US Senate candidate criticised for playing WoW

A group of Republican have started a smear campaign over Maine state Senate candidate Colleen Lachowicz because she (gasp) plays World of Warcraft.

The Republican party have dedicated a site to slag off the candidate for her time spent in Azeroth with the wonderfully named Colleen's World. The site notes several of her remarks that make her unfit for candidacy.

"In Colleen's online fantasy world, she gets away with crude, vicious and violent comments like the ones below. Maine needs a State Senator that lives in the real world, not in Colleen's fantasy world."

So what are these comments? Here's some choice samples:

• "So I'm a level 68 orc rogue girl. That means I stab things . . . a lot. Who would have thought that a peace-lovin', social worker and democrat would enjoy that?!"
• "Now if you'll excuse me, I may have to go and hunt down Grover Norquist and drown him in my bath tub."
• "Or my dream from election season last year where John McCain sat at my childhood dining room table and I reamed him a new a**hole about Sarah Palin."
• "Yes, I am seriously slacking off at work today. And I called my congresswoman's office today. And told them I would probably be calling everyday."
• "Yes, join us! We're progressive… in fact we joke about being a socialist guild."
• "I'm lazy, remember?"
• "I can kill stuff without going to jail."

Maine Republican Party spokesman David Sorensen said in a press release, "These are some very bizarre and offensive comments, and they certainly raise questions about Lachowicz's maturity and her ability to make serious decisions for the people of Senate District 25."

Lachowicz "has been living a time-consuming double life as a member of the World of Warcraft community," he noted. "Today, Colleen is playing at level 85-the highest level one can attain. Studies have found that the average World of Warcraft gamer is 28 and spends 22.7 hours per week playing."

Lachowicz replied to these accusation on her official site.

"I think it's weird that I'm being targeted for playing online games. Apparently I'm in good company since there are 183 million other Americans who also enjoy online games [according to the Christian Science Monitor]. What's next? Will I be ostracized for playing Angry Birds or Words with Friends? If so, guilty as charged!"

"What's really weird is that the Republicans are going after my hobbies instead of talking about their record while they've been running Augusta for the last two years. Instead of talking about what they're doing for Maine people, they're making fun of me for playing video games. Did you know that more people over the age of 50 play video games than under the age of 18? As a gamer, I'm in good company with folks like Jodie Foster, Vin Diesel, Mike Myers, and Robin Williams. Maybe it's the Republican Party that is out of touch."

She then cited some statistic from the Entertainment Software Rating Board detailing how many Americans play games in the US:

• 65 per cent of U.S. households
• 49 per cent of 18 - 49 year olds
• 26 per cent over the age of 50
• 25 per cent under the age of 18
• 2 out of 5 people are female
• Average age of a gamer is 34
• $24.8 billion industry

So take THAT, Maine Republicans!