Earlier this week, the New York Times released The Voter Suppression Trail. The politically-charged Oregon Trail-inspired mini-game has players fight off long lines and intimidating “observers” to finally vote, and describes certain hurtles some US voters will face on November 8.
In the game, you can go and vote as a white programmer from California, a Latina nurse from Texas or a black salesman from Wisconsin. Cross-town bus rides, sick kids, angry bosses, freezing rain and voter system malfunction all threaten your ability to vote – if you opt to be the Latina woman or African-American man. In one sequence, when you eventually enter the polling station, election “observers” attempt to intimidate you, pursuing you with insults. If you can’t dodge them with arrow keys, your vote dies.
![New York Times Publishes Intense Game About Voter Suppression](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/05/ijehhcq4ebtoygsj0h58.gif?quality=75?quality=75)
The Californian white programmer, on the other hand, “strolls” into his polling location and casts his ballot after no difficulties and just a minute or two. It’s an urgent game that is unashamed about its politics and intention.
“Some paths will be more intrepid than others, particularly for blacks, Latinos and pretty much anyone who brings the kind of diversity to our polling places that they have historically lacked. Thanks to laws passed by Republicans to fight the nonexistent threat of voter fraud, the perils will be great. Long lines and voter ID laws, not to mention pro-Trump election observers, will try to keep these voters from the polls,” the Times explains.
![New York Times Publishes Intense Game About Voter Suppression](https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/05/mswfrpdwpct4t1kg3ymj.png?quality=75?quality=75)
Recently, Businessweek reported that an unidentified senior Trump official was open about the campaign’s approach to voter suppression. He said, “We have three major voter suppression operations underway,” which Businessweek explains are “aimed at three groups Clinton needs to win overwhelmingly: Idealistic white liberals, young women and African-Americans.” Similarly, Politico reports that several alt-right and white nationalist collectives, including the KKK and the American Freedom Party, are planning aggressive election day actions.
The Voter Suppression Trail is the first video game from the Times‘ Op-Docs section. At its end, it offers to help US players find their nearest polling station.
Comments
13 responses to “New York Times Publishes Intense Game About Voter Suppression”
This is fucked. I didn’t even know this was a real issue. All of this just to vote.
What a world we live in!
You wanna know why you didn’t realise that this is a real issue. It’s because it’s not. Things like this don’t happen, not to the extent portrayed at least.
It is a real issue. And it does occur. You just dont like that it does because it conflicts with your political ideals.
The whole US election ordeal has certainly reinforced how lucky we have it in Australia.
The thing I don’t understand is that they don’t appear to have preferential voting, so there’s not even an option of voting for third parties. So fucked.
Are we forgetting that Hillary and the DNC actually rigged the Democratic primary? Like, we have actual evidence of this happening. We also have evidence that the DNC has rigged elections before. This is not a “nonexistent threat”.
All people lie and manipulate things to go their way, sadly. Politicians doubly so. But not all openly intimidate minorities and get world leaders nervous about their sociopathic behaviour. Its pretty obvious which dog you are backing in this fight, but i wonder which fight you think is more important and why? Either way it goes, America gets a corrupt government. But it truly does seem like you are comfortable putting a madman in charge as long as bigots keep the upper hand. That seems like a big risk to keep rednecks and white god botherers happy. Or if your comment was just an angry shitpost in response to “them liberal media types”, maybe you should read elsewhere. Because this is the only topic i ever see you post about. If you don’t like the opinions posted on this site, why are you here? Whatever the case, claiming a serious issue is a “non event” and backing it up with “hillary cheated” is nonsense. Whether she did or not does not justify intimidating and profiling innocent people simply turning up to vote. Whatever whichever scumbag polly did to muck with the ballot is no justification to deny or impede someone’s right to vote. Regardless of who they are voting for.
So what you’re saying is that it doesn’t matter if a vote is actually counted, just that the voter gets to cast it?
Wow!
Of course it counts and yes i believe any sniff of vote tampering should be thoroughly investigated. But we are talking about intimidating people who want to vote, something no-one should mess with, yet at least one side is.
Lol so it’s only okay to intimidate voters who supported Trump. Thanks for clearing that up
+3 Points for regurgitating Wikileaks FB posts, +2 points for cognitive dissonance, +5 points for inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, -6 points for lack of ‘KILLARY’, -12 points for not mentioning Reptiloid New World Order, -4 points for no ‘OBUMMER’.
What’s wrong with regurgitating the truth?
You guys are the ones that seem to no be able to distinguish things. There is video evidence, there are photo’s, there is written evidence. There is so much evidence that Hillary and her party have committed heinous crimes and you guys just sit there saying “no”.
It sure sounds like you’re referring to Hillary here. You realise that she’s trying start a war with Russia because “muh scary Russia!”, right?
I’ll agree, that’s true. However it always comes down to the lesser of two evils. I believe that Trump is that lesser of two evils. Like I’ve said, Hillary and the DNC has actually been caught out rigging the Democratic primary. This is common knowledge for people following this election. At the time of writing this, Hillary is being investigated for human trafficking, child pornography, pedophilia and conspiracy to murder (at the very least). Not to mention what happened at Benghazi. I would much prefer somebody that said some mean things over somebody that has, or is very likely to have, committed crimes of this caliber.
That’s because I have very strong opinions about this topic and feel the need to talk about them when I see everybody on HRC’s side. Also, there have just been so many of these articles recently. After the election is over, I’ll go back to my normal posting habits.