Tetris confirms it had nothing to do with White House pro-deportation game
The Tetris Company also takes copyright infringement very seriously.
Screenshot from the White House/Arcade.gov
- The Tetris Company said it had no role in the White House game Build the Wall.
- The company said Tetris brings people together and takes copyright infringement seriously.
- Build the Wall uses Tetris-like colors and mechanics to depict a border wall against zombies from Mexico.
- The White House has also used other pop culture references in pro-deportation messaging.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The Tetris Company has said it's not in the business of dividing people after the White House used its game to promote anti-immigration sentiment.
The Tetris Company, which is responsible for managing and licensing the classic block stacking game Tetris, spoke out against the White House’s appropriation of the game.
“At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them.”
While not addressing the Trump Administration directly, Tetris is responding to one of the newest games released by the White House.
The US government used the same color palette as the 90s arcade game and is almost identical in game mechanics to its game, “Build the Wall.”
In the game, players need to build a wall along the Southern Border to stop zombies from coming into the US from Mexico.
This wall seems to reference President Donald Trump’s latest Smart Wall project to secure the border against immigrants.
The Smart Wall comprises a steel bollard wall or waterborne barrier equipped with detection technology, cameras, and lighting.
This new development seems to be in response to Trump’s “Securing our Borders” bill as well as the order that has declared a “national emergency at the Southern Border,” according to US Customs and Border Protection.
Build the Wall isn’t an exact copy of Tetris: the wall doesn’t clear once the player creates a continuous line, but it follows the same design and similar game logic.
The Tetris Company confirmed that it had no involvement in the creation of Build the Wall.
It also said that it takes copyright infringement very seriously.
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Gamifying mass deportation
The White House arcade includes a range of classic games representing projects or initiatives in progress or planned by the Republican government.
One of the most notable games is “Rio Run,” where you play as a greying white man who collects and detains people of color.
Rio Run is a take on Snake, created by a Finnish developer specifically for Nokia’s earlier phones.
The game seems to be a direct reference to ICE and its apprehension of “illegal” immigrants.
White House and copyright issues
Throughout President Trump’s second term, his administration has used a range of copyrighted content without the creators' consent.
Trump has been sued by Issac Hayes’ estate for using the artist’s music without explicit consent.
Artists and groups such as ABBA, Beyoncé, Neil Young, The White Stripes, and Celine Dion have also taken legal action against Trump’s unauthorized use of their music, according to NBC News.
The White House has continuously referenced or directly used popular TV shows or video games to push its pro-deportation, anti-immigrant agenda.
The Department of Homeland Security was using the cult-classic cartoon Pokémon to bolster its mass-deportation mission.
Fans of the TV series and the game begged Nintendo and the creator of Pokémon to sue the White House for copyright infringement.
