2024 keeps giving.
I’ve long wondered what the modern-day equivalent of the famous Nixon/Kennedy TV debate would be, a technological leap from radio to television that was the first of its kind. Nixon—all clammy and weird—was comprehensively trounced by the slick, telegenic Kennedy, possibly determining the outcome of the entire election.
We have our answer: presidential Fortnite maps. Kamala Harris—current vice president and possible future president—has launched her own zone in Fortnite called Freedom Town, USA (via IGN). You can check it out yourself by using the code 733155366547 (catchy) in Fortnite Creative.
Unfortunately, it turns out that Harris won’t be using the map to challenge Donald Trump to a 1v1 duel, nor is she showing off her rich collection of Rick and Morty skins. She’s… talking about politics. You can learn about tax breaks and affordable housing. You know, the stuff you come to Fortnite for.
On top of the Fortnite Harris zone, the Democratic campaign will also be festooning a whole bunch of other Creative-mode maps with political ads and what-have-you. IGN’s tireless reporter notes that at least one of them includes a clip of Donald Trump saying “they’re eating the dogs, eating the cats” in his famously composed and reserved manner of speech.
All of which makes me feel about 253 years old, but let’s be honest: This is nothing new and it’s only going to get more widespread and weird from here. We’re all getting old, and the generation that grew up not just playing videogames—but watching them—are now of an appropriate age to become campaign staffers, pitching candidates like Harris on ideas about reaching the young male vote through, well, videogames. That’s why you can catch Kamala in Fortnite, Tim Walz playing Crazy Taxi, and—god help us—Donald Trump streaming alongside Adin Ross.
My only question, really, is whether Fortnite is the right game. The following is purely vibes-based speculation on my part, but I’ve always associated Epic’s battle royale with players who are, well, too young to vote. Gen Alpha and the like. If she really wants to light a fire under a load of decrepit millennials and zoomers, she’d better get to making a Skyrim mod or something.
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