White House removes controversial border game “Build the Wall” after Tetris complaint

“Protect the border from the approaching horde,” said the game description on the White House website. And the description didn't promise too much. In 'Build the Wall', the interested user can build a barrier on the border with Mexico. Or rather: could. Because the game has disappeared from the White House website.

As the US broadcaster CNN reports, 'Build the Wall' is no longer available. The game referred to the massive barrier on the border with Mexico, much of which is already in place and should be completed by the end of next year.

One problem: The game was so similar to “Tetris” that the company behind the classic video game publicly distanced itself (more on that here). The Tetris Company said they believe in “the power of connection, not division.” At the same time, the poorly encrypted threat was sent that copyright law was being taken very seriously.

Another game is called “Rio Run” and is based on the game Snake. Users can move the digital version of US Border Patrol Agent Tom Homan across the playing field. The goal is to apprehend as many migrants as possible who have crossed the Rio Grande River at the border with Mexico. The promotional material for the US government's browser games also contains elements that allude to the Sega Corporation or the Xbox brand, which is part of Microsoft.

Human rights organizations had sharply criticized the White House because of the online games. US President Donald Trump has taken tough action against migrants. The controversial US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency ICE plays a central role in this.

Trump ordered the construction of the barrier on the border with Mexico during his first term in office (2017 to 2021). It is said to extend, with some gaps, from San Diego in the US west coast state of California to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. Most migrants come to the United States through Mexico