A video game critiquing the Trump administration’s efforts to continue the US and Israel’s war in Iran has popped up on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., making it the latest anti-Trump artwork to appear in a public space in the nation’s capital.
As was the case with many of those other artworks, the creator of this one is the Secret Handshake, a group of anonymous artists who have previously produced objects alluding to Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, among other topics.
This new one, which is sited at the D.C. War Memorial, is titled Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell and is made to look like an arcade game replete with colorful images of Trump, FBI director Kash Patel, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and more. Included alongside their portraits are quotations from their speeches and some of Trump’s Truth Social posts.
“The Trump administration knows that the best way to sell combat is by making it a video game, that’s why they’ve been pumping out the ‘sickest’ Iran War video game hype reels,” a plaque installed alongside the video game reads. “But why stop at clips when you could go full throttle? Introducing Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell, a high-octane, flag-waving, boots-on-the-ground simulator where freedom isn’t debated, it’s deployed. No briefings, no hesitation; just pure pixelated patriotism. Strap in and play hard, because this game may never end.”
In an email, the Secret Handshake told ARTnews, “In Trump’s America, war isn’t just patriotic, it’s gamified. The administration is using hype footage from video games in official military videos promoting the conflict with Iran. The only problem is those games aren’t actually about the Iran War. That’s why we created the first ultra-patriotic Iran War video game, Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell.”
The work vaguely recalls at least one other art piece about another war with American involvement: Cory Arcangel’s Bomb Iraq (2005), a playable game that the artist produced during the Bush administration’s repeated assault on Iraq.
For those not able to see Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell in person, the Secret Handshake has also posted a playable version online.
“The game features furious tweet battles against Iranian schoolgirls, low-flow shower heads, and other threats to American freedom like DEI and The Pope,” the artists said. “And just to save you time, the only way you can lose is by trying to hold Melania’s hand. But it’s The Middle East, so you also can’t win either.”
The Secret Handshake’s Operation Epic Furious: Strait To Hell.
Courtesy the artist
