Minecraft’s ‘Build the Vote’ readies young voters for US election

Once inside, players will need to register – which in-game will display a copy of your avatar’s profile on the wall – before entering a voting room alone. Sid Lee has represented the experience as closely as humanly possible (with blocks), but as you’d expect players will not be voting on digital avatars of Biden and Trump for dominion over the many worlds on Minecraft. Instead, the server will urge young people to form their own beliefs on the hot topics of the actual debate, such as criminal justice, immigration, and socio-political reform by voting for their preferences directly.

Each vote will be collected anonymously and counted by Rock the Vote, to reveal the results on its social media accounts on October 30th. Much like the real thing, players will get to vote only once, but to add a little extra incentive Mojang will provide those partaking with access to exclusive skins and a digital replica of the ‘I Voted’ badge being distributed at real polling stations across the US.

By and large, the medium of gaming was once considered to be an apolitical space exclusively geared toward entertainment, but in a landscape drastically altered by the pandemic, this stereotype is fast becoming outdated. In lieu of distancing regulations, people continue to turn to digital mediums in increasing numbers for their social needs and this cultural shift has compelled politicians to utilise them for maximum support.

Presidential candidate (and 77-year-old) Burnie Sanders attempted to piggyback Twitch’s increased engagement in search of prospective voters in 2019, and just last week Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez streamed Among Us in what transpired to be one of the most viewed debuts ever on the platform.

In short, with gaming becoming the biggest entertainment industry of 2020, political discourse will only become more prominent on its popular platforms.

Those in search of real-world escapism may soon have to look elsewhere.