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

In Freedom Town, accessible through Epic Games’ Fortnite platform, there are campaign signs for Ms. Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.

In the game, players take advantage of small business tax breaks, collect building materials, and build new homes to reduce housing costs. They can also shoot explosive footballs at their opponents, a reference to Mr. Walz’s time as a high school coach.

Video games are the latest battleground for candidates in pursuit of young voters.

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

The Trump campaign made its own pitch to players.

In August, the former US president appeared on a live stream with Mr. Adin Ross, who rose to fame playing NBA 2K and Take-Two Interactive Software’s Grand Theft Auto.

Mr Ross hosts his live stream on Kick.com, which is operated by Australian crypto casino owner Stake.

According to the company, some 564,000 people listened to it, although analysts question whether Kick’s metrics are accurate.

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

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

As the two played, they discussed political topics, from housing assistance for first-time home buyers to the Biden administration’s stance on the war in Gaza.

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

Last week, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared with several gaming influencers on Twitch and YouTube to promote the Harris campaign.

Videos from the live stream were viewed nearly a million times after the event on YouTube and Twitch.

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

The campaign is also working with gaming influencers Jordan “HusKerrs” Thomas, Morgan “Modelmorg” Pope and more to spread the word about 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 the game using tools provided by Epic.

It remains to be seen whether this will pay off for Ms. Harris. As of noon on October 28, Freedom Town had fewer than 150 active players. BLOOMBERG