Recently, the official White House website launched a new “Arcade” section, featuring five free retro pixel-art browser games. The five games are adapted from classic arcade games, and each one corresponds precisely to a different government policy issue.
Among them, *Build The Wall*, adapted from the classic game Tetris, is the title that has garnered the most attention this time around.The game centers on the theme of security along the U.S. southern border. Players build a border wall by placing colored blocks to block intruders from crossing the border; if the defense fails, a “Border Breached” message pops up on the screen.
"Rio Run" reimagines the classic Snake gameplay while focusing on the issue of immigration control. In the game, players take on the role of Tom Horman, a U.S. border agent, and chase migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border; the more migrants they successfully intercept, the longer the "tail" behind their character becomes.
"Supply Line" centers on the "Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)" public welfare initiative and focuses on campus dining reform. The game features a conveyor belt mechanic at its core, where players must quickly sort through and remove unhealthy ingredients—such as artificial additives, food coloring, seed oils, and overly sealed packaging—from campus meals, while retaining healthy, compliant ingredients.
The other two games are *Eagle Flight*, an adaptation of *Pixel Bird*, and *Duck Shooting Top-Up*, a mini-game simulating government services. The former features the bald eagle—a symbol of the United States—as the protagonist and conveys American culture and national symbols through level-based flight challenges; the latter is designed around the compliant management of government accounts.
According to foreign media reports, this innovative initiative by the White House aims to break away from the rigid patterns of traditional government publicity and, by leveraging the popular format of games, strengthen public awareness of and support for the administration’s agenda. The White House’s official social media accounts also released a promotional video, with the caption reading: “You won’t be able to stop winning.”
But in reality, after these games were released, they faced condemnation and criticism from numerous advocacy groups and a wide range of internet users. America García Greval, co-director of the Border Alliance in Eagle Pass, Texas, said: “‘The U.S. government has been playing with people’s lives for years, and now they’ve turned their actions into video games—it’s sickening.’”
Adriana Hasso, community project coordinator for AMIGOS in San Diego, who works along the border, said these games reflect a fundamental “lack of seriousness” on the part of the government.
Many critics have also accused the White House of prioritizing entertainment over the rising cost of living and the ongoing war with Iran. The comments section of the White House’s post has also been flooded with criticism, with many arguing that the White House is wasting taxpayers’ money.
Senator Matt Lesser also quipped on social media: “Heating oil prices are near all-time highs, but hey, at least you can play as ‘Border Tsar’ Tom Horman in a video game.”
原创文章，作者：游茶妹儿，禁止转载：https://youxichaguan.com/en/archives/220738
