"Just days after Microsoft announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, the next game in its famous science-fiction series, the White House shared an interesting picture on X. The image, which appears to be AI-generated, shows President Donald Trump wearing the armour of Halo's iconic protagonist, Master Chief, standing in salute in front of an American flag that's missing several stars. In his left hand is an energy sword, a weapon used by the alien enemies in the Halo games."
"Posted in response to a tweet from US game retailer GameStop, the text accompanying the image reads Power to the Players in reference to the store's slogan. GameStop and the White House exchanged another Halo meme or two, and then, on 27 October, the official Department of Homeland Security X account joined in using Halo imagery of a futuristic soldier in an alien world to encourage people to join its increasingly militaristic Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE)."
"Stop the Flood, this one reads, equating the US's immigrant population with the parasitic aliens that Master Chief eliminates. Yet another war ended under President Trump's watch only one leader is fully committed to giving power to the players, and that leader is Donald J Trump, said White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai over email, when I asked for the official line on this post. That's why he's hugely popular with the American people and American gamers."
AI-style imagery portrayed President Donald Trump as Halo's Master Chief, complete with armour, a salute, and an energy sword before a partly starless US flag. The image was posted in reply to GameStop with the caption Power to the Players, echoing the retailer's slogan. The Department of Homeland Security account used Halo visuals and the phrase Stop the Flood to liken immigrants to hostile, parasitic aliens while promoting ICE recruitment. White House communications framed the imagery as evidence of Trump's popularity with gamers. Trump and allies have engaged gamer culture and courted disaffected young men since 2016.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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