Gamers watching The YouTube Interview with President Obama briefly become excited upon noticing a familiar sight in the backdrop, but it's not what it seems.
President Obama sat down at an interview with three YouTube celebrities today, filmed in the East Room of the White House. Some fans with a keen eye noticed a surprising element in the background, and rumors are swirling that the President of the United States collects Nintendo's toys-to-life figurines, Amiibo.
The interview took place with YouTuber Adande Thorne, set in front of a backdrop containing certain nerdy memorabilia. The Millennium Falcon, a space poster, and the Nintendo figurines are visible in the background, which excited fans of Amiibo. Fans have since been chatting about it, amused at the idea that President Obama could be secretly levelling his Amiibo to wreck other players in Super Smash Bros., or having his staff hunt down elusive limited-release Amiibo for him.
However, upon taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that while they are indeed Nintendo figurines, they aren't Amiibo. They're actually from a collection of Super Mario Bros. mini-figures that were released many years ago, which explains the absence of any other Nintendo characters.
While some were quick to feel the excitement that President Obama seemingly collected Nintendo memorabilia of any kind, it's unfortunately not the case. When watching the actual interview on YouTube, it's clear that each interviewer has their own backdrop for the interview. While the interviews are going on in the White House, the memorabilia and artwork were most likely provided by interviewer Thorne.
It remains unclear if President Obama dabbles in video games in his spare time these days, though he has apparently had some fun with bowling in Wii Sports in the past. His public comments on video games in the past have been mixed at best, however. While he's praised video games for inspiring creativity, he has also encouraged Congress to fund research on whether violent video games cause real-life violence, and discouraged children from spending too much time on games. While most of these statements are fairly reasonable, multiple studies have already been performed and have repeatedly found no connection between real-life violence and playing violent video games.
Sadly, this rumor was quickly squashed, disappointing some gamers who'd briefly imagined President Obama was one of them. While it would be pretty cool if Obama actually did collect some kind of video game merch, it's highly unlikely that it's his. However, it's nonetheless pretty awesome that White House officials and the President agreed to hold an interview with these classic nerdy icons in the background.