Biden is a forgetful, irritable everyman besieged on all sides by rudeness, who just wants to play without being bothered. On the TikTok account, 'Sleepy Joe' plays Minecraft and other video games with his best (and worst) buddies. Portraying presidents as relatable, stupid, hubristic gamers spewing raunchy humor in the vein of South Park or any of the thousands of popular Twitch streamers, the videos are a communally-crafted sitcom featuring broad caricatures of figures every American can recognize, and jokes that people across the political spectrum would find funny. The Presidential Gaming Universe now has weeks worth of lore, spread out between different accounts and videos, all centered on realistic AI-generated audio with added video game visuals. Meanwhile, creators across social media are flocking to the viral format. It's already happening: recently, an attempt was made to spread a false audio recording of a candidate in the Chicago mayoral race. It often indicates a user profile.īut the phenomenon also points to ways in which the upcoming 2024 election campaign will be one taking place on much shakier ground when it comes to digital media, as the tools continue to improve, and everyday users continue to gain experience in using them.
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