Abstract

This article examines how video games, gaming culture, and gamification
strategies are exploited by extremist and terrorist organisations to spread
propaganda, recruit, and radicalise individuals. It reviews the link between
video games and violence, highlighting the importance of addressing extremist
content within the gaming community. It will trace the development
of online extremism from the 1980s to the present, investigating how extremist
groups modify games and use in-game communication for recruitment
purposes. It also explores the role of gaming platforms such as Steam,
Twitch, and Discord in this context. Additionally, it discusses how extremists
incorporate gaming culture references, both visually and linguistically, into
their communication strategies. The article concludes that various extremist
ideologies exploit video games and gaming platforms to disseminate their
messages, build communities, and radicalise individuals. This exploitation is not limited
to far-right or jihadist ideologies but encompasses a broad spectrum of extremist
movements.

Keywords

Gaming, social media, online, terrorism, extremism, radicalisation