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Harris campaign’s gun-free Fortnite map sees less than 400 players

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In a move to engage younger voters, Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign released its custom map, “Freedom Town, USA,” on the popular game “Fortnite” this week. Unlike most Fortnite maps, Freedom Town has no guns—a design decision that has garnered both praise and criticism on social media.

Harris’ campaign created Freedom Town to connect with the 16- to 24-year-old demographic that comprises much of Fortnite’s 400 million registered players. The map saw a peak of under 400 users in its first 24 hours. That’s far fewer than the 323,000 users who played more popular maps like “Ranked Reload.”

In traditional Fortnite matches, players use various weapons to eliminate each other until only one remains. However, Freedom Town shifts the focus to collecting supplies, building structures and finding campaign posters and activities tied to the Harris-Walz campaign’s messaging.

Reactions to the map have been mixed. Some users on social media expressed disappointment over the absence of weapons, while others offered positive feedback. Gene Park, a gaming critic for The Washington Post, said the map was “more thoughtfully designed than you’d expect.”

This year, political campaigns have placed increased emphasis on reaching the “gamer vote.” Former President Donald Trump recently appeared on a livestream with influencer Adin Ross, attracting over half a million viewers.

While it remains unclear how effective Freedom Town will be in reaching voters, Fortnite continues to be a powerful platform for messaging, with hundreds of millions of active players.

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Jack Aylmer

THIS ELECTION CYCLE THERE’S AN ADDED EMPHASIS ON SECURING THE ‘GAMER’ VOTE.

WE SAW AN EXAMPLE OF THAT THIS WEEK, WITH THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHING THEIR OWN ‘MAP’ ON THE HUGELY POPULAR GAME ‘FORTNITE’.

CALLED ‘FREEDOM TOWN, USA’ – IT RUNS IN CONTRAST TO WHAT MOST EXPECT DURING A MATCH ON FORTNITE – IN THAT – THERE ARE NO GUNS.

SOMETHING DRAWING BOTH PRAISE AND CRITICISM ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA.

WHILE THE MOVE WAS AN EFFORT TO ENGAGE YOUNG VOTERS – RECENT REPORTING SHOWS THE MAP HAS SEEN A PEAK OF LESS THAN 400 USERS.

WHICH IS A LONG WAY FROM THE MORE THAN 323-THOUSAND PLAYING ON MORE POPULAR MAPS LIKE RANKED RELOAD.

A TYPICAL GAME OF FORTNITE INVOLVING A BATTLE ROYAL WHERE PLAYERS TARGET EACH OTHER UNTIL ONLY ONE REMAINS.

INSTEAD OF WEAPONRY, THE HARRIS-WALZ MAP HAS PLAYERS COLLECTING SUPPLIES, BUILDING STRUCTURES, AND EVEN HUNTING DOWN CAMPAIGN POSTERS.

THE MOVE IS BEING MET WITH MIXED REACTIONS.

WHILE SOME ARE CRITICAL OF THE REMOVAL OF WEAPONS – OTHERS LIKE GAMING CRITIC FOR THE WASHINGTON POST CALLED THE MAP ‘MORE THOUGHTFULLY DESIGNED THAN YOU’D EXPECT’

THIS EFFORT TO ENGAGE THE ‘GAMING’ VOTE SAW EXTRA EMPHASIS THIS YEAR.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP RECENTLY APPEARED ON A LIVESTREAM WITH INFLUENCER ADIN ROSS, REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN HALF A MILLION.

WHILE THE IMPACT OF THE NEW HARRIS MAP REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

FORTNITE IS A GOOD PLACE TO SEND A MESSAGE – THE GAME HAS OVER FOUR-HUNDRED-MILLION REGISTERED PLAYERS, MOSTLY BETWEEN AGES 16 AND 24.

I’M JACK AYLMER AND FOR MORE OF OUR ELECTION COVERAGE DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP.