Playable protest: Greenland arcade game lands in Washington and Nuuk
Three working arcade machines about the fight for Greenland appeared in Washington, DC, on 28 September — and a fourth landed in Greenland itself.
The cabinets were set up at the District of Columbia War Memorial in Washington, DC, a circular memorial on the National Mall. All three run the same new title: Operation Epic Furious: Nuuk 'Em All. They were installed by Secret Handshake, an anonymous political art collective, which had a permit from the National Park Service, the federal agency that manages the Mall, to display the work there, The Art Newspaper.
The game is a satire, a joke with a target, built around US President Donald Trump's push to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, The Washington Post. An arcade cabinet means the old-school upright machine with a screen, joysticks and buttons. These three are fully functional, so visitors can step up and play.
The fourth machine went to Nuuk. Secret Handshake debuted the game in Greenland's capital at the same time as the Washington launch, and sent a purpose-built cabinet there, WUSA9. You can also play it online. The group hosts the game at epicfurious.com.
The launch follows fast-moving diplomacy over the island. The United States, Denmark and Greenland entered into an agreement giving Washington permanent control over security, Reuters, and for the United States to build up a significant military presence on Greenland, Reuters. Trump signed a deal with Denmark and Greenland on 22 September 2026 that he described as one "that can last forever", Reuters, and Denmark hailed the announced deal as binding, AFP.
What makes this stand out is the format. Most protest art asks you to look. This one hands you the controls, in two capitals at once, with the same game live on a laptop at home.
