When you decide to touch on a delicate topic involving real people’s lives, you often have some scruples about how to go about it. There Donald Trump’s White Houseinstead, chose me again Video games as political propaganda toolswhile still busy dealing with the Iran disaster. In this context, the initiative gave rise to real negative reaction. Through the Arcade.gov domain name, several mini-games that plagiarize classic games (“Tetris,” “Snake,” “Flappy Bird,” etc.) have been released, some of which deal with immigration themes and policies implemented by the Trump administration.
This is not the first instance of official U.S. government channels using video games for political reasons. For example, Halo, Wii Sports, and Animal Crossing have been used to create promotional imagery in the past. However, in this case we further review elements associated with brands such as Xbox, Pac-Man, PlayStation, GameCube and Sonic that appear in video games that simulate dramatic scenes.
Furthermore, it was clear that the communication wanted to focus everything on the image of Donald Trump, so much so that it was included in the logo.
Games on the site have different themes: “Rio Run” focuses on “border control on the Rio Grande,” while “Build the Wall” features Tetris-style game mechanics that invite you to build a wall along the Mexican border to prevent entry into the country. Another title adopts the structure of Flappy Bird, replacing the main character with the bald eagle, a symbol of America.
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However, the most controversial part of the operation involves the games vs. ICE activitiesthe U.S. agency responsible for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency has long been criticized for the way it conducts arrests and detentions of immigrants, which has led to the cold-blooded murders of some U.S. citizens by law enforcement, notably Renee Goode and Alex Pretty.
The White House’s move prompted a very negative reaction on social media. Professor and independent journalist Adam Cochran called the move a “sad and shameful moment in American history,” while another user questioned the campaign’s use of intellectual property belonging to a private company.
The caller also reacted very harshly. Get involved directly with SEGA: “It’s so disturbing to see your brand and music being used for fascist propaganda and to see the torture and inhumane treatment of people turned into the ‘new video game,’” one user wrote on the company.
It is unclear whether Sega, Microsoft and other owners of the trademarks used own Prior authorization to use its intellectual property rights. Currently, there is no information that would allow us to determine which companies have actually been consulted or authorized.
The incident has led some users to directly criticize video game makers, and placing direct blame on companies involved in the initiative is a hasty conclusion at this point, even considering what the White House has used in the past. Registered trademark without any authorization.
