GamersFirst CEO to run for Governor of California

Unfortunate timing made nearly everyone think it was another April Fool's Day prank, but today's news confirms that it's not: "Joshua Hong, CEO and founder of GamersFirst, has declared his intent to participate in the 2010 race for California Governor; replacing Governor Schwarzenegger; who is ineligible for re-election this year."

Hong, whose company GamersFirst offers free-to-play games such as Sword of the New World, will be running a lighthearted campaign, on the premise that people are sick of weighty, "overexamined" issues like schools, healthcare, and the economy. "What people really care about is entertainment and video games."

He sums up the campaign pretty clearly: "From experience, players are sick of big corporations charging exorbitant costs for video games and consoles. I want to incorporate the ideas of Free2Play, which I brought to this industry and trademarked. I will use my gubernatorial term to propagate and instill Free2Play to Californians. With our loyal Free2Play community of nearly 5 million in California, the strength of that bond will push me into the position of 39th governor of California!"

Is he serious? Well, his camp says yes, and he only needs 10,000 signatures by the August deadline to get on the ballot. Are you interested to see how far he can carry this? Head over to vote4josh to add your support, and keep your eye on Massively -- we'll be talking with the candidate himself very soon to see where this is all going.