White House launches games where players capture migrants, build border
What's the story
The official White House website has launched a series of arcade-style games, including one where players can "capture people at the southern border" and another where they can build a border wall. The move is part of the Trump administration's strategy to highlight its priorities in an unconventional way. The games are part of an aggressive online campaign by the administration, which has previously been criticized for sharing racist and offensive images.
Game details
'Rio Run' and 'Build the Wall' games
One of the games, Rio Run, has players patrolling the US-Mexico border and capturing immigrants to score points.
The player's character is an older white man in a blue tie, while the captured immigrants appear in orange jumpsuits.
Another game, Build The Wall, asks players to stack bricks and defend against a "zombie border siege."
These games have drawn criticism from rights groups amid Trump's administration's intensified mass arrest and deportation efforts for undocumented migrants.
Official response
White House defends arcade games
A White House official defended the arcade games, saying they are an effort to highlight the difference between a "culture of fun and winning" and the "dark socialist vision Democrats have for America."
The administration has been criticized for its aggressive social media use, including sharing racist images like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero and the Obamas depicted as apes in a jungle.
Criticism
Rights groups slam games
The arcade games have been slammed by rights groups, with some saying they show a fundamental "lack of seriousness" from the administration.
Adriana Jasso, program coordinator for AMIGOS San Diego Community, said the games show that the White House is intent on dehumanizing and ridiculing migrants even as people die in detention centers.
She added that this presents immigration issues as if they were a game when in fact they are not.