In other words, they think less aggressively and more empathetically towards others. In fact, some people become more prosocial when they encounter extremist propaganda. It’s also important to remember video games themselves are not a cause of extremism, and both security services and parents should avoid thinking as such.įurther, not all young people who come into contact with extremist material or far-right extremists online will become radicalised. Parents, guardians and young gamers can take protective steps – the first of which is to understand that extremist ideologies online can have an impact in the real world. So recruitment via games is part of a wider problem. These include gyms and fitness groups, wellness culture and even animal rights and environmentalism. The video, the games, that’s just the bait to get them hooked.Īs you’d expect, extremists use plenty of other hooks too.

It’s the sort of predatory behaviour where they’re trying to win their confidence that’s the concern. For instance, are both associated with neo-Nazism – but most people wouldn’t know it.Ĭan gaming 'addiction' lead to depression or aggression in young people? Here’s what the evidence saysĪs counter-terrorism expert Greg Barton recently told Channel 7, far-right extremists aim to prey on young, vulnerable young people as part of a potential radicalisation process: Moderation should not be relied on as the only method for addressing far-right extremism online.Įxtremists can also find ways to avoid moderation, such as by using coded language. By playing together they can reinforce each other’s beliefs, bond over “ dark humour” and use the game to act out violent fantasies.Īnd while moderating sites to remove extremist content is important, it’s complex to do in democracies for a range of technical, legal and ethical reasons. They’ll also use gaming to find and build connections with others who share their views. For instance, they’ll point to the inherent superiority of a fantasy game species, such as elves, to draw false and racist parallels with reality. That’s how they draw people in, with a sense of belonging and ‘humanitarianism’.įar-right extremists will often interpret games to suit their own positions. They appealed to my desperate need for identity, community and purpose.

Of his own experience of being recruited, he said: They “drop benign hints and then ramp up” when players are “hooked” on their message, Picciolini said.

Sam Delon/Flickr, CC BY-SA The tactics far-right extremists use to recruitįormer white supremacist Christian Picciolini has explained on Reddit how far-right extremist recruiters target “marginalised youth” using popular games such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Call of Duty. Many gaming franchises, including the Call of Duty franchise, have online modes that let players connect and chat with others from all over the world. A year later in 2019, the US Anti-Defamation League raised the alarm about extremist content still spreading on Steam. In 2018, violent terrorist group Atomwaffen Division (also called the National Socialist Order) was found posting freely on the gaming platform Steam, before eventually being banned. If we can influence video games and entertainment, it will make people understand we are their friends and neighbours. In 2002, American neo-Nazi leader Matt Hale said, in regards to recruiting people to his white supremacist “church”: Extremists will also try to recruit through in-game chat functions and gaming-adjacent platforms (such as where games are streamed). Since as early as 2002, American neo-Nazi organisations have been creating and selling their own “ white power” games, and modifying existing popular games to suit their agenda. There are many different beliefs that might fall under the label “far right”, but generally these ideologies are united in being anti-democratic, racist and against multiculturalism and equality. That said, far-right extremists have long used games and gaming platforms to try to spread hateful ideologies. However, although some studies have found violent games can cause players to become desensitised to violent images, decades of research have not shown a link between violent games and violent behaviour in real life. Violent video games are sometimes blamed for acts of terrorist violence, especially when perpetrators are identified as gamers. Is far-right extremism in gaming a problem?

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