Axios: Gamifying war

Posted on March 15, 2026 by michelleclarke2015
Gamifying war
 
Photo illustration of a Tomahawk missile flying out of a glowing smartphone.
Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: U.S. Navy via Getty Images
 
The U.S. government is treating strikes on Iran like a video game, inviting the country to watch as memes and montages subsume the human cost of war, Axios’ Zachary Basu writes.

Why it matters: The Trump administration didn’t invent the gamification of war, nor did it invent wartime propaganda — a tool of statecraft as old as armed conflict itself.

But packaging live combat as social media content — scoring real kills in real time, and broadcasting it to an audience of millions — is a first in the history of American warfare.

Zoom in: Two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, much of the White House’s online messaging has been gleefully trollish — a stream of videos splicing real missile strikes with footage from Call of Duty, Wii Sports and Hollywood blockbusters.

One videowove clips from “Top Gun,” “Iron Man” and “Braveheart” between images of Iranian targets being destroyed, ending with the “Mortal Kombat” audio: “Flawless victory.

“Another opened with a Grand Theft Auto meme — “Ah sh*t, here we go again” — before cutting to live strike footage from Iran. 

When CNN aired a segment on the jarring content, White House communications director Steven Cheung thanked the network for covering “all of our banger videos.

“Cheung later posted a Grand Theft Auto cheat code for unlocking weapons, and greeted critics with a mocking reference to livestream culture: “W’s in the chat, boys!”

White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Axios: “The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States Military’s incredible success, but the White House will continue showcasing the many examples of Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and dreams of owning a nuclear weapon being destroyed in real time.”

“No one is mocking our soldiers — we are highlighting the lethality and successes of our military.” 

Zoom out: The videos have worked exactly as the White House intended — projecting strength, generating shock value and reinforcing President Trump’s image as a leader who hits hard and answers to no one.

But they’ve also drawn searing criticism: Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich condemned the gamification of war as “a profound moral failure” that “strips away the humanity of real people.

“The big picture: The White House videos are the most visible expression of a broader phenomenon — a country that has built an entire ecosystem around the consumption of war as content.

Take prediction markets: Modern conflicts have become live gambling exchanges, with more than $1 billion wagered on Iran strikes and regime change since the bombing began.Share this story.
Unknown's avatar

About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a comment