Whether the games, especially the violent ones, lead the players to violence has been the subject of debate for many years. However, some recent events show that the issue is not in the game itself, but in its ‘environment’.
For example, in a ‘cheerful’ simulation and building game called Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which does not contain any violent content, one of the players suddenly encountered someone dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes and swastika embroidered costumes.
Similar examples occur in countless online multiplayer games;
The new report by New York University reveals that the situation is much more serious than previously thought. According to the report, extremist and violent groups are using games and platforms such as Twitch and Discord to influence and ‘take on’ young people.
According to a survey of 1,128 players in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Korea, 51% of respondents have encountered some form of extremist expression or expression during the past year while playing multiplayer games. The remarkable detail in the report emerged when we looked at the ages of those who encountered such expressions and situations.
Accordingly, the rate of people under the age of 18 encountering extremist and violent content is much higher than that of adults.
The methods by which these groups manipulated the games were also identified in the report;
According to the report, extremist groups either develop their own games or create the space they need with the mods they develop for the games. In addition, Discord, Twitch and in-game chat are the communication networks of these groups.
In order to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, many incidents of violence and massacres in the past years were also mentioned in the report. For example, the attack on two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 contained many video game references and was broadcast live.
In another attack in the USA, a racist young man targeting blacks planned his attack on Discord and broadcast on Discord for his ‘group’ to watch the massacre…
At the same time, the report also reveals that 34% of multiplayer players in the US, UK, France, Germany and Korea have been subjected to harassment, violence and threats by extremist groups. The team that published the report invites platforms and developers to take steps to bring the situation under control.
Problems need to be resolved quickly with more ‘human’ moderators, more control and more advanced AI tools. Otherwise, it is feared that the growing game and broadcasting industries will bring a great spiral of violence with them.
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