‘To them, we’re just NPCs’: the artists and activists challenging Trump’s video game propaganda
Summary
The article describes political games on the White House website and video game creators’ efforts to answer them with satire. The Secret Handshake made two free games that mock President Donald Trump’s policies and use of games to promote political messages.Key Facts
- The White House launched Arcade, a collection of browser games based on classic titles and focused on administration policies.
- Arcade included games about immigration and socialism, including a Temple Run-style game called Red Scare.
- The Tetris Company said it took copyright infringement seriously, and a game was later removed from the White House website.
- The Pokémon Company criticized the White House in March 2026 for using its characters in ICE propaganda, according to the article.
- The Secret Handshake created Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell and installed three free arcade cabinets on the National Mall.
- In Strait to Hell, players control Trump in an unwinnable satire that includes collecting oil and encountering administration officials.
- The collective’s second game, Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk ’Em All, has players gather ideas for distracting voters from an oil crisis before Trump decides to invade Greenland.
- A member of The Secret Handshake said the group made its games in response to the Pentagon using video games to promote the war in Iran.
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