Network Member Publications

EGRN members have released a variety of publications covering the phenenoma of extremism and radicalization in gaming-related fora.

Please view the links below for a selection of recent works.

The Online Gaming Ecosystem: Assessing Socialisation, Digital Harms, and Extremism Mitigation Efforts. Lamphere-Englund, Galen and Jessica White. Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET), May 2023.

Hate Is No Game: Hate and Harassment in Online Games 2022, Anti-Defamation League, Center for Technology & Society, 6 December 2022.

The Gamification of Jihad: Playing with Religion, Firas Mahmoud, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), 27 September 2022.

Advancing Media Literacy in Indonesia: Building Resilience and Measuring Behavior Change, Moonshot, November 2021.

State of Play on Gaming & Extremism – Reviewing the literature on gaming & extremism, Galen Lamphere-Englund and Luxinaree Bunmathong,  Love Frankie, A Product of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network, 6 October 2021.

Gamers Who Hate: An Introduction to ISD’s Gaming and Extremism Series, Jacob Davey, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 12 August 2021.

Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on Steam, Pierre Vaux, Aoife Gallagher, Jacob Davey, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 12 August 2021.

Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on Discord, Aoife Gallagher, Ciaran O’Connor, Pierre Vaux, Elise Thomas, Jacob Davey, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 19 August 2021.

Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on DLive, Elise Thomas, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 26 August 2021.

Gaming and Extremism: The Extreme Right on Twitch, Ciaran O’Connor, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), 2 September 2021.

Not Just a Game: Identity Fusion and Extremism in Gaming Cultures, Rachel Kowert, Alexi Martel, William B. Swann, Frontiers in Communication. This article focuses on the potential role of identity fusion in the radicalization of video gamers and seek to contribute to a theoretical understanding of the psychological processes that foment radicalization and guide the development of strategies for discouraging extremist ideologies in gaming spaces.

From Gaming to Hating: Extreme-Right Ideological Indoctrination and Mobilization for Violence of Children on Online Gaming Platforms, Daniel Koehler, Verena Fiebig, Irina Jugl, Political Psychology. This study presents findings from a qualitative exploration of German police-investigation files for two children who radicalized on gaming platforms to become involved in extreme-right criminal behavior, including the plotting of a terrorist attack.

“Press F to Pay Respects”: An Empirical Exploration of the Mechanics of Gamification in Relation to the Christchurch Attack, Suraj Lakhani and Susann  Wiedlitzka, Terrorism and Political Violence. This paper contributes to this newly emerging area of study by exploring the theoretical underpinnings of gamification and applying these principles to a prominent empirical example: the Christchurch attack in New Zealand in 2019. 

Connecting, Competing, and Trolling: “User Types” in Digital Gamified Radicalization Processes, Linda Schlegel, Perspectives on Terrorism, Volume 15, Issue 4 – l. This article seeks to contribute to the development of a gamification of radicalization theory by exploring how Marczewski’s HEXAD, a user typology for gamified applications, may facilitate our understanding of individual variations in engagement with gamified extremist content. 

Jumanji Extremism? How games and gamification could facilitate radicalization processes,  Linda Schlegel, Journal for Deradicalisation, Summer 2020 Nr. 23. This article makes an exploratory contribution to the theoretical foundations of the study of gaming in radicalization research.

Quarterly Research Review: Gamification and Online Hate Speech, Pauline Paillé, Catherine Galley, Kristin Thue, Benedict Wilkinson, European Commission – Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support, October 2022.

An Exploration of Emerging Trends – Future Threat Scenarios and Potential P/CVE Solutions, Jessica White, Claudia Wallner, Suraj Lakhani, European Commission – Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support, September 2022.

Video Gaming and (Violent) Extremism: An Exploration of the Current Landscape, Trends, and Threats, Suraj Lakhani, European Commission – Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support, October 2021. 

Extremists’ Use of Gaming (Adjacent) Platforms ‒ Insights Regarding Primary and Secondary Prevention Measures, Linda Schlegel, European Commission – Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners, August 2021

Games with Us?, Kayla Izenman, Anton Moiseienko, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), 29 May 2020.

Gaming the System: Money Laundering Through Online Games, Anton Moiseienko, Kayla Izenman, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), 11 October 2019

A View from the CT Foxhole: Jessica White and Galen Lamphere-Englund, Co-Conveners, Extremism and Gaming Research Network. Lamphere-Englund, Galen, and Jessica White. Ed. Kristina Hummel and Madeleine Biscaichipy. CTC Sentinel 16(3), Mar 2023.

The Pentagon Leak: Childish Stunt or Dangerous Trend?. Lamphere-Englund, Galen, and White, Jessica. Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Commentary, 23 Apr 2023

From Atari to Allahu Akbar: Comparing White Supremacist and Jihadist Uses of Gamified Extremism, Firas Mahmoud, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 8 February 2023.

God of Race War: The Utilisation of Viking-Themed Video Games in Far-Right Propaganda, Ashton Kingdon, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 6 February 2023.

Extreme Right Radicalisation of Children via Online Gaming Platforms, Daniel Koehler, Irina Jugl, Verena Fiebig, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 24 November 2022.

Extremist Action in Digital Gaming Spaces: The Role of Identity Fusion, Rachel Kowert, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 21 November 2022.

Playing Against Radicalisation: Why Extremists are Gaming and How P/CVE Can Leverage the Positive Effects of Video Games to Prevent Radicalisation, Linda Schlegel, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 19 October 2022.

The Gamification of Violent Extremism: An Empirical Exploration of the Christchurch Attack, Suraj Lakhani, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 10 June 2022.

The Buffalo Attack and the Gamification of Violence, Dr. Jessica White and Galen Lamphere-Englund, Commentary, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), 16 May 2022.

Understanding the Game: Bridging Research Gaps at the Nexus of Gaming and Extremism, Galen Englund, Luxinaree Bunmathong, Global Network on Extremism & Technology (GNET) Insight Brief, 9 March 2022. 

Is it just a game? Exploring the intersection between (violent) extremism and online video-gaming, Suraj Lakhani, VOX-Pol, University of Sussex, 29 September 2021.

Dr. Jessica White as qtd. in Extremists using video-game chats to spread hate, Carl Miller and Shiroma Silva, BBC, 23 September 2021.

Online Gaming Platforms,  Ross Frenett, Joost S., VOX-Pol, Moonshot, 8 September 2021.

Why The Radical Right Exploits Games As Tools For Radicalization – Yannick Lengkeek, Center for the Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR), 13 August 2021.

Framing Far Cry 5: The Gamification of White Separatist Propaganda – Ashton Kingdon, Center for the Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR), 16 December 2019.

Gaming & Extremism: Identity Fusion (Podcast), “The Tech Against Terrorism Podcast,” Interview with Dr. Rachel Kowert and Dr. Ashton Kingdon, Tech Against Terrorism, 6 Jul 2023.

Gaming & Extremism: Threats and Opportunities (Podcast), “The Tech Against Terrorism Podcast,” Interview with Dr. Jessica White and Galen Lamphere-Englund, Tech Against Terrorism, 22 Jun 2023.

UN CT Week: Ungoverned Online Spaces and Grey Area Online Content, 2023 UN Counter-Terrorism Week, 23 Jun 2023 (Video)

Gaming: 35% of adult gamers having seen white supremacist content, Interview with Galen Lamphere-Englund, EU Radcialisation Awareness Network (RAN), 10 July 2023 (Video)

 The Third Annual GNET Conference (2023) – Gaming and Online Extremism: Threats and Opportunities, Panel with Jessica White, Rachel Kowert, Galen Englund, Ashton Kingdon, and Charley Gleeson, GNET, 31 May 2023 (Video)

Special Meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, Thematic Briefing on Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes (New Delhi, India), Testimony by Galen Englund, UN Counter-Terrorism Committee, 29 Oct 2022 (Video)

The Metaverse: How can P/CVE Practitioners negotiate the Brave New World?, EU Radcialisation Awareness Network (RAN), 12 October 2022 (Video)

Open meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee on “Countering terrorist narratives and preventing the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes,” Testimony by Galen Englund, UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), 24 March 2022 (Video)

How do we harness the power of video games for good? (Podcast), “Undesign: A Social Change Podcast,” Interview with Galen Englund and Kosta Lucas, DrawHistory, 22 June 2022.