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Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames

Nick Robinson, Joe Whittaker Orcid Logo

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Pages: 1 - 36

Swansea University Author: Joe Whittaker Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/1057610x.2020.1866740

Abstract

Although the production of videogames by extremist and terrorist groups has markedly declined since a high point in the 2000s, game-based interventions remain highly significant, whether through the adoption of gaming-based iconography in extremist and terrorist social media campaigns or through the...

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Published in: Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
ISSN: 1057-610X 1521-0731
Published: Informa UK Limited 2021
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55769
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first_indexed 2020-11-26T11:49:12Z
last_indexed 2023-01-11T14:34:33Z
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spelling v2 55769 2020-11-26 Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames 112ed59957393e783f913443ec80faab 0000-0001-7342-6369 Joe Whittaker Joe Whittaker true false 2020-11-26 CSSP Although the production of videogames by extremist and terrorist groups has markedly declined since a high point in the 2000s, game-based interventions remain highly significant, whether through the adoption of gaming-based iconography in extremist and terrorist social media campaigns or through the activity of modders and groups’ supporters who continue to make games championing extremists and terrorists. Building on Conway’s 2017 call to look anew at the nexus between violent extremism, terrorism, and the internet, we problematize existing work on the use of videogames by extremists and terrorists. First, we argue that research needs to move beyond viewing games as tools for recruitment: seeing videogames as sources of propaganda that work to reinforce the views of those already empathetic to and/or attuned to a group’s messages significantly expands our understanding of the interrelationship between players and extremist and terrorist videogames. Second, we argue that the present literature – whilst impressive – has overly privileged the “reading” of in-game representations, at the expense of attention to the central role of interactive gameplay in promoting the strategic communication and propaganda aims of a group. It is through the undertaking of in-game actions that a player comes to experience a group’s values and aims. Research on videogames, extremism and terrorism is at a nascent stage – this article seeks to provoke further thinking and open up spaces for debate in this crucial, yet under-studied, area. Journal Article Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 0 1 36 Informa UK Limited 1057-610X 1521-0731 11 1 2021 2021-01-11 10.1080/1057610x.2020.1866740 COLLEGE NANME Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy COLLEGE CODE CSSP Swansea University 2024-05-07T13:09:39.2819555 2020-11-26T11:47:24.1318257 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Nick Robinson 1 Joe Whittaker 0000-0001-7342-6369 2 55769__18761__3af0f9b22b7f4a86a14de06ceaae8b13.pdf Robinson & Whittaker_Playing for Hate.pdf 2020-11-27T17:07:15.3331803 Output 417161 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2022-07-11T00:00:00.0000000 Released under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC-BY-NC). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
title Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
spellingShingle Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
Joe Whittaker
title_short Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
title_full Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
title_fullStr Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
title_full_unstemmed Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
title_sort Playing for Hate? Extremism, Terrorism, and Videogames
author_id_str_mv 112ed59957393e783f913443ec80faab
author_id_fullname_str_mv 112ed59957393e783f913443ec80faab_***_Joe Whittaker
author Joe Whittaker
author2 Nick Robinson
Joe Whittaker
format Journal article
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publishDate 2021
institution Swansea University
issn 1057-610X
1521-0731
doi_str_mv 10.1080/1057610x.2020.1866740
publisher Informa UK Limited
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy
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description Although the production of videogames by extremist and terrorist groups has markedly declined since a high point in the 2000s, game-based interventions remain highly significant, whether through the adoption of gaming-based iconography in extremist and terrorist social media campaigns or through the activity of modders and groups’ supporters who continue to make games championing extremists and terrorists. Building on Conway’s 2017 call to look anew at the nexus between violent extremism, terrorism, and the internet, we problematize existing work on the use of videogames by extremists and terrorists. First, we argue that research needs to move beyond viewing games as tools for recruitment: seeing videogames as sources of propaganda that work to reinforce the views of those already empathetic to and/or attuned to a group’s messages significantly expands our understanding of the interrelationship between players and extremist and terrorist videogames. Second, we argue that the present literature – whilst impressive – has overly privileged the “reading” of in-game representations, at the expense of attention to the central role of interactive gameplay in promoting the strategic communication and propaganda aims of a group. It is through the undertaking of in-game actions that a player comes to experience a group’s values and aims. Research on videogames, extremism and terrorism is at a nascent stage – this article seeks to provoke further thinking and open up spaces for debate in this crucial, yet under-studied, area.
published_date 2021-01-11T13:09:38Z
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score 11.012678

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