Gamers can pretend to be President Obama

A computer game set to hit US stores the day Barack Obama is sworn in as president challenges players to see whether they can do a better job running the country than he can.

Interactive Gaming Software (IGS) said on Monday it would make Commander in Chief available on January 20, the day of Obama's inauguration.

'Player presidents' will make budget, health, education, military, diplomatic and other decisions in simulated environments and have to virtually live with the ramifications of their choices.

Commander in Chief will give players information from 50 international organizations including the UN, NATO and OPEC.

"You can put your own political theories into action and see the domestic and international domino effect," lead designer Louis-Marie Rocques had said in April.

"Anyone will now be able to develop their own exit strategy for Iraq, reverse the course of the economic recession and attempt to prevent terrorist attacks from Al-Qaeda." Throughout the game there is a threat of terrorist strikes or invasion by foreign troops.

Players will start by selecting cabinet members and then go on to tackle the same social, environmental, economic, energy, cultural and military issues facing Obama's administration.

美国一家游戏公司将于明年奥巴马就职日当天推出一款模拟总统的电脑游戏，在这款游戏中，玩家可以一尝当总统的滋味，与奥巴马一比高下。

美国IGS游戏公司于本周一宣布，他们将于明年1月20日奥巴马就任总统当天推出这款名为“总司令（Command in Chief）”的游戏。

“模拟总统”将在游戏模拟的环境中制定预算以及医疗、教育、军事和外交各个方面的政策，并且他们所做的任何决定都会有后续影响。

游戏将向玩家提供包括联合国、北约和欧佩克在内的50个国际组织的信息。

游戏主设计师路易斯-玛丽•若克斯于今年四月称：“玩家可以将自己的政治理念付诸实施，看看会在国内外引起什么样的连锁反应。”

他说：“每位玩家都可以设计从伊拉克撤军、振兴经济以及‘反恐’等有关各个问题的方针。”玩家在游戏中还会面临恐怖袭击以及外国军队入侵的威胁。

游戏开始时玩家首先要选择内阁成员，接下来要处理与奥巴马政府所面临的一系列同样的问题，包括社会、环境、经济、能源、文化和军事等各个方面。

Vocabulary:

swear in:宣誓就职

live with:忍受

ramification: A development or consequence growing out of and sometimes complicating a problem, plan, or statement（结果：对复杂的问题、计划或陈述的发展或由其所造成的后果）