Now that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich appears to have burned through his last few minutes of television fame, the national spotlight on Illinois political corruption may start to fade.
But take heart. You may soon be able to play Pay2Play.
Native North Sider Juan “J” Rubio’s iPhone video game, based on an older drug-dealing strategy game called DopeWars, puts players in Springfield, in debt and with impeachment looming. The goal is to get as much cash as possible by buying and selling Senate seats and “cushy jobs” before your gubernatorial term expires. Sound familiar?
Rubio, 32, who now lives in Vancouver, said in an e-mail interview that he was back home at Christmas hanging out at the Green Mill when inspiration struck.
“Growing up in Chicago and living in Mexico for a bit gave me all the ammo I had needed,” he wrote. “Now anyone can buy and sell Senate seats without having to worry about going to jail.”
The game includes special events — if the feds tap your phone and you don’t have a lawyer, you lose one of your 30 “days” to play — and references to Berwyn, pizza and even alcopops (Blagojevich signed a bill two years ago restricting advertising for the flavored malt drinks, which Rubio enjoys).
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On Monday, Rubio got an e-mail from Apple saying his game required an “unexpected additional time for review.” He’s hoping it’s not stuck in limbo and may put an “unrated” version of the game up on his Web site ( www.yanki.jp) for Windows and Mac users to play.