"Gather Around, Supporters!" COVID-19 Sparks Election Campaigns in Popular Game 'Modongsseul' in US and Japan

[Asia Economy Reporter Joeslgina] "Gather around, supporters!"

Since its release in March, Nintendo's popular game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Dongdongseop)" has quickly conquered the global gaming market and has now emerged as a new election platform in major countries such as the United States and Japan. This move is seen as an effort to capture the votes of the millennial generation (ages 24-39), who are familiar with online content like games, especially as street election campaigns have become difficult due to the spread of COVID-19.

◆ 'Dongdongseop' in U.S. Presidential Election and Japanese Prime Minister Election

According to foreign media including Sankei Shimbun on the 7th, following former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidential election in November, former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba, who has announced his candidacy for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidency in Japan, also stated that he would use Dongdongseop in his election campaign. Dongdongseop is a communication game where players decorate an island with animal residents on an uninhabited island, decorate houses, talk with forest animals, and go fishing.

On the 1st (local time), the Biden campaign announced a campaign strategy using Dongdongseop, releasing four types of designs for free that users can apply to their characters, such as signs and T-shirts supporting former Vice President Biden. These include signs with the phrase "Team Joe," signs symbolizing solidarity with running mate Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris labeled "Biden-Harris," and signs featuring Biden's signature sunglasses.

Supporters can download these to decorate their islands, which are then exposed to other users visiting their islands, creating promotional effects. Dennis Plane, a political science professor at Juniata College in the U.S., said, "The effectiveness of traditional 30-second TV ads is not what it used to be," adding, "In the COVID-19 era, when it is difficult to knock on doors, this will be a new strategy." In addition to Dongdongseop, online election campaigns using SNS such as Snapchat, a mobile messenger popular among millennials, have become more active.

In the LDP presidential election to choose the successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Dongdongseop has also emerged as a new battleground. Former Secretary-General Ishiba revealed a character called "Ishibachan," modeled after himself, in Dongdongseop the day before. With offline street speeches expected to be virtually halted due to COVID-19, the strategy is to communicate with party members using the virtual game space. Ishiba's camp also plans to distribute posters featuring Ishibachan within the Dongdongseop game.

However, immediately after the announcement, there were online criticisms regarding violations of Nintendo's terms of use, and Ishiba's camp has begun related verification procedures. A representative of Ishiba's camp said, "We will suspend (the plan) for confirmation."

Sankei Shimbun reported, "Nintendo's terms of use prohibit use that includes political claims, so it may be difficult to use it in the LDP presidential election," but also noted, "The Biden campaign in the U.S. presidential election is using Dongdongseop for election campaigning." Japan's Nikkan Sports reported that "the terms of use differ between Japan and the U.S., and negotiations with Nintendo are underway," quoting a senior lawmaker, and said that whether the Dongdongseop campaign will be conducted by the election notification day on the 8th will be decided.

◆ Attention on 'Game Virtual Space' Due to COVID-19, Effectiveness Uncertain

This is not the first time that popular games like Dongdongseop have been used in political issues including major elections. Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also used the game "Pok?mon Go" in the U.S. presidential election. Earlier this year, protests against the Hong Kong extradition law, with users shouting "Free Hong Kong," took place centered around Dongdongseop. At that time, users supporting the Hong Kong protests created and distributed memorial photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping and pro-China politician Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, within the game to convey critical messages.

Especially with the COVID-19 pandemic causing major election schedules to be held online, the virtual game space is being recognized as the most effective platform for non-face-to-face election campaigns.

However, Professor Daniel Kraus of the University of North Carolina told The New York Times (NYT), "There is not much data on whether these efforts (using games in election campaigns) have been successful." The Trump campaign, competing against former Vice President Biden in the U.S. presidential election, mocked Biden's use of Dongdongseop, saying, "It's just a basement campaign," and "President Trump will campaign with real Americans in the real world."

In response, Christian Tom, head of digital partnerships for the Biden campaign, said, "(Dongdongseop) is a dynamic, diverse, and powerful platform that brings communities around the world together," adding, "It is an exciting new opportunity to communicate with supporters who 'build and decorate islands'." He also said, "As the November election approaches, we are exploring creative and innovative ways to meet voters where they are and rally supporters," indicating plans to increase campaigns related to Dongdongseop. Dongdongseop, released at the end of March, is estimated to have sold 22.4 million copies worldwide as of early August.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.