Right-Wing Extremism in Mainstream Games: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

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.

Time to stop playing

“…The organized reactionary 'gamers,' as well as some workers and bosses in the industry who are aligned with such ideology, are a product of the social relations that privilege anglophonic white heterosexual cismen with disposable income (Fron et al, 2007). The game industry's decades-long reflection and reproduction of cis-patriarchy and white supremacy attract and cultivate the existing reactionary segments in society (Jennings, 2022;Wells et al, 2023), as such groups have since the 1980s and 90s felt that 'their' games are white patriarchal spaces that they had virtual and social power within (Bulut, 2020;Taylor & Voorhees, 2018).…”