Clinton launches app designed to gamify campaigning

For better or worse, preaching the gospel of your candidate no longer requires leaving the couch. As anyone who’s cracked open a social media account over the past year can corroborate, the platforms are lousy with campaign slogans, incriminating links and, um, spirited discussions.

In the lead up to next week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton’s campaign is launching an app designed to turn an iPhone into a “digital HQ.” What does that mean, precisely? It’s essentially a way for the campaign to offer up a one-stop shop for outspoken followers to follow along at home, with check-ins to events and televised speeches, quizzes on the candidate’s policies and the like.

The app is designed to gamify the campaigning process, offering up virtual badges and real life prizes for activities like sharing videos through Facebook – as if eager followers needed another reason to post candidate affirming content on social media.

As Recode notes, the simply titled Hillary 2016 app was inspired by FarmVille and built by former employees of DreamWorks Animation, Charity: Water and Livestream. At the very least, it’s a decidedly more positive approach to social sharing than the campaign’s recent Trump Yourself app.