Video Games and Violent Extremism - Expert Roundtable | United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism

With the growing popularity of video games and their increased interaction with social media and other online communities, a significant online gaming culture with its own communication eco-systems and sub-cultures has emerged. Terrorists and violent extremists are increasingly exploiting this expanding space to recruit, fundraise, radicalize, and disseminate extremist propaganda to vulnerable youth.

The panels organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) will include two thematic discussions on the nexus between gaming and extremism. The first discussion, “Understanding the Motivation and Execution of Gaming Exploitation” will analyze behavioural insights relating to extremism and discuss the vulnerabilities being exploited by extremists. The second discussion will center around joint multi-stakeholder action that can be taken in response to this growing threat, focusing on, the protection of existing video game products from terrorist misuse, areas of cooperation with the gaming community to mitigate the presence of extremism online and in games, current initiatives being undertaken by gamers to protect the gaming community, and the use of video games to safeguard against extremism and promote resilience against extremism among gamers.

First Held on December 6, 2021

Opening Remarks
Presentation of Findings
Introduction to Session 1: Understanding the Motivation and Misuse of Gaming Exploitation
Understanding the Motivation and Misuse of Gaming Exploitation
Introduction to Session 2: A Multi-Stakeholder Exploration into Opportunities for Innovative Prevention/Countering Violent Extremism Policy and Programming Support
Gaming and P/CVE: Safeguarding and Policy and Programming Support
Q&A Session
Closing Remarks & Way Forward