The new leader of the Democratic Party and candidate for the federal elections, Jagmeet Singh, is inviting voters to visit his private island, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (AC: NH), of course.
Singh tweeted on September 14 announcing that the NDP had designed an in-game visitable island using AC: NHThe ‘dream’ feature, which allows you to save and upload an online snapshot of your island that other players can browse.
Friends, I have an exciting announcement for you!
We are launching our own island in Animal Crossing!
If you visit, you can learn more about our campaign and how to get involved.
If you want access, all you have to do is text DREAM at 613-801-8210.
See you there🏝️ pic.twitter.com/UvGHfIQPWA
– Jagmeet Singh (@theJagmeetSingh) September 14, 2021
Animal Crossing Island is one of several tactics adopted by the federal NDP in this election to try to reach a different type of voter than the one normally targeted in the election campaign: that is, younger and highly connected Canadians.
Singh’s popularity on TikTok, where has accumulated 807.7 thousand followers and 7.6 million likes, has garnered a lot of media attention, in large part because it is the only candidate with a presence on the platform, a revealing oversight given that TikTok was the world’s most downloaded app in 2020.
Mixing politics with video games is not a new approach for the party, as Singh joined US Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a few rounds of Among us on Twitch in November 2020. Singh also featured your own Twitch stream of him and his friends playing Gartic Phone only this week on September 15th.
This latest foray into the world of AC: NH is one that Nintendo itself is technically not a fan of, as the company updated their content guidelines for the November 2020 game to include a request that players “also refrain from bringing the policy into the game.”
That’s a shame for Nintendo, because according to the lawn signs I saw on my tour of the NDP island, there are at least eight villagers in the AC: NH roster who have caught the orange wave: Broccoli, Chadder, Flurry, Rizzo, Rod, Tammy, Tutu and Wolfgang.
To access the island, you need a dream code, which the NDP provided whenever you check-in via text message.
First of all, the most important detail: the indigenous fruit of the island NDP is peaches.
Other details were more predictable: the island itself is called “Canada,” the town hall flag is the Canadian flag, the custom tune that plays every time you enter a house is the initial bars of “O Canada,” and the roads they are lined with orange flowers.
Visitors can visit the island’s many attractions, such as a hospital, a bank, a school, a national park (with a wild bear?), An outdoor hockey rink, a “Punjabi Poutine” truck, a row of solar panels and wind. turbines and a voting table with voting booths and orange confetti machine.
There is also a house renovated as an art gallery, featuring three works of art: ‘We Are Still Here’ and ‘Thunderbirds’ by anishinaabe artist Blake Angeconeb and ‘Thunder Bay’ by Blake Angeconeb and Mad Dog Jones.
Meanwhile, at Jagmeet’s house, there is a campaign headquarters, a martial arts gym, and a baby room, a little nod to the recent announcement that Singh and his wife are expecting their first child.
I came across “Jagmeet” himself campaigning around the island, who encouraged me to check the town’s bulletin board. On the board were a series of NDP campaign talking points posted by someone called “Volunteer”, all with themes that suited the game, such as “Our island has real solutions to solve the climate crisis” and “All the villagers They should be able to afford a home safe. “
Speaking of the volunteer, they are the other player character who is wandering the island. Decorated with NDP products (custom designs are available for download at a kiosk in the town square), the tired-looking volunteer just creepily repeats the word “NDP” every time you speak to them.
The piles of flyers strewn across the city with Singh’s pixelated face imprinted on them also looked a bit strange.
All that said, my biggest concern is that the museum itself was nearly empty; I mean, as a player and as a patron of the arts, how can I trust his political promises without seeing evidence of his fishing, digging, bug catching, and art collecting hustle and bustle?
For more information on the upcoming 2021 Canadian Federal Elections, see MobileSyrupThe tech and telecoms focused guide to every major party’s platform promises.