WASHINGTON – Fans of the popular video game Fortnite can enter a new virtual world, Freedom Town, USA, created by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign, starting October 28.

Freedom Town, accessible through Epic Games Inc.’s Fortnite platform, features campaign signs for Ms. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.

Players take advantage of tax breaks on small businesses, collect construction materials, and build new homes to reduce housing costs.

They can also throw exploding footballs at opponents, a reference to Mr. Walz’s time as a high school coach.

Video games are the latest battleground for candidates chasing young voters.

This is a particular focus for Ms. Harris, as recent polls suggest that young male voters, and especially young Black men, are more likely than in the past to vote for Republicans and former President Donald Trump.

The Trump campaign made its own pitch to the players.

In August, the former president appeared live with Mr. Adin Ross, who became famous for starring in Take-Two Interactive Software Inc’s NBA 2K and Grand Theft Auto.

Mr Ross hosts his livestreams on Kick.com, which is operated by the owner of Australian crypto casino Stake.

Although analysts questioned whether Kick’s metrics were accurate, approximately 564,000 people watched the channel, according to the company.

Trump talked about the economy and immigration. A spokesman for the former Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Over the weekend, Mr. Walz joined Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York to play Madden NFL 25 and Crazy Taxi on the gaming streaming platform Twitch.

While playing, the two discussed political issues, from housing assistance for first-time homebuyers to the Biden administration’s stance on the war in Gaza.

Mr. Walz waxed nostalgic for Sega’s 25-year-old Dreamcast video game console.

Last week, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders appeared on Twitch and YouTube alongside several video game influencers to promote the Harris campaign.

Videos of the livestream were viewed nearly a million times on YouTube and Twitch after the event.

Ms. Harris’s YouTube channel released a trailer for Freedom Town on Oct. 28, anchored by a song by rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

The campaign is also working with gaming luminaries like Jordan “HusKerrs” Thomas and Morgan “Modelmorg” Pope to announce the new virtual world.

Although Fortnite is managed by Epic, that company was not directly involved in the design of Freedom Town.

Developers can create their own “maps” in-game using the tools provided by Epic.

We don’t know yet if this will work for Ms. Harris, there were fewer than 150 active players in FreedomTown as of midday on October 28th. BLOOMBERG