Examining Radicalisation in Gaming Spaces Through a Gender Lens
This project investigates the transnational, gendered community formation that occurs alongside gameplay and considers whether it has the potential to provide a socialising environment that is conducive to radicalisation to violent extremism.
The 'Examining Socialization with a Nexus to Radicalization Across Gaming (-Adjacent) Platforms Through a Gender Lens' project is a consortium effort led by RUSI in partnership with other members of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network
It seeks to better understand, through a gender-based analysis (plus other identity markers (GBA+) model, how radicalisation through socialisation processes is happening in gaming and gaming-adjacent spaces. The project assesses whether communities in these spaces are being formed around specific in-group identities or the othering of out-groups, and how this is impacted by the nature of digital transnational and cross-ideological spaces.
Sponsors
This project is supported by Public Safety Canada
Project team
Dr Jessica White
Acting Director of Terrorism and Conflict Studies
Terrorism and Conflict
Claudia Wallner
Research Fellow
Petra Regeni
Research and Project Officer, RAN Policy Support
RUSI Europe
Galen Lamphere-Englund
Associate Fellow
Dr Alexandra Phelan
Associate Fellow
Love Frankie
Moonshot
Dr Rachel Kowert
Alex Newhouse - University of Colorado Boulder
Dr Ashton Kingdon - University of Southampton
Dr Linda Schlegal - Modus
Aims and objectives
The project seeks to provide accessible research analysis, coupled with pragmatic policy recommendations, to contribute to the knowledge base and to increase effectiveness of preventing and countering violent extremism efforts in and through online gaming and gaming-adjacent spaces.
The project team analyses a data set gathered across multiple gaming and gaming-adjacent platforms to investigate if and how the community formation occurring alongside gameplay has the potential to provide a socialising environment conducive to radicalisation to violent extremism.Â
This exploration is conducted across countries using a GBA+ model, with an aim to include analysis of gender and other identity markers where possible. Ultimately, this project seeks to identify whether there is potential for harmful socialisation processes in these spaces and how these are formulated through cultural and communicative understanding.