The White House Pulls ‘Build the Wall’ Game After Warning From Tetris

The White House’s brief foray into online gaming has ended abruptly. Last Tuesday, the administration hastily removed its “Build the Wall” game from its website following a stern warning from Tetris, the iconic puzzle game’s parent company.

The game, Build the Wall: Zombie Border Siege, was a Tetris clone with a nativist twist. Players constructed barriers to keep out undead hordes instead of clearing lines of blocks as in traditional Tetris. The game’s themes – “protect the border from the coming horde” – were a crude nod to the administration’s border wall campaign.

However, this controversy is not just about copyright infringement or poor taste in games. It raises questions about the blurring of lines between policy and entertainment, particularly when popular culture is co-opted for partisan gain. The White House inadvertently exposed its own vacuity by creating a game that parrots its xenophobic agenda.

The Tetris Company’s measured response was telling. In its statement, the company emphasized its commitment to “connection” and “bringing people together,” contrasting this with the divisive tone of Build the Wall. This stance reflects a deeper understanding that gaming – like politics itself – can be a force for unity or division.

The White House’s online arcade had already drawn criticism for racist themes and potential copyright issues. It seems likely that Build the Wall was just one of many questionable games on the website. The administration’s failure to respond promptly to questions about why the game was removed only adds to the sense of urgency and raises more questions than it answers.

The episode is a reminder that politics often tries to co-opt pop culture for its own ends, with mixed results. Remember the “Hope” posters from the Obama 2008 campaign or the hastily assembled memes from the Clinton 2016 team? These stunts often backfire spectacularly, revealing more about the politicians involved than they intend.

The White House’s hasty retreat may be seen as a small victory, but it serves as a reminder that there are limits to manipulating public opinion – or co-opting popular culture for partisan gain. As Tetris aptly puts it: “connection” and “bringing people together” cannot be reduced to building walls against others.

The public must remain vigilant in checking these efforts lest politics becomes indistinguishable from entertainment. The White House’s hasty retreat is a brief reprieve, but it will not be the last attempt to exploit the gaming world for political purposes.