In an apparent move to capture the elusive young voter demographic, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign team took to the virtual world with a new map in the popular video game Fortnite. But the initiative, named “Freedom Town, USA,” appears to be more of a dud than a sensation.
According to Fortnite GG, a site that tracks game engagement, Harris’ map has managed a peak of just 383 players at any time within a 24-hour span — a far cry from the millions of players that swarm the game’s most popular attractions daily.
The map, designed to encourage young gamers to participate in the political process, was released with the intention of infusing political engagement into the gameplay. However, the low numbers suggest the campaign may have miscalculated both the medium and the message.
WATCH:
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“There is something really funny about the Harris campaign designing an incredibly banal Fortnite map that appears to be aimed at 5-year-olds who I am pretty sure can’t vote,” wrote Paul Tassi, Senior Contributor, who played the game mode. “Like, I’m not trying to be mean but the map has two race tracks that are literal circles, and parkour segments that are essentially just mantling four times and jumping twice.”
“I mean, I wasn’t expecting anything crazy here but it reinforces questions about why this map exists. There were 70 people total playing instances of the map when I logged in,” Tassi finished.
Harris’ campaign team hoped the interactive map, featuring messages on “freedom” and civic duty, would resonate with younger players in the lead-up to the election. But with players logging off or bypassing the map altogether, the lukewarm response signals an apparent disconnect.
(FOCUS GROUP: Do You Blame KAMALA or TRUMP for record inflation?)
REACTIONS:
can’t wait for the 8 yr old fortnite kids to see this game and rush to the polling places
— itsRabies (@RabiesFPS) October 28, 2024
aint NOBODY playing this stupid shit
— Rhylek (@RhylekHimself) October 28, 2024
bro what LOL
— XSET Edgey (@Edgeyy) October 28, 2024
what’s the point? fortnite kids won’t help you at all pic.twitter.com/1PiSOeNIRk
— Anger (@AngerGotZaZa) October 28, 2024
Go vote for trump all the 10 year old fortnite players
— EXD MRLUST (@MrLustFn) October 28, 2024