The 2020 election for the next US President is only a few weeks away, therefore campaigning is at an all-time high. Democratic candidate Joe Biden is taking an unusual approach - unveiling a custom-built Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.
This isn't the first time that the Biden-Harris ticket has promoted itself with Animal Crossing. The Biden campaign released four different yard signs as free downloads in September, having professional gamers hosting streams to show off the in-game political merchandise. The former Vice President's team now looks to be doubling-down on those efforts.
The island - aptly named Biden Island - will be premiering on Friday, October 16 at 11 am PT. Host Greg Miller took to Twitter to announce the livestream for the Kinda Funny Games Twitch channel. The tweet also states that the Animal Crossing: New Horizons stream is being done in partnership with Joe Biden's campaign. Details remain scarce as to what exactly Biden Island will actually entail, but there will likely be plenty of promotional material.
[embed]https://twitter.com/GameOverGreggy/status/1316781253299896321[/embed]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons released in March 2020, and has become a smash hit for Nintendo. It is no stranger to outside influence. The game has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, spawned a talk show, and even held a Selena Gomez concert. Now clothing company BlackMilk recently released a designer line for island residents. It'll be interesting to see what other entities will attempt to have a presence in the game in the future.
It's hard to tell exactly what is going to happen during the Twitch stream of Biden Island. It's unlikely Joe was the one who actually built the island, perhaps being constructed by millennial campaign staffers. It does beg the question of what neighbors will there be, or if there will be free clothes, bells, or maybe even a way to get some extra Animal Crossing candy.
The reveal on Friday morning should hopefully answer everyone's questions. The recent utilization of politics in video games seems to be increasing. However, the outside influence doesn't seem to be stopping there. Companies and artists never previously associated with the gaming industry are now becoming increasingly intertwined as time goes on. These political efforts are a prime example of what an ever-growing presence video games have as an important social medium.
Despite Biden Island, there hasn't been any indication if his opponent Donald Trump will respond with an island of his own. A Trump-themed island would certainly be a sight to behold. If mixing the popular life simulation game with real-life politics doesn't strike players' interest, maybe checking out an entire island modeled after Silent Hill will. Don't forget to vote!
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch.
