The other White House games launched last week also borrowed mechanics associated with iconic games like Snake and Flappy Bird. Promotional clips posted by the White House mimicked branding associated with Sega and Microsoft’s Xbox. In one clip, gamemaker Sega’s familiar start-up logo morphs into “MAGA,” the abbreviation for President Donald Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Those companies have not publicly commented.
“This administration is laser focused on ways to innovate and tell the story of the President’s many accomplishments in a way that resonates with every American,” the White House said in a statement to TIME last week. “This is an effort to further contrast between a culture of fun and winning and the dark socialist vision Democrats have for America.”
The games drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers. On Friday, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D, Texas) posted, “Instead of creating policies that actually help people, the White House just rolled out arcade games. They need to spend less time playing and more time governing. Folks need affordable groceries, not games.” Rep. Ted Lieu (D, Calif.) and Connecticut state senator Matt Lesser, also a Democrat, levied similar criticisms, arguing that the White House had misplaced priorities amid high fuel prices and inflation driven by the U.S.’s war against Iran.
Read the full article here