If you’re going to use video games as a medium to connect with young male voters, don’t sell.

Streamer and gaming YouTuber ConnorEatsPants invited a very special guest to his Fortnite livestream Oct. 3 — California Gov. Gavin Newsom. For about an hour, the famous statesman played on his children’s Nintendo Switch with Connor. During their rounds in a third-person shooter game, they discussed the A-to-Z of political issues, from Antifa to Zohran Mamdani. 

Many Gen Z men have abandoned the Democratic Party because they do not feel represented or understood. By playing with one of young gamers’ cultural icons, Newsom seems to be trying to bridge this divide. If he succeeds, he improves his chances of winning the Democratic nomination for the 2028 presidential election.

Newsom has a long way to go in attracting young men back to the Democratic Party. He attempted to appear authentic to a Gen Z audience, cognizant of how highly the generation values that trait. The fact that the governor was terrible at Fortnite didn’t undermine that attempt nearly as much as the fact that he feigned competence at the game and appeared thoroughly self-absorbed throughout. In gamer terms, he “sold.”

When he started the livestream with Connor, Newsom mentioned how excited his kids were that he was trying Fortnite, saying, “I’ve got three out of my four kids that finally think that I am somebody.”  He also joked about how he loved his Fortnite “Snoop skin.” It’s important to show yourself to be a person with relatable interests outside of politics, and Newsom excelled in that aspect.

Newsom demonstrated pathos with his positions on various policies. For instance, he said he has shown unwavering support for the LGBTQ community because he has a “trans godson.” 

Newsom also showed some wit in tying the video game conversation to politics. He came up with a new nickname for the vice president, “Just Dance Vance,” and also said of Trump border czar Tom Homan, “I prefer him playing Fortnite than playing, you know, the head of ICE.”  

Authenticity is only the first half of being a likable person to Gen Z. Gamers’ role models demonstrate genuine selflessness in caring for others, something Newsome’s performance showed he lacked.

For instance, YouTube personality and published author DougDoug hosts an annual stream for Rosa the sea otter at Monterey Bay Aquarium, raising more than $1 million for the aquarium. Twitch streamer and political commentator Asmongold recently paused his work to help his father, who was dying of pancreatic cancer. 

Gen Z gamers value role models who treat others as ends in themselves and support causes, not for mere clout, but out of a sense of honor.

Newsom showed little of that selflessness in his interview. It took him about 40 minutes to ask Connor about himself and what he does outside of Fortnite. When Connor talked about his new interest in a game called DeadLock and his excitement at attending TwitchCon, Newsom quickly changed the subject to how he might make a cameo at the event. 

Most of Newsom’s questions to Connor were about the opinions of Gen Z men on various current events issues, such as the pending acquisition of Electronic Arts by Saudi Arabia, not personal, get-to-know-you questions. Lastly, halfway into the two-hour stream, Newsom abruptly and tersely declared that he had to cut his time short, leaving Conner to play by himself. The lack of personal interest Newsom took in Connor undercut his efforts to appear likable.

The most important aspect of cultivating likability among Gen Z gaming men is to be decent at a game, and not to flaunt nonexistent skill. Elon Musk recently learned this lesson the hard way. Musk claimed to be one of the top players for a game called Path of the Exile 2, but he did not understand basic inventory management or item collection, eliciting distrust and disgust from the gaming community. Gamers later discovered Musk had shared his account with a major gaming pro and was lying about his skill.

If you claim to be a powerlifter, you should bench press more than 135 pounds. If you claim to be a golfer, you should know the difference between a putter and an iron. Gamers do not appreciate those who feign knowledge in video games. 

Though Newsom boasted he had attended past Fortnite concerts (in-game events for active players), he lacked basic knowledge of the game.

The livestream was wrought with technical issues and mistakes. Newsom faced trouble connecting to Connor’s lobby, accidentally joined other public servers without Connor, and fumbled with the controls due to the Nintendo Switch’s infamous stick drift. Newsom was quick to die in the game, and was on the screen in the same place with Connor for less than 15 minutes of the whole session.

Throughout these problems, Newsom expressed frustration and talked about when gaming was simple such as in the days of Pong, creating distance with Gen Z. 

Newsom’s stream with Connor is a good first step in the left’s campaign to win back the Gen Z male vote, but all told, the plot was unsuccessful. It will take a little more than a choppy gaming stream to win over Gen Z.

Blake Schaper is a freshman studying the liberal arts.