The White House website on Thursday unveiled ‘Arcade,’ a collection of five low-resolution video games designed to promote various aspects of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The initiative has drawn a response from The Tetris Company.
Policy Through Gamification
The collection’s flagship title, ‘Build the Wall,’ is a ‘Tetris’ knockoff that recontextualizes the classic puzzle game as an effort to “protect the border from the coming horde.” Other titles in the digital collection include:
- Rio Run: Resembling the game ‘Snake,’ this title features an icon resembling Trump gathering potential border crossers.
- Supply Line: A condensed version of the arcade game ‘Tapper,’ where players must reject food items that fail to meet ‘Make America Healthy Again’ standards.
- Flappy Bill: A game featuring an eagle carrying a bill across the National Mall.
- Trump Savings Tycoon: A game focused on collecting flying money to fund ‘Trump Accounts,’ a government savings plan offering $1,000 to every child born during Trump’s term.
Intellectual Property Concerns
In a statement released Friday, The Tetris Company clarified it was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’ and did not authorize or license its brand or intellectual property for the project. The company noted a fundamental irony in the adaptation, pointing out that the objective of the original game is to avoid building a wall.
“For more than 40 years, Tetris has brought people together across generations and cultures through play and joy,” the company stated, adding that it is “currently reviewing the matter.”
The White House announced the ‘Arcade’ collection on social media using animations that parody the loading screens of major gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. One post featured a parody of the Sega logo, transforming it into the ‘MAGA’ slogan.
