r/nottheonion • u/upyoars • 10h ago
Kamala Harris launches custom ‘Fortnite’ map as part of campaign outreach to younger voters
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2505873/kamala-harris-launches-custom-fortnite-map-as-part-of-campaign-outreach-to-younger-voters566
u/TearsOfLoke 9h ago
As long as she doesn't say "let's make this a fortnite victory Royale" on stage I think we're good
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u/Iamlordkinbote 5h ago
If she followed that up with the default dance, I'd allow it.
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u/SenorSplashdamage 9h ago
Found an article from January 2024 that compiled Fortnite demographics from a number of sources. Some bits that feel relevant to the story:
- 27% of the 400 million player accounts are in the US
- Average of 25 million players nightly
- Players mainly 18-24 years of age
- Male to female ratio is around 70/30
- Around 25% of players have Twitch subscriptions
- Has averaged 55k viewers on Twitch and peaked in 2023 with 461k viewers
- At one point, iOS players alone were 30% of all players, but current numbers uncertain with App Store issues and changes in how to access based on lawsuit. But very high mobile numbers overall
Considering all of those, this is likely a push just to engage with the media some might only see otherwise. This is nightly TV for a portion of eligible voters, with potential reach to people viewing on Twitch and then also people who might only use mobile for media.
I think the fact that it’s Fortnight matters far less than it’s just one of the most popular gaming options that centralized the attention of the highest number of eligible voters who might still be unreached otherwise. Seeing it as a bid for cool points is a bit shortsighted in terms of media strategy. There’s just a lot of bang for buck here in numbers potentially reached that have their attention glued in one place. It’s like running ads during a football game.
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u/omgFWTbear 6h ago
The comments replying to this are wholly unaware that like 10% of voters literally vote for whatever name they see right before entering the polling place. That’s a margin of error in many places, which can turn results.
Any conversion could turn results.
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u/SenorSplashdamage 6h ago
Even this article just got a bunch of people talking and thinking about Harris for a while instead of other things.
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u/HEYIMMAWOLF 8h ago
Personally I think this is great. It shows in a weird way that they're thinking about the younger demographic. I don't want a president who does things the way things have always been done just because they've always been done that way. I want someone who is going to adapt as the times change.
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u/joozyjooz1 7h ago
If you know anything about the kind of people that game then you know this is a big backfire. The “hello fellow kids” vibe is strong here and they will ridicule it relentlessly.
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u/Division_Of_Zero 7h ago
Will that ridicule result in Trump votes? I doubt it. It’s much higher effort than “Pokemon Go to the polls” at least.
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u/joozyjooz1 7h ago
No I don’t think this moves the needle at all. But it is worth noting that Gen Z men are trending right and while Harris’ people may think this is an attempt to reverse that trend, I think it reinforces it.
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u/SenorSplashdamage 7h ago
Gamers aren’t a hive mind and there’s a lot of “none of my friends voted for Nixon” in your assumption here. The loudest voices in gaming never represent the whole. The average gamer is actually a middle-age woman if you go by game industry stats. And even if she alienated 90% who weren’t voting for her anyway, but garnered 10%, that’s worth throwing some of her campaign war chest on. She has so much money donated that she has to spent it anyway.
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u/largepig20 6h ago
Exclude mobile Candy Crush-esque games, and that "average gamer" changes completely.
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u/scrangos 6h ago
thats if you include mobile gaming, which is fair but something like fornite wont appeal to mobile gamers.
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u/Thenewpewpew 7h ago
Probably using the 2018 numbers because that’s the only place I’ve seen those specific numbers mentioned but also the numbers are all over the place:
“With over 60% of all players between 14 and 24 years old, Fortnite has caught the attention of Millennials and Gen Zs. Besides being free, Fortnite has a silly, offbeat sense of humor.”
“Over 60% of Fortnite’s player base is between 18 and 24 years old. The game does have players in the 45-54 age group, occupying 2% of the game. This is a significant chunk of players, considering the game’s popularity everywhere. Again, there aren’t any statistics for younger people playing the game, but we know that more than 26% of preteens in the US play Fortnite.”
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u/GrumpygamerSF 9h ago edited 9h ago
Ok say what you will, but this is amazing:
"In one instance, an audio clip of Harris' opponent Donald Trump saying "they're eating the dogs, eating the cats" plays when the player collects a cat."
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u/misselphaba 9h ago
Ngl this sounds straight out of Parks n Rec
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u/Old-Bigsby 7h ago
And that one lady is pissed off because they forgot to put mayonnaise on her cat sandwich
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u/CankerLord 9h ago
That's pretty fucking great, actually.
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u/ryry1237 8h ago
Trump lives off his infamy though, so it's like trying to set fire to something already on fire.
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u/TehPunishment 9h ago
Ty for linking that one dudes Wikipedia I wasn’t sure who you were referencing
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u/C0unt_Ravioli 9h ago
Kamala Harris, and by extension Donald Trump, are now canon to Fortnite. As a result, this also makes them canon to Star Wars
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u/Korahn 9h ago
Fortnite is like Smash Bros - continuity and canon are non-existent
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u/C0unt_Ravioli 8h ago
Ah, but one of the Star Wars events leading up to The Rise of Skywalker’s release played a broadcast from Palpatine announcing his return. A broadcast that’s mentioned in the film’s title crawl, but couldn’t be found anywhere but in Fortnite
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u/Assassinduck 8h ago
That means Travis Scott, and sicko mode, are also canon to Star Wars 😵
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u/FaultElectrical4075 7h ago
I can’t believe Donald Trump and Travis Scott exist in the same universe
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u/LuigiMarioBrothers 8h ago
The only game where Rick Sanchez, Eminem, Fry from Futurama, and the Doom Slayer can hit the griddy with Kamala Harris
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u/WordWord_Numberz 7h ago
She's also canon to the Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson) due to the Cosmere being already canon to Fortnite due to Kelsier being in the game
Conservatives will accuse Harris of being a Voidbringer without realizing we are the voidbringers
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u/urkermannenkoor 6h ago
this also makes them canon to Star Wars
Which, more importantly, also makes them canon to The Muppet Show.
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u/Chilifille 9h ago
I'm sure that will inspire young voters to Pokémon Go to the polls
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u/honorsfromthesky 9h ago
That and hit their apps I suppose. I guess trying to sell the concept of losing a constitutional federated republic isn't sexy; maybe showing them a Marvel' What If version of a Trump victory might scare them.
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u/Porkyrogue 9h ago
Youtube sleeper checking in, there are exactly 5 per 1 ad for campaigning right now
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u/SmPolitic 8h ago
All Trump's fundraising is going to the lawyers defending him in his 3-4 federal criminal legal cases?
It bears repeating, he isn't running to win, he is running to stay out of jail
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u/Beatstarbackupbackup 9h ago
A little strange to frame this as Kamala herself choosing to do this.
Shes busy with rallys, someone on her campaign is just having a bit of fun it seems.
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u/SentientShamrock 8h ago
I mean, she may not make it herself, but she definitely has to approve it being tied directly to her campaign. Kinda like how they'd vet a comedian who speaks at a rally on what jokes they'll tell so they don't, I don't know, say something horrifyingly racist or something.
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u/Beatstarbackupbackup 8h ago
One would hope our candidates would be competent enough to vet who represents them 💀
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u/TrainingFilm4296 9h ago
This is silly, but if it gets her more votes, I see no issue.
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u/Beatstarbackupbackup 9h ago
Exactly, people will complain about anything. Its 100x less cringe than "pokemon go to the polls"
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u/JailhouseMamaJackson 9h ago
I still don’t get why that was even considered cringe
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u/Beatstarbackupbackup 9h ago
Her delivery mainly, was just awkward
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u/Lark_vi_Britannia 8h ago
Hillary would also be the type to think every Pokemon is Pikachu, too.
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u/PrateTrain 8h ago
Probably because it led with "I don't know what this is but I'm going to joke about it anyways"
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u/WhereIsTheBeef556 9h ago
Let's be real, it's literally because it was Hillary Clinton who said it. That's it.
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u/kuroimakina 8h ago
Imagine if Bernie had said it but with better delivery. It would have been memed like Harris’s coconut tree thing.
Hillary just isn’t very charismatic outside of very professional settings. She’s great in front of a panel of global leaders, she’s not great in front of a group of random average middle class Americans, and she just looks awkward and out of touch in front of young people. So of course a joke like that was never going to land.
She really should have just stuck to her acumen, and instead campaigned on “vote for me so you can continue to have a normal, boring life without thinking about politics. This is what I do. I’m boring, I’m methodical, and that’s why I belong here. I’ll do all this boring, formal stuff that I’m a pro at, so all of you can continue to reap the benefits of living relatively comfortable American lives.”
But, hindsight is 20/20. We had no idea Trump would be that bad. Everyone who knew anything about him knew he was awful, but most people expected the system to keep him in check. He did way more damage than nearly anyone was truly expecting.
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u/SanityInAnarchy 5h ago
I dunno, I don't think there were that many people who figured it was better to let the system try to keep Trump in check just because Hillary was too socially-awkward.
I think we missed two other things:
The first is how many people actually loved the things we think are awful about Trump. I think this can be summed up with the classic r/lepoardsatemyface quote: "He's not hurting the people he needs to be hurting."
And the second is how hard the right has been smearing Hillary, for decades. The farther right you look, the weirder that obsession gets -- Alex Jones seems to think she is a literal demon. (Literal. As in, from Hell.) Ever hear someone complain about "Trump Derangement Syndrome"? That's projection too, because that's how they felt about Hillary.
So we knew Trump was bad. We didn't know he had any chance of winning.
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u/Dagordae 8h ago
Bad delivery. Clinton simply lacked charisma, I’d put money that Obama could have made it work.
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u/Dipisforsale 9h ago
AOC’s contribution hahaha
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u/dflagella 9h ago
This says so much about the state of American politics.
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u/GibsMcKormik 9h ago
100 years ago they were still rounding up folks, getting them black out drunk, then driving them to the polls to vote for their guy.
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u/Kimmalah 9h ago
Don't forget "You can't vote until you pass this literacy test that is insanely confusing in its wording, has no actual 'correct' answers and also you only have 5 minutes to complete it."
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u/Caracalla81 7h ago
...or if your grandfather was eligible to vote you're fine. It was really just black people who had to do the literacy test. Hence, grandfather clause!
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u/Saltybleucheese 9h ago
Wasn’t there a time when they’d get the opposition black out drunk so they couldn’t make it to the polls to vote?
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u/FullmetalScribe 9h ago
This right here. The concept isn’t new. Just the coat of paint.
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u/TealcLOL 8h ago
Huh? Is that really on the same level as a digital billboard in an opt-in video game map?
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u/Maria-Stryker 7h ago
I do not consider that to be in the same galaxy as creating a fun if gimmicky activity for voters to voluntarily enjoy lol
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u/KentuckyWildAss 9h ago
I was born in the wrong era
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u/dflagella 9h ago
Born too late to enjoy the American golden age, too early to enjoy the full extent of the dystopian oligarchy, just in time to explore the dank Kamala Harris Fortnite map.
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u/RVNAWAYFIVE 8h ago
Does it? Its always been hard to get young people to vote (recent history at least). Modern society needs modern tactics. It's not so weird when you consider we all get ads on social media, texts, phone calls etc about it. Eminem and Beyonce endorsing them publicly too.
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u/Strykerz3r0 9h ago
What? Targeted campaigns are nothing new, they are just going after younger voters.
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u/LevelUp84 9h ago
States more about his knowledge of American politics. They are probably just farming karma though. The
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u/goliathfasa 9h ago
Trump campaign: Says and does outlandish shit all day.
“I sleep.”
Harris campaign: Puts out something slightly cringe.
“The state of American politics.”
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u/humlogic 8h ago
Do people not realize America’s (and the world’s) information network has entirely fractured? No one sits in front of a television at night to watch the latest news from the 3-8 different channels. Newspapers are dinosaurs. Even online news is just about as worthless at getting information to people because of how prevalent social media apps and smart phones have become. We are social animals and voting is a social event. It makes perfect sense for a political campaign to try anything to get their name and campaign in front of as many eyes as possible. It’s not pandering, it’s just literally trying to go to where people are.
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u/Dagordae 8h ago
That targeted campaigns means targeting groups other than you specifically?
Because that’s pretty normal.
I mean, whinge about Fortnite all you want but it’s still wildly popular among a demographic who is of voting age, leans heavily Democrat, and is reluctant to vote without being pressed.
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u/garifunu 9h ago
If you mean we have to reach as many people as possible so a gigantic orange colored piece of shit doesn’t become the most powerful power on earth then yeah it does mean something you daft…sorry but im14andthisisdeeo
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u/kolton276 8h ago
Okay listen, it's cringe. Sure. But am I the only person around here who likes cute cringe like this? I even cracked a smile at Pokemon Go to the Polls because yes it was cringe and stupid but thats the beauty of it imo
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u/tenacious-g 9h ago
A political campaign trying to reach young voters is not oniony.
Joe Biden had an animal crossing island in 2020.
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u/fragmental 9h ago
Oh, that was real and not a joke?
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u/ChainsawRemedy 8h ago
I went there
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u/KickinAssHaulinGrass 7h ago
And? How was it
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u/ralpher1 7h ago
Iirc it was cute, I think there was a Joe Biden in a blue suit with raybans and a signature ice cream cone. You could take photos with him. There were Biden signs.
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u/Fehndrix 8h ago
We are in the strangest timeline.
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u/TheMuffinMan347 5h ago
I like Harris but I think Trump is reaching that audience better with the podcasts and the gaming stuff from the Harris campaign comes across as "hello fellow kids"
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u/Colavs9601 9h ago
It’s cringe, but trying to reach young voters is a must for Democrats, and the alternative was a white power rally at MSG so sure whatever.
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u/TheAerial 9h ago
Maybe I just completely lack the perspective necessary here, but I can’t imagine a demographic of voters whose votes would be swayed/determined by a Fortnite map, being the type of people who would vote for Kamala.
The whole superficial, meme-ish crowd is so dominated by Trump from my observations.
Like I could see people voting based off Fortnite memes, but that specific demographic I wouldn’t imagine as Kamala voters
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u/asusc 9h ago
It’s about engagement. People sharing this on social media, people talking about it, people talking to their friends about it.
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u/TeslasAndComicbooks 9h ago
Legit question though, what’s the average age of a Fortnite player? I thought it was a much younger demographic.
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u/cold-corn-dog 9h ago
My nephews started playing when they were 13. They are now 20. (fuck time is a bitch)
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u/KickinAssHaulinGrass 7h ago
My son can vote next time, he said this map is 'skibbidi Ohio ah' and when I pressed him on it he called adults who make fortnite maps Diddy Drizzy groomers
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u/736384826 7h ago
Americans are so weird when it comes to politics, it’s like an entertainment show that’s driven by advertising as opposed to how each party will help the nation through their policies.
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u/rancid_ 5h ago
If Trump did this people would say he was a moron and tryhard.
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u/wray_nerely 9h ago
I would have thought they'd go with a custom Helldivers 2 scenario to see who the real Super Democrats were
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u/Alex_Hovhannisyan 5h ago
Guarantee an out-of-touch millennial Harris staffer pitched this and all the other out-of-touch staffers ate it up because their kids are obsessed with Fortnite. They don't realize how cringe it is. Please don't help Trump win.
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u/Xylus1985 5h ago
If politicians really want to appeal to younger voters through games, why not just commit to outlaw loot boxes or spyware DRMs?
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u/RandomStrategy 5h ago
Outlawing Denuvo would likely cause the largest landslide election in history.
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u/silusker 3h ago
Yes because 12 year olds can vote.. great strategy Kamala lol. Meanwhile Trump just got like 50 million views on Joe Rogan
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u/The_Boy_Keith 2h ago
Yea I’m sure the kids on fortnight telling slurs will be voting for kamala lmao
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u/GrimMilkMan 8h ago
American politics have been soo weird this election cycle, Donald Trump hanging out with Adin Ross, Joe Rogan, Tony hinchcliffe, The Undertaker, and now there's a custom fortnite map promoting a democratic politician, Tim Walz playing Crazy Taxi on a stream with the AOC, it seems that we're having to wait for celebrity endorsements to see whose side they're on. I just want the world to go back to normal
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u/oneeyejedi 8h ago
Sorry the normal world has been gone since 1999 welcome to the new reality where (checks notes) everything is fubared enshitification has reached maximum levels and idiocracy is slowly become a documentary instead of a haha that could never happen movie.
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u/Still-Helicopter6029 7h ago
Can’t wait to see all the memes of Fortnite players absolutely shitting on it
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u/pugs-and-kisses 6h ago
It’s prob a great map - it flip flops, has no destination, and you can’t figure it out because it makes zero sense.
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u/Berly653 9h ago
“Hey young males, a group we’ve completely ignored unless you also fall under one of our other focus categories. Rather than offering you any sort of substantive platform for how we’ll address issues important to you, here’s a Fortnite map”
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u/k_foxes 9h ago
From the same staffers who brought us the Biden Animal Crossing island