Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (known as AOC by most) is a U.S. Congresswoman and rising star of the Democratic party’s progressive wing. This isn’t the first time she’s utilized Twitch as a platform; last month she hosted an Among Us stream to spread the word about voter registration and the importance of voting, joining up with a number of popular Twitch figures like Pokimane and HasanAbi to pull in hundreds of thousands of viewers.
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This time around, Ryan “Northernlion” Letourneau posed an important question to the Congresswoman and League of Legends player: “Do you think having to keep your cool in League of Legends has helped your political career when it comes to maintaining some decorum in Congress?” he asked during a brief respite between games of chaotic social deduction. “Yeah, I think so,” answered Ocasio-Cortez. “Getting caught in Elo Hell really requires so much patience… you know, you’re playing with 12-year-olds rage quitting five minutes into a game, it really builds your patience.”
“Elo Hell” is the unaffectionate term often used in MOBAs to describe some of the difficult circumstances of climbing the ranked ladder. It isn’t often that gaming is equated with the highest level of government, but AOC’s newfound Twitch presence is likely an indicator of the future direction of politics, especially in the progressive and grassroots sector. Ilhan Omar (another member of the group of Congresswomen of color informally known as “The Squad”) didn’t join the Among Us stream this time around, but Singh is clearly making a similar effort to reach youth voters.
AOC’s first stream pulled in near record breaking viewership, with streamers and viewers alike begging her to reprise the event. It’s no surprise that she came back for round two after last time’s success. While jokes of Ocasio-Cortez “courting the gamer vote” are constantly being thrown around, her effort shows that even those in the highest seats of power enjoy playing games; and even more than that, it shows the potential of gaming and streaming as a medium for political outreach. If it sticks, streaming may become more of a focus point in future political campaigns than anyone could’ve predicted.
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