"Van Pixels tot Propaganda:
Hoe Extremisten Gaming Gebruiken voor Radicalisering"
In een wereld waar games en gamingplatforms steeds meer onderdeel zijn van het dagelijkse leven van miljoenen mensen, hebben groepen van de KKK tot Hezbullah hun weg gevonden naar deze ruimtes. Deze groepen maken gebruik van games, gamingplatforms en gamificatie, niet alleen als recreatiemiddel, maar ook om hun ideeën te verspreiden en nieuwe volgelingen te werven. In dit artikel kijken we hoe extremisten games en gamificatie inzetten voor hun doelen, waarom deze platforms zo aantrekkelijk voor hen zijn, en wat we kunnen doen om dit tegen te gaan.
Van joystick naar indoctrinatie: games als wapens van propaganda
Gaming is enorm populair. In 2023 oversteeg de gamingindustrie zelfs de filmindustrie met een omzet van 187 miljard euro. Van shooter-games zoals Call of Duty tot strategie- en overlevingsspellen, de gamingwereld biedt eindeloze mogelijkheden voor vermaak. Maar voor extremisten is het meer dan een spelletje. Ze zien games als een kans om hun boodschappen te verspreiden en om mensen te beïnvloeden. Zo kan je in de huid kruipen van een Hezbollah strijder in het spel Special Forces om de confrontatie met het Israëlische leger aan te gaan of kan je als alt-right persoonlijkheid de strijd aangaan tegen de “woke-cultuur” in Heimat Defender.
De sociale kracht van gaming
Games zijn al lang niet meer alleen een individuele activiteit waarin spelers zichzelf verliezen in een virtuele wereld. Tegenwoordig zijn veel games ingebed in online gemeenschappen waar spelers samenwerken, communiceren en sociale banden opbouwen. Platforms zoals Discord, Steam en Twitch bieden gamers de mogelijkheid om via voicechats, berichten en livestreams met elkaar in contact te komen. Dit maakt games niet alleen een bron van vermaak, maar ook een belangrijk sociaal netwerk.
Een van de tactieken die extremisten hierbij gebruiken, is het subtiel insluiten van radicalere ideeën in alledaagse gesprekken. Dit gebeurt vaak niet in de vorm van directe en expliciete propaganda, maar via sarcasme, memes of subtiele verwijzingen naar extremistische standpunten. Wat begint als een onschuldige grap of een meme kan zo een cognitieve deur openen naar diepere gesprekken over radicale opvattingen. Doordat spelers gewend zijn aan het delen van edgy memes en humor binnen de gamingwereld, worden extremistische ideeën vaak ongemerkt genormaliseerd in de community.
Virtuele badges, werkelijke gevaren
Gamificatie, het toepassen van spelelementen zoals punten, badges, ranglijsten en beloningen in een niet-spelomgeving, is een krachtig middel dat al jaren succesvol wordt gebruikt in verschillende sectoren om gebruikers te motiveren en te betrekken. Het best gekende voorbeeld hiervan is ongetwijfeld Duolingo waarbij de uil Duo gebruikers aanmoedigt tijdens de taalles.
Wat gamificatie zo gevaarlijk maakt in de context van radicalisering, is dat het proces geleidelijk verloopt en vaak begint met relatief onschuldige acties. Individuen die aanvankelijk niet extremistisch zijn, kunnen langzaam worden meegezogen in een wereld waarin hun gedrag voortdurend wordt beloond en versterkt. Wat begint als een simpele uitdaging of het verdienen van een hogere status, kan uiteindelijk leiden tot diepgaande ideologische toewijding en in sommige gevallen zelfs tot het uitvoeren van gewelddadige daden in de echte wereld. In 2019 kende we zelfs een golf van terroristische aanslagen (Christchurch, Baerum, Halle, Poway, etc.) die gamingcomponenten vertoonden zoals het livestreamen van de aanslag waarbij hetzelfde camerstandpunt wordt gecreëerd zoals het first-person shooter (FPS) spel Call of Duty. In online communities werd op zijn beurt gereageerd met de vraag of “high-score”, verwijzend naar het aantal slachtoffers, werd verbroken.
Waarom is de gamingcultuur aantrekkelijk voor extremisten?
De gamingindustrie trekt wereldwijd miljoenen gebruikers aan, en een groot deel van deze spelers zijn jongeren. Deze demografische groep bevindt zich vaak in een kwetsbare fase van hun leven, waarin ze op zoek zijn naar identiteit, gemeenschap en betekenis. Bovendien zijn jongeren doorgaans minder sceptisch ten opzichte van online inhoud en hebben ze vaak minder levenservaring, waardoor ze vatbaarder zijn voor beïnvloeding.
Gamingplatforms bieden ook een hoge mate van anonimiteit, waardoor gebruikers zich kunnen verbergen achter pseudoniemen en avatars. Dit maakt het voor extremisten gemakkelijk om hun ware identiteit te verbergen terwijl ze communiceren en hun ideologieën verspreiden. Daarnaast zijn de online platforms moeilijker te reguleren dan Facebook of Instagram waardoor extremere boodschappen langer zichtbaar blijven.
Wat kunnen we doen om dit tegen te gaan?
Het aanpakken van extremisme op gaming platforms vereist een multidimensionale strategie die zowel preventieve als reactieve maatregelen omvat. Aangezien de gaming community vaak bestaat uit jongeren en kwetsbare individuen, is het belangrijk om te focussen op educatie, samenwerking en bewustwording.
Hiervoor is het bevorderen van mediawijsheid onder jongeren, ouders en professionals cruciaal. Scholen en gemeenschappen kunnen programma's ontwikkelen die jongeren leren hoe ze kritisch kunnen omgaan met informatie die ze online tegenkomen. Onderzoek toonde aan dat jongeren die regelmatig worden gewezen op manipulatieve boodschappen zoals propaganda tot desinformatie (Fake News), kritischer zijn en zich minder snel hierin laten meeslepen.
Naast de spelers is er natuurlijk ook een belangrijke rol weggelegd voor de gaming sector zelf. Door middel van duidelijke “hate speech content policies” te implementeren kunnen hun content moderatoren sneller en adequater handelen wanneer spelers dit soort boodschappen rapporteren.
Samen voor een inclusieve gaming wereld.
Het tegengaan van extremisme op gamingplatforms is een complex maar essentieel proces dat samenwerking vereist van verschillende actoren, waaronder ouders, scholen, gamingbedrijven, overheden en gemeenschappen. Door middel van educatie, bewustwording, beleidsvorming en positieve betrokkenheid kunnen we een veiliger en inclusiever online milieu creëren waarin extremistische ideologieën niet gedijen. Door deze gezamenlijke inspanningen kunnen we jongeren beschermen tegen de gevaren van radicalisering en ervoor zorgen dat gaming een ruimte blijft voor plezier en creativiteit, in plaats van een voedingsbodem voor haat en extremisme.
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(2024) The Future of Social Media (2024-2027), Exploding Topics, https://explodingtopics.com/blog/future-of-social-media 74 Figures Chapter 2 Background Figure 1: Based on Van Raemdonck & Pierson, 2022, p. 3 Figure 2: Based on Van Raemdonck & Pierson, 2022, p. 3 Chapter 3 Video game strategies related to violent extremist & terrorist activity Figure 3: Special Force (2003) https://web.archive.org/web/20030928191613/http://download.specialforce… Figure 4: Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge (2007) http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/special-force-2-tale-of-the-truthful pledge/ Figure 5: Holy Defence (2018) https://holydefence.com/uploaded/essaysimages/small/lvl220180122030425… Figure 6: Ethnic Cleansing https://neuage.org/GC/10-week%20ten/Racist%20Games.htm Figure 7: Heimat Defender https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR9_I--IajHG-qd2ih… Figure 8: Heimat Defender https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrBm4FK2XadegvdWw… Figure 9: Doom (1993) https://media.moddb.com/cache/images/games/1/1/26/thumb_620x2000/363a65… 85e637f0ee56.jpg Figure 10: Quest for Saddam (2003) https://dosgamer.com/games/play/quest-for-hussein-5062.html Figure 11: Quest for Bush (2006) https://www.myabandonware.com/media/screenshots/q/quest-for-bush-night-… n8q/thumbs/webp/quest-for-bush-night-of-bush-capturing_2.webp Figure 12: Statista (2024)Number of peak concurrent Steam users worldwide from 2015 to 2023 (in millions) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1330211/steam-peak-concurrent-playe… Figure 13: Steam Community (2024a) Daesh https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199203154861 Figure 14: Steam Community (2024b) Daesh https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199373789548 Figure 15: Steam Community (2024c) Al Qaeda https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198102089937 Figure 16: Steam Community (2024d) Al Qaeda https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199498955388 Figure 17: Steam Community (2024e) ACAB https://steamcommunity.com/id/-BudSpencer Figure 18: Steam Community (2024f) ACAB https://steamcommunity.com/id/Kr97 Figure 19: Steam Community (2024g) LTTE https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198147884567 Figure 20: Steam Community (2024h) LTTE https://steamcommunity.com/id/4rgett Figure 21: Steam Community (2024i) Animal Liberation Front https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199076273758 Figure 22: Steam Community (2024j) Animal Liberation Front https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198374458458 Figure 23: Twitch (2024a) Daesh https://www.twitch.tv/daeshinho Figure 24: Twitch (2024b) Al Qaeda https://www.twitch.tv/alqaedagamingcln Figure 25: Twitch (2024c) Anarchism https://www.twitch.tv/anarchist_play Figure 26: Twitch (2024d) Anarchism https://www.twitch.tv/anarchistlaboratory Figure 27: Disboard (2024a) Anarchism https://disboard.org/server/join/735510993529995344 Figure 28: Disboard (2024b) Anarchism https://disboard.org/server/join/1180430685954113607 Figure 29: Twitter/X (2024) https://twitter.com/AntiFashGordon/status/1346911970432319488/photo/1 Figure 30: Game Jolt (2024a) https://m.gjcdn.net/user-avatar/200/4723863-dvjar2hh-v4.webp Figure 31: Game Jolt (2024b) https://m.gjcdn.net/user-avatar/200/4127058-4qkq2crj-v4.webp Figure 32: Bilibili (2024a) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1ba4y1Q7pe/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 33: Bilibili (2024b) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15A4m157zD/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 34: Bilibili (2024c) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV12p4y1u7LE/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 35: Bilibili (2024d) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1BP4y1n7oM/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 36: Bilibili (2024e) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1cV411j7ii/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 37: Bilibili (2024f) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Tm4y1z7DX/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 38: Bilibili (2024g) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pj411d7af/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 39: Bilibili (2024h) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1kG411y7NL/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Figure 40: Bilibili (2024i) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1AP411o7Qx/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… 75 Figure 41: Bilibili (2024j) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1AV4y1h77h/?spm_id_from=333.337.search… Chapter 3.3. Gaming Culture Figure 42: 4chan through the 4plebs archive (2023) https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/446311998/#446312634 Figure 43: Grand Theft Auto (2024) https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_tiny/469/4693985/2330894-23225… grand%2Btheft%2Bauto%2Bv.jpg Figure 44: Telegram (2024) https://t.me/activedietsland/50 Figure 45: KYM (2024) https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/958/180/166.jpg Figure 46: 4plebs / 4chan (2024) https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/448284899/#448284899 Figure 47: 4plebs / 4chan (2024) https://archive.4plebs.org/pol/thread/448295937/#448295937 Figure 48: 4chan created find through Twitter (2024) https://twitter.com/4chan_AI_Terror/status/1766267304440947139/photo/1 Figure 49: Bellingcat (2023) https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/10/06/the-folly-of-dall-e-how-4cha… model/ Figure 50: Bellingcat (2023) https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2023/10/06/the-folly-of-dall-e-how-4cha… model/ Figure 51: Dauber et al., 2019, p. 18 Figure 52: Weis, C. (2016) Islamic State launches mobile app for children https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/05/islamic-state launches-mobile-app-for-children.php Figure 53: Weis, C. (2016) Islamic State launches mobile app for children https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/05/islamic-state launches-mobile-app-for-children.php Figure A1: 4chan (2024) https://i.4pcdn.org/pol/1706736031684282.png Table 1: Jihad: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=222880&searchtext=jih…§ ion=readytouseitems&created_date_range_filter_start=0&created_date_range_filter_end=0&updated_date_range_filter_start=0&up dated_date_range_filter_end=0 Al Qaeda: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=222880&searchtext=Al+… §ion=readytouseitems&created_date_range_filter_start=0&created_date_range_filter_end=0&updated_date_range_filter_start= 0&updated_date_range_filter_end=0 Hamas: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=222880&searchtext=Ham… ction=readytouseitems&created_date_range_filter_start=0&created_date_range_filter_end=0&updated_date_range_filter_start=0& updated_date_range_filter_end=0 Islamic State: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=222880&searchtext=Isl… nd§ion=readytouseitems&created_date_range_filter_start=0&created_date_range_filter_end=0&updated_date_range_filter_sta rt=0&updated_date_range_filter_end=0 Wagner: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=222880&searchtext=WAG… §ion=readytouseitems&created_date_range_filter_start=0&created_date_range_filter_end=0&updated_date_range_filter_start= 0&updated_date_range_filter_end=0