1UPdate: Report shows extremist recruiters are targeting young gamers

A 129-page report by the Extremism and Gaming Research Network concludes that neo-Nazis, far-right groups and ISIS are using video games as tools to recruit young people.

Person sitting in gaming chair at computer with headphones on.

Young gamers are being recruited by right-wing extremists on Twitch.

The Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN) recently published a 129-page report that goes over research from the early 2000s through August 2021, concluding that neo-Nazis, far-right groups and ISIS are using video games as recruitment tools for radicalizing young people into extremist organizations.

EGRN cites that extremist recruiters tend to use games that have a large social aspect to them, such as Fortnite, League of Legends and World of Warcraft. They may use slurs and jokes as trash talk to find who is susceptible, then move the conversation to a more unregulated platform.


Listen: How gaming-related platforms are responding to extremist recruitment.

 


Also in this segment:

  • Twitch streamer Sliker confesses to scamming viewers and fellow content creators out of $300,000.
  • Twitch adjusts their revenue split for top streamers.

Photo credit: ELLA DON on Unsplash.

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