Checkpoint Reached: The Prevention of Violent Extremism and Online Gaming
Summary
The objectives of the meeting are to further advance discourse on gaming and gaming-adjacent platforms in the context of terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, in particular the role of gaming in the prevention of violent extremism.
Description
Online Gaming Today: Social Worlds, Esports & Digital Identity Insights from UNICRI-UNOCT Activities on Gaming and Violent Extremism Panel Discussion: Threats, Trust, and Safeguarding the Gaming Ecosystem The Quest Continues: Launch of New Project on Gaming and Violent Extremism in Southeast Asia Q&A, Member State Comments and Closing Online gaming ecosystems have rapidly evolved into complex social environments where millions of users - especially youth - interact, collaborate, and build communities. These spaces are digital social worlds, offering opportunities for creativity, connection, learning and identity formation. For many, gaming environments are one of the most significant arenas for peer interaction and belonging. At the same time, the scale, immersion, and social dynamics that make gaming so powerful for positive engagement can also render these spaces vulnerable to exploitation by malicious actors. The immersive nature of gaming, combined with anonymity, peer bonding, and limited regulation, has created ideal environments conducive to grooming and radicalization - often hidden in plain sight. Terrorist and violent extremist actors are believed to be shifting toward gaming and gaming-adjacent platforms, where oversight remains less stringent than for traditional social media. Such actors have begun using gaming for both direct engagement and indirect influence, including recruitment, propaganda, and communication in chats and private servers, as well as the dissemination of narratives through gamified content, cultural memes, and modified games. At the same time, the strong community ties, collaborative gameplay, narrative immersion, and identity-building also position gaming ecosystems as powerful platforms for prevention, resilience, and positive engagement. Gaming communities can provide meaningful alternatives to the narratives and sense of belonging offered by terrorist and violent extremist groups. Increasingly, developers, publishers, civil society actors, and youth themselves are exploring how the pro-social benefits games and gaming culture can be leveraged. The challenge is therefore twofold. While malicious actors continue to adapt to new technologies and migrate across platforms, often outpacing the capacity of national authorities, platforms, and communities to respond, the opportunities to proactively harness gaming ecosystems for preventing violent extremism remains largely untapped, with limited understanding of and investment into on how these spaces can be proactively leveraged to strengthen resilience and prevent violent extremism.
Categories
Meetings & Events
Topics
CRIME, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, VIDEO GAMES, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY