Kamala Harris’ ‘Fortnite’ Map Bans Guns

Kamala Harris’ latest campaign move has sparked controversy on social media – her “Fortnite” map, designed to appeal to younger voters, doesn’t include guns. The absence of firearms from the game has led some players to criticize the decision online.

The map, called Freedom Town, USA, was released by Harris’ presidential campaign and features a gun-free environment where players can engage in parkour, building, and other challenges without using weapons. According to Fortnite GG, which tracks player activity on different maps, the maximum number of players who have used this map at any one time over the past 24 hours is just under 400.

In contrast, established maps like Ranked Reload had a peak of over 323,000 players during the same period. The Harris campaign’s map was announced with an X video showcasing gameplay and captions urging viewers to “fight for freedom” and “squad up, go vote.” The video also featured music by rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who performed at a Harris rally in July.

Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon since its release in 2017, attracting millions of players worldwide. The game’s popularity among young people is evident from its registered player base of over 400 million. According to Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, the average age of a player is between 16 and 24 years old.

The Harris campaign team created Freedom Town to reach out to younger voters and encourage them to participate in the democratic process. However, some critics have taken issue with the lack of guns on the map, which they see as a departure from traditional Fortnite gameplay. “Kamala Harris took away our guns in Fortnite,” wrote one player online.

Despite the controversy, Gene Park, a video game critic for The Washington Post, praised Freedom Town’s design and said it was “huge.” According to Fortnite GG, as of 6:30 am ET on Tuesday, just over 60 players were using Harris’ map, compared with over 211,000 players who used Ranked Reload.