Political games / Politics in games

In an industry where entertainment often means violence and storyline often comes second after gameplay and graphics, its hard to find elements of wisdom and afterthought .Im curious about if there really are  Political games / Politics in games. In that case, what defines a Political game / Political thoughts in a game? Is The Sims a political game because it tells us about ourselves and the society we live in, or is Fallout 3 a political game because it shows the dangers of messing up the planet we´re inhabiting. Or maybe Deus Ex is a political game since you are able to choose which political ideology you are willing to fight for and reinforces thoughts like ”If there were no god it would be necessary to invent him”, ”Better to reign in hell, than to serve in heaven”,  ”Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors, but today we kneel only to truth” etc... One game that I personally think has a lot of politcal thoughts is Planescape: Torment but it´s probably more about philosophy in a lot of ways. The more I try to think about the whole thing, the more confused  I get  so Im asking you people instedto tell me your thoughts on  what YOU think defines a Political game / Political thoughts in a game? It doesnt hurt if you motivate why either...

Yeah Tropico 3 probably  fits the bill with election speeches, oil production, same-sex marriage, nuclear testing and references to Cuba and Castro. I can definitely agree to that.

The Political Machine. Superpower 1 & 2. Civilization 1-4.

How about Imprial glory.

Good post - interesting subject. Really made me think.
 
There are very few games that are actually about politics. And the ones that are are invariably about the broad sweep of imperialism and diplomacy like Civ and Balance Of Power. Or the practical things of setting taxes in Sim-City. There are next to none about the actual nuts and bolts of the political process - the only game I can think of that even gets close is Floor 13, a very obscure game about the ties between the British secret service and the government. 
 
But there is no gaming equivalent of The West Wing, or In The Loop. Somebody should make one.
 
Like you say, there are many games that offer broader criticisms in the form of dystopias. Bioshock is a very obvious and direct modern example, focussing on Randian political philosophy (or the failure of such).
 
I'm also reminded of the Games for Change movement, which was set up to promote the discussion of political issues within games (among other things). 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_for_change

Eh, Europa Universalis series or Hearts of Iron. Well, basically all of Paradox Interactive's production. Also Creative Assembly's Total War is political to some extent. Civilization series of games...

This post had me instantly flashing back to the days of Colonization for some reason, great times.
 
I see "political" gaming as having the ability interact with other nations than ur own without having to fight. Executed in a simple yet involving way.
Hearts of Iron LAN comes to mind!
 
I have not tried any games with a direct, non-futuristic political agenda though. (gameplay wise)

What about that online game, NationStates?