On August 27 and 28, 2026, PRIF Researcher Constantin Winkler attended Gamescom in Cologne to speak about radicalization in gaming and on gaming-related platforms. As part of the world’s largest fair for video and computer games, he participated in both the Gamescom Congress – intended for industry professionals – and a public discussion on the stage of the NRW Youth Forum. On Friday, he also gave a presentation at the professional development workshop organized by the NRW Player Advisory Service and the Working Group for the Protection of Children and Youth in NRW e.V.
At the Gamescom Congress, which Federal President Steinmeier opened on Thursday, Constantin Winkler, together with his two colleagues from the RadiGaMe research network – Matthias Heider (Institute for Democracy and Civil Society, Jena) and Vivienne Ohlenforst (modus-zad) – began by presenting the project’s findings. The roundtable discussion “Leveling Up for Resilience – Joint Guidelines Against Radicalization” focused on the question of how civil society, security agencies, and the gaming industry can work together in the future to combat hate and extremism, rather than – as has too often been the case – tackling this complex challenge in isolation. Following brief opening remarks, the panelists, together with Mick Prinz (Amadeu Antonio Foundation), opened the dialogue with the audience, which included representatives from industry, politics, and research.
Later that day at the fair, the three RadiGaMe Researchers participated in the panel discussion titled “Gaming, Radicalization, Prevention, and Youth Protection.” Using selected examples, they provided insights into extremist content and radicalization dynamics in games and on gaming-related platforms and presented strategies for (online) prevention work. The following day, Constantin Winkler revisited the topic of radicalization in his presentation as part of the continuing education program “Games in the Focus of Youth Welfare – Gaming at the Intersection of Prevention and Radicalization,” once again addressed the complex issue of radicalization, which poses challenges for educational child and youth services but also offers potential for promoting democratic participation, media literacy, and a reflective approach to digital spaces.
The RadiGaMe research consortium aims to better understand radicalization on messaging services and gaming or gaming-related platforms and to support practitioners in prevention, deradicalization, and law enforcement. Knowledge transfer to the relevant stakeholders – whether policymakers, security agencies, the gaming industry, or civil society – plays a central role in this effort. In May 2026, RadiGaMe was awarded the Special Jury Prize of the German Computer Game Award for its commitment.