Tetris Company denies racist rip-off claim
It feels like we are living through a particularly absurd epoch, where the United States government has decided that video games are the perfect medium for self-aggrandizement and the dissemination of deeply divisive pro-war and anti-immigration messages. It’s a situation where people who usually debate politics are suddenly defending the use of gaming culture in political discourse, leaving the rest of us to navigate a swirling circus of digital propaganda.
The digital arena has become a surprisingly fertile ground for political messaging. We have seen the Department of Homeland Security utilize a Pokémon mashup about “getting ’em all” in a way that prompts serious questions about the boundaries between law enforcement and pop culture. Furthermore, the White House experimented with using artificial intelligence to transform Donald Trump into Master Chief from Halo, and even utilized Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto memes to promote its war in Iran.
The experiment didn’t stop there. The administration also launched an online arcade section on its website, featuring terrible knock-offs of classics like Flappy Bird, Snake, and Tetris. The inclusion of Tetris, for instance, was particularly baffling when reskinned as “Build the Wall,” turning the stacking of tetrominoes into a representation of a “zombie border siege” on the Southern Border.
When the Tetris Company responded to this, their message was clear: they value connection over division. They clarified that they were not involved in creating “Build the Wall” and emphasized that they take copyright infringement very seriously. This response highlighted a broader frustration within the gaming community regarding the appropriation of their intellectual property for political ends.
This frustration is not unique. Gaming figures have voiced concerns over the use of their creations as political tools. For example, Halo’s co-creator Marcus Lehto called the analogy used by the US government in comparing immigrants to parasites “absolutely abhorrent.” Similarly, the Pokémon Company has pointed out that permission was not granted for the use of their intellectual property in political memes.
The core issue revolves around who controls the narrative. While some argue that culture, whether in Hollywood or in video games, should remain apolitical, this incident underscores a growing tension over the use of popular media for political gain. It forces us to ask: how do we maintain the integrity of gaming culture when it is leveraged to push agendas that many find profoundly distasteful?
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