RadiGaMe – Processes of Radicalization on Gaming Platforms and Messenger-Services

Research on gaming and extremism is still in its infancy. The sub-project of the research consortium “RadiGaMe – Processes of Radicalization on Gaming Platforms and Messenger-Services: Analysis and Knowledge Transfer” at PRIF addresses two central deficits in the understanding of the relationship between gaming and extremism: First, there are important empirical and conceptual research gaps the projects aims to close. These include a profound understanding of how non-radicalized users of gaming platforms can be distinguished from users being at risk of radicalization and which platform-specific characteristics are particularly relevant here. Secondly, the current state of prevention work on gaming platforms will be reviewed, it will be analyzed how prevention work in these spaces could/should be designed in the future, and prevention actors will be enabled to use platform-specific knowledge to develop new prevention approaches in the gaming sector.
The central research questions of the sub-project are: (1) How do non-radicalized users and users being at risk of radicalization communicate on gaming platforms? (2) How can radicalization processes be identified in these communication patterns? (3) How can this content-analytical approaches be implemented convincingly in terms of research ethics and data protection, and what insights can be derived from that for prevention and investigation work on gaming platforms? (4) What points of intervention result from the analysis of communication patters for prevention work? (5) How can prevention practitioners, security agencies, and tech companies better collaborate?
The sub-project of PRIF is part of the RadiGaMe research network, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the funding measures “Civil Security - Threats in the Digital Space” with a duration from 2023 to 2026. The project is coordinated by the Center for Technology and Society at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin). Other project partners are the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) Jena, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU), Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB), modus|zad - Center for Applied Deradicalization Research Berlin, the State Criminal Police Office Berlin (LKA Berlin) and Munich Innovation Labs (MIL).
Publications
- Extremismus-Prävention im Gaming-Bereich
| 2025
Schlegel, Linda; Heider, Matthias; Ohlenforst, Vivienne (2025): Extremismus-Prävention im Gaming-Bereich. Ansätze, Chancen und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten, RadiGaMe-Handreichung. DOI: 10.48809/radigamehandr
Publication - Herausforderungen für die Radikalisierungsprävention in digitalen Gaming-Räumen
| 2024
Jaskowski, Judith; Schlegel, Linda (2024): Herausforderungen für die Radikalisierungsprävention in digitalen Gaming-Räumen, in: Modus - Zentrum für angewandte Deradikalisierungsforschung (modus|zad) & Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) (eds), Spotlight.
Publication - Radicalisation through Gaming: The Role of Gendered Social Identity
| 2024
White, Jessica; Wallner, Claudia; Lamphere-Englund, Galen; Frankie, Love; Kowert, Rachel; Schlegel, Linda; Kingdon, Ashton; Phelan, Alexandra; Newhouse, Alex; Saiz, Gonzalo; Regeni, Petra (2024): Radicalisation through Gaming: The Role of Gendered Social Identity, Whitehall Report : RUSI.
Publication - Zur Bedeutung gaming-naher Plattformen für radikalisierte Akteur*innen und Radikalisierungsprozesse
| 2024
Winkler, Constantin (2024): Zur Bedeutung gaming-naher Plattformen für radikalisierte Akteur*innen und Radikalisierungsprozesse, PRIF Blog.
Publication - Von Streamern, Gamern und Bad Actors – Antidemokratische Kommunikationsformen auf Streamingplattformen
| 2024
Wiegold, Lars (2024): Von Streamern, Gamern und Bad Actors – Antidemokratische Kommunikationsformen auf Streamingplattformen, PRIF Blog.
Publication - Pixel, Politik, Polemik – Digitale Gaming-Welten als politische und gesellschaftliche Diskursräume
| 2024
Schlegel, Linda; von Eyb, Johannes (2024): Pixel, Politik, Polemik – Digitale Gaming-Welten als politische und gesellschaftliche Diskursräume, PRIF Blog.
Publication - Gaming the System: The Use of Gaming-Adjacent Communication, Game and Mod Platforms by Extremist Actors
| 2024
Winkler, Constantin; Wiegold, Lars (2024): Gaming the System: The Use of Gaming-Adjacent Communication, Game and Mod Platforms by Extremist Actors, Global Network on Extremism & Technology.
Publication - „WE RESPAWN IN JANNAH“ – Zur islamistischen Aneignung digitaler Spielekultur
| 2024
Winkler, Constantin (2024): „WE RESPAWN IN JANNAH“ – Zur islamistischen Aneignung digitaler Spielekultur, 12, Berlin: Violence Prevention Network.
Publication - Streaming, Chatting, Modding: Eine Kurzexploration extremistischer Aktivitäten auf Gaming-und gaming-nahen Plattformen
| 2024
Winkler, Constantin; Wiegold, Lars; Schlegel, Linda; Jaskowski, Judith (2024): Streaming, Chatting, Modding: Eine Kurzexploration extremistischer Aktivitäten auf Gaming-und gaming-nahen Plattformen, Leibniz-Institut für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (PRIF) Forschungsverbund RadiGaMe, Radikalisierung auf Online-Gaming-Plattformen und Messenger Diensten, Frankfurt/M.: Leibniz-Institut für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (PRIF) Forschungsverbund RadiGaMe, Radikalisierung auf Online-Gaming-Plattformen und Messenger Diensten. DOI: 10.48809/radirep01
Publication - Phänomene des Antisemitismus in digitalen Spielen und ihren Communitys
| 2023
Winkler, Constantin (2023): Phänomene des Antisemitismus in digitalen Spielen und ihren Communitys, Wissen Schaft Demokratie, 14, 78–89.
Publication