Gaming platforms reach many millions of people, including children. Whilst gaming has many positive aspects, the medium has recently been increasingly linked to negative developments, in particular the risk of recruitment for extremist and terrorist purposes. For this reason, the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) has carried out a study into extremist and terrorist recruitment processes on gaming (and related) platforms. This was commissioned by the Scientific Research and Data Centre (WODC – Knowledge Institute for the Rule of Law) of the Ministry of Justice. Dr Pieter Van den Heede (historian at ESHCC) was one of the members of the scientific advisory committee.
Within the online environments of games such as Roblox or Minecraft, young people can be easily approached. They may, for example, be anonymously encouraged to join or carry out actions on behalf of an extremist or terrorist group, organisation or movement.
Understanding and preventing recruitment
With this research report, the Ministry aims to gain a better understanding of how recruitment takes place on gaming (and related) platforms, what role the platforms play, and what can be done to prevent recruitment. The NSCR focuses specifically on the recruitment process, rather than on any resulting outcomes that may affect security.
The research report shows that there is no hard evidence that extremists are recruiting young people on a large scale via gaming platforms. At the same time, the report shows that this is difficult to measure, and that gaming platforms do indeed provide a fertile breeding ground due to their anonymity, weak moderation and playful atmosphere.
A two-way radicalisation process
Recruitment processes are complex and can take various forms. A simplified version of the process involves the following steps: first, broad contact is sought through a gaming platform with open communication channels, after which the conversation moves to private channels containing more radical content. It is striking that it is not only extremists who approach young people, but that the process also works the other way round. Vulnerable gamers, often lonely or facing difficult home circumstances, also actively seek out like-minded groups themselves. This challenges the image of the recruiter as the sole initiator.
Raising awareness
Unfortunately, it appears that completely eradicating extremist content and recruitment is not feasible, partly due to a lack of capacity within the games industry, the government and civil society organisations. ‘Borderline content’ – material that is legal but undesirable – also makes it difficult to formulate policy without infringing on freedom of expression. Raising awareness and building resilience among young people therefore remain essential.
Collaboration, enforcement and resilience
The researchers make recommendations to three parties: the government and its civil society partners, the games industry and the academic community. The government and relevant civil society organisations must collaborate more closely, including through more direct consultation with young people, academics, games developers and government bodies. Furthermore, the government should enforce existing legislation more effectively. Parents, schools and youth work organisations would do best to continue focusing on raising awareness and building resilience.
Room for improvement within the industry
The games industry is already taking measures, but according to the researchers, it could certainly take further steps. This could include focusing on better moderation systems, stricter enforcement of existing community guidelines, faster follow-up to reports, and game designs that are more directly geared towards (online) safety (‘safety-by-design’). Providing more information to parents (including about PEGI (Pan-European Game Information), the official European age rating system for video games) and cooperation with law enforcement agencies are also recommended. More effective enforcement may drive recruiters towards less accessible platforms or the ‘dark web’. Whilst this does not eliminate the problem, it does limit its scope. On the other hand, an effective approach is achieved primarily through intensive cooperation between (gaming) companies themselves. This can prevent the problem from shifting from one gaming platform to another.
More research is needed
As research into recruitment on gaming platforms is still in its infancy and is often not clearly defined, further study is both necessary and desirable. For example, interviews with (former) recruiters and those who have been recruited, more quantitative and comparative research, innovative methods and a specific focus on younger gamers could provide further insight into the phenomenon.
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