As the coronavirus quarantine extends into the fall, political campaigns are looking for untapped avenues to digitally canvass and campaign. The Biden Harris campaign has found an unlikely venue in Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Starting today, you can now get a Biden Harris yard sign for your digital island home.
The campaign has created four different yard signs, which feature the Biden Harris logo, the Team Joe logo, the Joe rainbow Pride logo, and Biden’s signature aviator sunglasses in patriotic red, white, and blue. Players can download the designs by scanning the QR codes through the Nintendo Switch Online app.
It’s an innovative approach to virtual campaign, as everyone and their mom has escaped the stresses of quarantine by chilling on their private little island. The game has many high profile fans, including Captain Marvel herself, Brie Larson, Elijah Wood, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The Biden Harris campaign has been working hard to engage voters via digital campaigns, which included an all-virtual live-streamed Democratic National Convention. The convention was hailed as a success, and earned higher ratings than the live RNC, which surely angered Donald Trump.
Christian Tom, director of digital partnerships for the Biden campaign said, “Animal Crossing is a dynamic, diverse, and powerful platform that brings communities together from across the world. It is an exciting new opportunity for our campaign to engage and connect Biden-Harris supporters as they build and decorate their islands,” adding, “As we enter the final campaign stretch towards November, this is one way we are finding new creative and innovative ways to meet voters where they are and bring our supporters together.”
Tom continued, “This is just the start of how we plan to engage players ahead of November as we’re already looking forward to rolling out more digital swag, voter education tools, and organizing efforts on Animal Crossing and other platforms.”
It only makes sense to integrate campaign ads into gaming – after all, gamers are a huge audience even without a global quarantine. And right-wing enthusiasts are already being catered to by vigilante games like Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad. The military is recruiting young men via Twitch. It’s clear that gaming opens up a whole new world for campaigning.
While many were delighted by the yard signs and the Joe and Kamala avatars, others felt it was pandering to young voters:
Real Gamers don’t want presidential yard signs in Animal Crossing. We want Medicare for All so we don’t go into debt due to medical costs from things like Gamer Posture.
— Ace Watkins (@GamerPres2020) September 1, 2020
The Trump people are going to respond by:
A: Ritualistically deleting Animal Crossing
B: Harassing people of color and women online, like the do every day, but now saying “Go play Animal Crossing if you don’t like it.” https://t.co/7xZpSTEAbv— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) September 1, 2020
Instead of Medicare for All and Green New Deal, how about Animal Crossing yard signs? That’ll excite the youths! https://t.co/dawpazHM06
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) September 1, 2020
new animal crossing update lets you drone-strike tom nook pic.twitter.com/VJrMTAIDYd
— John Choi (@johnnnchoi) September 1, 2020
created a voter reg /campaign hq– double rainbow must be lucky! #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/keD6WmM59C
— Jennifer Laughran (@literaticat) September 1, 2020
Animal Crossing the street to the polls https://t.co/Ki9qKCPqPI
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) September 1, 2020
i want to talk to the trump supporter who sees a biden yard sign in animal crossing and, through only that, changes their mind about who they’re voting for
— jordan (@JordanUhl) September 1, 2020
Oh god it’s the 2020 version of Pokemon Go To The Polls https://t.co/2IexSz7CcD
— Tina Nguyen (@tina_nguyen) September 1, 2020
Will Animal Crossing change anyone’s vote? Obviously not, but it’s a fun way to decorate your island and let the people know who you’re voting for in November.
(via The Verge, image: Nintendo)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
