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

RadiGaMe Logo with Icon of a Chatbubble and Controller

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).

Project Lead

Julian Junk

Julian Junk

Linda Schlegel

Linda Schlegel

Staff

Lars Wiegold

Lars Wiegold

Constantin Winkler

Constantin Winkler

Student Assistants

  • Johannes von Eyb
  • Jan Hoffmann

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