Counter Move – Recommendations for a Gaming World Free from Right-Wing Extremism
Right-wing extremism within the gaming space is a growing societal problem that requires a concerted effort to reverse the trend. The Expo Foundation proposes ten recommendations for safer gaming, directed at the gaming industry, policymakers, agencies, schools, parents, and guardians.
Uppdaterad: 2024-02-26, 15:06
Publicerad: 2024-02-23, 14:03
Lästid: 2 minuter
During 2023, Expo examined the radicalisation of young people within the gaming world in two reports, Foul Play in the Gaming Space and When Hate Crosses the Digital Divide. The reports are part of a project supported by the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society (MUCF).
The conclusions are alarming. The gaming space, where an overwhelming share of Sweden's children and adolescents spend much of their social lives, risks becoming a breeding ground for violent right-wing extremism. And current measures are insufficient.
Ten Recommendations
It's high time for the gaming industry, policymakers, agencies, and schools to act. The third and final report in the project, Counter Move, offers ten recommendations for a gaming world free from right-wing extremism:
Recommendations for the gaming industry:
- Transparency with data
- Include expert knowledge on right-wing extremism
- Make use of the willingness for change among players and developers
- Norm-setting work in games - and within gaming companies
- Cautiousness with free-to-play games
Recommendations for policymakers, agencies, and schools:
- A collaborative council for safer gaming
- Advance agencies work against security threats in the gaming environment
- Strengthen resources for the civil society within gaming
- Enhancement of knowledge in gaming for educators and officials
Recommendations for parents and guardians:
- Engage with children's digital reality
Get the Nazis off the playground
Right-wing extremism within gaming spaces is a security threat. But it's possible to reverse the trend if different actors come together and decide that things cannot continue as they are. It's time to drive the Nazis out of children's and adolescent's digital playgrounds.