I don’t play videogames, I find them to be a waste of time. Though, when games incorporate the Supreme Court, I must blog. A few months ago I blogged about a game called Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. G4 has some more details, and video about the game:
The overall theme of Batch 7 is the idea of corporations being granted the same rights as individuals, specifically with regards to their ability to donate unlimited (and undisclosed) amounts of money to political causes. As crazy as such a scenario sounds, it’s actually a reality now thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. While certainly a cause for concern in the real world, in the world of Assassin’s Creed, this monumental event was not only engineered by the Templars, but is also a major vicory for The Company and whatever other shadowy corporations hold sway over large portions of the world’s governments.
The photo used in this puzzle features eight of the current Supreme Court Justices, as it was taken before Justice Elena Kagan replaced Justice David Souter, who retired in 2009. Scrolling over a few of the Justices’ faces reveals some choice quotes in reference to the power corporations should wield, but the key piece of the puzzle can be found on Chief Justice John Roberts’ ring finger (Hinted at by the mention of “wed” in the puzzle header).
It’s hard to see it in the video, but the infrared scanner reveals the ring is actually a Templar cross, and clicking on it leads you to the next piece of the puzzle that you need to solve in order to get to the best part of the whole sequence: a letter discussing several amazing topics like President George W. Bush (“W.”) wanting to reignite tensions with Iraq, thereby providing Dick Cheney (“C.”) with the perfect opportunity to cash in on military contracts, and the desire to have Chief Justice Roberts appointed so as to pave the way for an eventual decision such as the one reached in Citizens United.
Watch the video. There are actually quotes from Citizens United v. FEC when you click on Justice Kennedy.
H/T Zak Slayback
Update: Thanks to Zak’s eagle eyes, I see that the game uses a facsimile of Scalia’s signature.
Compare:
with
Pretty authentic.