Some politicians play musical instruments to relax, some smoke marijuana, and some enjoy their staffers’ company. Well, those were all one person. But Colorado congressman Jared Polis prefers to relax playing the online multiplayer action videogame League of Legends.
“When you win, it’s just a great feeling—it’s like passing a bill,” Polis said, speaking of playing League of Legends with his partner after a long day in the House of Representatives. Polis, 39, said in an interview with League of Legends publisher Riot Games that he first got hooked on videogames playing “President Elect,” a turn-based election simulation game, first released in 1981 for the Apple $AAPL II computer. Polis made a fortune founding and selling several internet companies before going into politics.
Polis, who represents Colorado’s 2nd congressional district, said that he has had constituents reach out to him online: ”They get a huge kick out of it, that they played with their congressman.”
Videogames have exploded in popularity since the congressman’s youth. In 2013, more people watched teams of gamers compete in the League of Legends World Championship than the NBA basketball finals or baseball’s World Series.
Polis said that he sees politics in the team spirit he’s encountered among League of Legends players. “You have 435 people in the United States House of Representatives trying to get along,” he said. Perhaps the congressman should extend an invite to play with a few of his peers—maybe they would be able to gank and push through a few more pieces of legislation.
