The Americas | Bolsonaryo v Lulo

Video games involving politicians have gone viral in Brazil

A divisive political culture vents some steam online

If only politics were this simple
|São Paulo

WHEN FELIPE ROSA, a softly spoken 11-year-old from São Paulo, got bored playing “Minecraft”, a video game, he downloaded a new game, “Kandidatos”, that went viral when it was released in 2020. The game involves hand-to-hand combat between Brazilian politicians, including “Bolsonaryo,” who looks just like Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing president, and “Lulo,” a carbon copy of leftist ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Rudimentary graphics and symphonic rock accompany their grunts, punches and kicks. Mr Rosa was delighted. “It’s the crudeness that makes it cool,” he says.

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Bolsonaryo v Lulo”

Mr Putin will see you now

From the January 8th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from The Americas

Heavy machinery and sidewinders move logs near Sayward, British Columbia, Canada.

Canada and America have been fighting about timber for 40 years

As Donald Trump takes office, the chances of a lumber deal look slim

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation.

Justin Trudeau steps down, leaving a wrecked party and a divided Canada

Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are among those tipped as the next Liberal leader


A collage illustration showing a cutout of XI Jinping’s facing Donald Trump’s face on the right with a small cutout image of Claudia Sheinbaum between them. Behind them are some shipping containers and the The San Lázaro Legislative Palace of Mexico

Does made in Mexico mean made by China?

Donald Trump believes Mexico is a trojan horse for Chinese mercantilism


Failure to prepare for climate change is costing Honduras dear

Weeks after the most recent storm, the country is still in emergency mode

Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro looks set to take the throne

Relying on a fabricated election victory, the incumbent will be sworn in again

Why Spanish firms have cooled towards Latin America

Slow growth and messy politics are largely to blame