At CPAC, Jan. 6 Is 'a Joke and a Game'

Conservative Political Action Conference attendees have been having a ball playing a very MAGA-esque version of pinball. Touted as an "educational documentary game," per NewsNation, the game on display in the basement ballroom of Maryland's National Harbor resort claims the fatal shooting of protester Ashli Babbitt as she tried to breach the Capitol's barricaded Speaker's Lobby was "murder." "Babbitt Murder," "Stop the Steal," "Fake News," "Peaceful Protest," "It's a Setup," "Have Faith," and "Political Prisoners" are all titles marking various scoring levels in the game, per the Independent. When each scoring level is hit, relevant footage from the insurrection is played on a screen above the pinball table.

"I make games, so I decided to make this 'J6' [game] that explains a lot of the truth of what happened [on] J6," creator and entrepreneur Jonathan Linowes tells the Hill. He claims he posted the game software online for free but was banned from platforms that said they didn't "want any terrorists." As photos of the game and its players, including 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley, went viral on X this week, some onlookers claimed it made light of a deadly insurrection, per the Independent. "MAGA Republicans think Jan 6 is a joke and a GAME," one user wrote. Similar criticism followed the release of a Jan. board game. Also available at CPAC: "Woke Tears Water" bottles, per the Hill. The event runs through Saturday. Former President Donald Trump will deliver the keynote address that day. (More Conservative Political Action Conference stories.)