Hate speech, harassment, and an increasing prevalence of right-wing extremism in online game spaces are of growing concern in the United States. Understanding trends in how and to what extent extremist groups utilize online gaming spaces is vital in taking action to protect players. To synthesize the current state of extant research and suggest future directions, we conduct a systematic review of the literature on right-wing extremism in videogames. We detail our search protocol, selection criteria, and analysis of the collected work, and then summarize the findings. Important themes include how and why extremists’ targeting of online game communities began, the role of Gamergate in this process, and the industry and market context in which such activities emerged. We describe the current nature of the problem, with extremist language and ideology providing a kind of on-ramp for radicalizing disenfranchised gamers. We conclude with a summary of responses from industry and legislators.
Games, including video games have long been associated with both rhetorics of progress and frivolity, simultaneously recruiting efforts to employ games toward furthering cognitive skills, while also eliciting concerns about the decadence of players. Casual games, defined as games with a low barrier to entry and quick play sessions often focus on cognitively-oriented challenges and are perceived by many players to promote cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. Research on the cognitive, social, and emotional impact of casual games now spans games marketed as entertainment, “brain games,” and digital therapeutics; despite these games sharing similar qualities, the bodies of research literature on them remains largely distinct. This review finds little support for the cognitive benefits of playing casual games, with exception of the elderly or those with dementia. This research synthesis finds evidence for the social and emotional benefits of casual games when they are sought for these purposes, played mindfully, and within robust social contexts. However, the same games, when played in different contexts can have negative consequences, consistent with findings from the mindset literature more broadly. Researchers thus should take seriously the context of game play, perhaps treating the emergent phenomena of play as the unit of analysis, rather than the media artifact.
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