow President was a good learning tool but that, "As a simulation, it has certain real-world problems [and] certain ... anomalies", such as Iraqi forces being much more powerful than they actually were at the time of the Gulf War. As a game, the magazine stated that "you can't do cool stuff" as the simulation "forces one to be more passive than active if stability is the desired goal", contrasting the game with "more fun" simulations like SimCity and Civilization. The magazine concluded that Shadow President was "a work of art that belongs in every civics classroom", but "even invading Canada is more fun".[4] In a 1994 survey of wargames the magazine gave the title three-plus stars out of five, stating that "it has the 'highly educational' appendage, but that doesn't mean that it should be passed by".[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Shadow President Overview for PC". Abandonia. http://www.abandonia.com/games/579/ShadowPresident.htm. Retrieved 2012-09-25. 
  2. ↑ "Articles/Game Reviews/PC/Shadow President (1993)". Free Info Society. http://www.freeinfosociety.com/article.php?id=479. Retrieved 2012-09-25. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Shadow President - GameSpot.com". http://www.gamespot.com/shadow-president/. Retrieved 2012-01-17. 
  4. ↑ Moss, Chuck (July 1993). "D.C. True's Shadow President". Computer Gaming World: 94. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=108. Retrieved 12 July 2014. 
  5. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000". Computer Gaming World: 194–212. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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