While he might not be tearing his way through leaderboards in Guilty Gear, the real Joe Biden enjoys the occasional Mario Kart round with his family at Camp David. The current President of the United States has something of a mixed relationship with the gaming industry, having once called a certain developer an “arrogant little creep” among other controversial comments while campaigning in 2020. However, it seems that even Biden enjoys a game or two while not running an entire nation - and some gamers are naming themselves after him to enter eSport competitions.
Kotaku has reported that a Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R player under the online handle of Joe Biden has been competing in multiplayer tournaments, even landing in the top 10 or 20 spots in the last few events they played in. This is not the same Joe Biden as the President, but some people have still confused the two - to the point where Joe Biden (the President)’s official Twitter account was tagged in posts mentioning Joe Biden (the player). Joe Biden (the player) recently spoke to Kotaku about their particular handle, explaining that they ultimately picked it after going through several screennames due to them playing as Guilty Gear character Chipp Zanuff - who is a president just like the real Joe Biden.
Even Joe Biden Plays Mario Kart
Meanwhile, the real Joe Biden has been known to play video games with his family while relaxing at the official presidential retreat at Camp David. Last year, ABC News reported that Naomi Biden, granddaughter of Joe Biden and daughter of Hunter Biden, shared some pictures of her and her grandpa playing Mario Kart on a pair of arcade cabinets during his first visit as President. She joked that the Secret Service “made an exception” from their usual policy and let him drive the kart himself; she also noted that “he was a little rusty but still won (barely).”
While past Presidents have been seen playing video games on occasion, Biden might be the first US President to play them regularly while in office. Gaming was also instrumental in his presidential run. Biden’s campaign hosted a special island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons where players could meet an avatar of then-candidate Biden during the last few months before the 2020 election.
The POTUS isn’t the same Joe Biden making headlines on the Guilty Gear multiplayer circuit, but he is still having fun playing Mario Kart with his granddaughter at Camp David. One can only imagine President Biden’s reaction to the Guilty Gear player sharing his name and the many jokes and memes that have spawned from “Joe Biden” dominating the ranks during fighting game tournaments.