Gamer politicians are a things these days. Last week, we reported about a Korean presidential candidate who makes Starcraft maps. This week, it’s a Swedish parliament member who streams Hearthstone.
Swedish Gamer Politician
Rickard Nordin is a Swedish politician with a great love of HearthStone. He loves it so much, in fact, that he wants to see Sweden embrace the idea. Nordin feels that e-sports have a cultural benefit as well as a financial one.
To illustrate his feelings, Nordin spends every Tuesday playing and streaming Blizzard’s HearthStone. His goal is to “bridge the gap” between older folks and the younger generation. To do so, he answers questions on just about any topic including general politics and his favorite decks.
Nordin’s reception on Twitch, on the other hand, has been almost completely positive. He’s continued streaming every week, holding court for an hour each in Swedish and English every Tuesday on his channel.
What’s interesting is that Nordin is a lone voice in Sweden’s parliament. Most others are somewhat clueless about e-sports in general as well as the benefits that it can provide. As a result, he spends as much time teaching his fellow-members about the topic as he does those he represents. Part of that is, of course, making sure that the old tropes about “gamers and basements” are wiped away.
Nordin’s ultimate goal is to see a big, healthy e-sports program in Sweden. He is working quite hard to make sure that athletes from around the world can come to Sweden for tournaments. He is also encouraging the government to get involved. This can come by way of setting laws that wipe away tax burdens as well as eases up on visa requirements.
He is in it for the long haul too. Change doesn’t come in a day, Nordin believes, but that it will. It’s part of the long game.
It’s a really fascinating look at how gaming is really becoming mainstream. Be sure to read the entire article here.
