Gaming and Extremism

Gaming and Extremism
Author: Linda Schlegel
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2024-03-21
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1003850537

Charting the increase in the use of games for the dissemination of extremist propaganda, radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization, this book examines the "gamification of extremism." Editors Linda Schlegel and Rachel Kowert bring together a range of insights from world-leading experts in the field to provide the first comprehensive overview of gaming and extremism. The potential nexus between gaming and extremism has become a key area of concern for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to prevent and counter radicalization and this book offers insights into key trends and debates, future directions, and potential prevention efforts. This includes the exploration of how games and game adjacent spaces, such as Discord, Twitch, Steam, and DLive, are being leveraged by extremists for the purposes of radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization. Additionally, the book presents the latest counterterrorism techniques, surveys promising preventing/countering violent extremism (P/CVE) measures currently being utilized in the gaming sphere, and examines the ongoing challenges, controversies, and current gaps in knowledge in the field. This text will be of interest to students and scholars of gaming and gaming culture, as well as an essential resource for researchers and practitioners working in prevention and counter-extremism, professionals working at gaming-related tech companies, and policymakers.

Gaming the System

Gaming the System
Author: Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023
Genre: Extreme behavior (Psychology)
ISBN:

"This report draws on existing literature; fresh interviews with gamers, gaming company executives, and experts; and findings from a multinational survey of gamers conducted in January 2023. [...] A growing body of evidence shows that bad actors exploit basic features of video games and adjacent platforms to channel hate-based rhetoric, network with potential sympathizers, and mobilize for action--sometimes with deadly consequences. The relative ease with which extremists have been able to manipulate gaming spaces points to the need for urgent action by industry actors to avoid further harm. Although some gaming companies have made recent investments in content moderation technologies and systems, most companies are still far behind in terms of adequately governing and mitigating abuse of their platforms. This call to address extremist exploitation became more urgent in April 2023 in the wake of media reports that the large gaming-adjacent platform, Discord, had been used by a young U.S. air national guardsman for the reckless and allegedly illegal sharing of top-secret military documents, which then were spread to other online sites. [...] Yet another reason to pay attention to the ways gaming spaces have been misused is that the technologies that help make video games so appealing are poised to become far more common. [...] Heeding the popularity of gaming, these companies are pouring billions of dollars into the creation of a fully immersive 3-D [three-dimensional] Internet. Addressing the extremist exploitation of gaming spaces today will better prepare the industry to usher in new technologies while preventing harm to individuals and societies."--Executive Summary.

Achievement Unlocked

Achievement Unlocked
Author: Prachi Soni
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024
Genre:
ISBN:

This thesis explores the alarming trend of the gamification of extremist violence, focusing on three harrowing case studies: the Christchurch Mosque shootings, the El Paso Walmart attack, and the Halle synagogue attack. By examining the manifestos, live streams, and online community reactions associated with each incident, the thesis uncovers a disturbing pattern of attackers appropriating gaming language, aesthetics, and cultural touchstones to recontextualize their horrific acts of mass violence through a gamified lens. The analysis reveals how this gamification operates on personal, social, and psychological levels, providing a motivational framework for the attackers, a shared language for communication with online extremist communities, and a means of desensitizing both perpetrators and spectators to the real-world consequences of their actions. The thesis highlights the critical role played by extremist online spaces in fostering a toxic convergence of gaming culture and white supremacist ideology, where concepts like "kill counts," "high scores," and "achievements" are used to discuss and encourage acts of racist violence. It underscores the urgent need for a collaborative, multi-pronged approach to combat this gamification, involving initiatives such as disrupting online radicalization networks, building resilience among at-risk populations, and fostering a gaming culture that rejects the weaponization of its language and camaraderie for extremist purposes. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the importance of further research and cooperation among stakeholders to develop effective strategies for countering the growing threat posed by the gamification of extremist violence in online gaming environments.

Woke Gaming

Woke Gaming
Author: Kishonna L. Gray
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2018-11-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0295744197

From #Gamergate to the 2016 election, to the daily experiences of marginalized perspectives, gaming is entangled with mainstream cultures of systematic exploitation and oppression. Whether visible in the persistent color line that shapes the production, dissemination, and legitimization of dominant stereotypes within the industry itself, or in the dehumanizing representations often found within game spaces, many video games perpetuate injustice and mirror the inequities and violence that permeate society as a whole. Drawing from groundbreaking research on counter and oppositional gaming and from popular games such as World of Warcraft and Tomb Raider, Woke Gaming examines resistance to problematic spaces of violence, discrimination, and microaggressions in gaming culture. The contributors of these essays seek to identify strategies to detox gaming culture and orient players and gamers toward progressive ends. From Anna Anthropy’s Keep Me Occupied to Momo Pixel’s Hair Nah, video games can reveal the power and potential for marginalized communities to resist, and otherwise challenge dehumanizing representations inside and outside of game spaces. In a moment of #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, and efforts to transform current political realities, Woke Gaming illustrates the power and potential of video games to foster change and become a catalyst for social justice.

This is Not a Game

This is Not a Game
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN:

Both games were developed by Valve, the company that owns and operates Steam, underscoring a clear need for this and other companies to be more transparent about how extremism functions 3 / 20 in online game spaces, and to call particular attention to the role Valve plays in the operating of the Steam platform. [...] The 1488 is a ccoommoonn w whhiiitttee s suupprrreemaacciiissttt n nuumeerrriiiccaalll c cooddee; 88 references "HH," the eighth letter of the alphabet (for Heil Hitler), and 14 is a reference to the white supremacist 14 Words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." This same user earned the Steam title of "ccoommuunniiitttyy a ambbaassssaaddoorrr," a badge t. [...] One of the group members, who goes by Ted Kaczynski Gaming, posted the following antisemitic poem mocking the Holocaust in the comments section of the group: "jewish [sic] man, take me by the hand, lead me to the land that you understand jewish [sic] man, the voyage to auschwitz [sic] is a real trip jewish [sic] man, the crust of a beard man imbibed by the gas Soaking [sic] up the gas of the showe. [...] They need to utilize both a user flagging and complaint process along with a proactive, swift, and continuous process to address hateful content using a mix of artificial intelligence and human monitors who are fluent in the relevant language and knowledgeable about the social and cultural context of the relevant community. [...] Companies and executives should make it unequivocally clear that the online game spaces have a zero tolerance policy for extremist views and extremist activities in their online game spaces, and that the game industry stands on the right side of history -- and against the growing threat of extremism in the US and abroad.

The Post-9/11 Video Game

The Post-9/11 Video Game
Author: Marc A. Ouellette
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2017-03-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1476627002

This critical study of video games since 9/11 shows how a distinct genre emerged following the terrorist attacks and their aftermath. Comparisons of pre and post-9/11 titles of popular game franchises--Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Grand Theft Auto and Syphon Filter--reveal reshaped notions of identity, urban and suburban spaces and the citizen's role as both a producer and consumer of culture: New York represents America; the mall embodies American values; zombies symbolize foreign invasion. By revisiting a national trauma, these games offer a therapeutic solution to the geopolitical upheaval of 9/11 and, along with film and television, help redefine American identity and masculinity in a time of conflict.

Violent Games

Violent Games
Author: Gareth Schott
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2016-07-28
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1628925590

It was over a decade ago that experimental psychologists and media-effects researchers declared the debate on the effects of violent video gaming as “essentially over,” referring to the way violence in videogames increases aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviors in players. Despite the decisive tone of this statement, neither the presence nor popularity of digital games has since diminished, with games continuing to attract new generations of players to experience its technological advancements in the narration of violence and its techniques of depiction. Drawing on new insights achieved from research located at an intersection between humanities, social and computer sciences, Gareth Schott's addition to the Approaches in Digital Game Studies series interrogates the nature and meaning of the “violence” encountered and experienced by game players. In focusing on the various ways "violence" is mediated by both the rule system and the semiotic layer of games, the aim is to draw out the distinctiveness of games' exploitation of violence or violent themes. An important if not canonical text in the debates about video games and violence, Violent Games constitutes an essential book for those wishing to make sense of the experience offered by games as technological, aesthetic, and communicational phenomena in the context of issues of media regulation and the classification of game content “as” violence.

Far-Right Extremism Online

Far-Right Extremism Online
Author: Tine Munk
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2024-06-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1040101216

By imparting crucial insights into the digital evolution of far-right extremism and its challenges, this book explores how far-right extremism has transformed, utilising digital spaces for communication and employing coded language to evade detection. Far-right extremism has spread extensively across online platforms. Flourishing within echo chambers, these groups propagate different types of online and offline actions and advance their hateful ideologies to a wide-ranging audience. This book highlights the issues surrounding far-right extremism, which distinguishing it from terrorism and examining its contemporary digital manifestations. Importantly, it sheds light on how far-right groups utilise online platforms for communication, radicalisation, and on-ground actions, relying on alternative truths, misinformation, conspiracy theories, fashion, and memes to connect with like-minded individuals. The book also addresses content moderation challenges and the impact of rising populism in today’s political climate, which fuels societal divisions and uncertainty. Far-Right Extremism Online is a valuable resource for academics, students, analysts, and professionals working in counter-extremism, cybersecurity, digital communication, and national security. It is also an indispensable guide for those concerned about far-right extremism in the digital age.