“Precise, Thorough, and Highly Relevant”

Sabiha Ghellal, Matthias Heider, and Constantin Winkler are standing in front of a wall of sponsors. Matthias is holding the trophy in both hands.

Copyright: Franziska Krug/game – The German Games Industry Association via Getty Images

RadiGaMe receives special jury prize at the German Computer Game Awards ceremony

The research consortium “RadiGaMe – Processes of Radicalization on Gaming Platforms and Messaging Services” was honored with the Jury’s Special Award at the 2026 German Computer Game Awards for its commit­ment to preventing extremism in digital spaces. On behalf of the entire project team, Constantin Winklerr and Matthias Heider accepted the award in Munich on April 29, 2026.

The RadiGaMe consortium is an inter­disciplinary research and know­ledge-transfer initiative that systematically investigates radicali­zation phenomena on gaming-related communi­cation platforms. Building on these findings, it develops approaches for law enforcement, early detection, and preventive measures. In her laudatory speech, jury chair Prof. Dr. Sabiha Ghellal described RadiGaMe’s research as “precise, thorough, and highly relevant.” The jury high­lighted the research network’s inter­disciplinary collaboration and praised the fact that RadiGaMe’s critical research does not demonize gaming but recognizes it as an important part of everyday life.

The German Computer Game Award (DCP) – the most important award in the German games industry – has been presented since 2009. With the DCP, the German federal govern­ment, represented by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), together with game – the Association of the German Games Industry, honors the best computer and video games of the year from Germany.

The RadiGaMe research consortium is supported by the BMFTR as part of the funding program “Civil Security – Threats in the Digital Space,” with a duration from 2023 to 2026. At PRIF, Linda Schlegel and Julian Junk lead the project.