New media usage is a mainstream activity for US adults in all major political parties, according to BIGresearch's "Simultaneous Media Usage Study," conducted in December 2007.

Libertarians had the highest tech usage of respondents surveyed by BIGresearch. Republicans had the lowest, but even 40% of the GOP used video games, IM and online video.

“New media offers candidates with an alternative or complement to their traditional media spending,” said Gary Drenik, president of BIGresearch. “By actually listening to potential voters and using all media, not just traditional, candidates can build an ad strategy that is more likely to influence votes.”

US adult Internet users also have a growing sense that the Web is an important part of political campaigning, according to data released in March 2008 by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future.

The campaigns of the remaining major US presidential candidates are certainly aware of this, and all have well-developed Websites. Sen. Obama has mobile ringtones, wallpaper and IM buddy icons. Each of the three remaining major candidates have blogs.

Yet despite high levels of new media usage, and consumer acknowledgment of its growing importance in politics, the presidential campaigns have yet to put all new media types to work.

None of the candidates has done much with video games, despite their use in serious topics (e.g. the UN World Food Program; obesity).

Video game designer, critic, and researcher Ian Bogost wrote recently on Water Cooler Games about why games have been such a small part of 2008 campaigns so far.

"The most influential reason is also the most obvious: since 2004, online video and social networks have become the big thing, as blogs were four years ago," Dr. Bogost wrote. "But another comes down to limited investment on the part of the political community in creating new games—certainly games and blogs and social networks and video can all coexist."