Could politics make for an interesting MMO?

Politics: it divides us, fascinates us and involves us on multiple levels. Along with religion, free-to-play and GearScore, it's perhaps one of the most controversial topics among gamers. Everyone has an opinion, everyone chooses a side, and everyone cares about something political -- or at least, it seems.

Seeing our love for the political sphere, do you think politics could make for an interesting MMO? It's not as if it's a foreign notion, after all. EVE Online incorporates politics into its web of intrigue; TERA devs have hinted at a political system; and A Tale in the Desert allows players to vote to shape the game. Even guilds, to some degree, incorporate a political structure and tactics.

So could a purely political MMO work -- and would you play it? What if the entire game were nothing but players and NPCs jockeying for power, ruling countries, enacting laws, and making decisions that could either hinder or help your political career? Would the game need to be set in an alternate universe free of real-world politics to avoid clouding the game with personal affiliations? Is there enough "game" in politics to build an MMO around it?

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