— AFP
RESEARCH shows that over the years, radicals around the world have managed to incorporate gaming elements into their content as they seek to indoctrinate, recruit, and normalise violence among younger audiences.
This strategy has manifested in different ways across ideological spectrums, from modified video games to real-world attacks that mimic first-person shooter experiences.
By framing extremism as a game-like adventure, groups like international far-right and neo-Nazi network Atomwaffen Division, for example, desensitise recruits to real-world consequences.
This strategy lowers psychological barriers to violence, making extremist acts seem like thrilling challenges rather than heinous crimes.
Unlike traditional propaganda, interactive and immersive media actively engage participants, making radical messages more persuasive.
Furthermore, the use of gaming culture allows extremist groups to reach younger, tech-savvy audiences who might not be influenced by conventional forms of propaganda.
> ‘Quest for Bush’ (2006)
One of the earliest examples of this tactic is Quest for Bush, also known as The Night of Bush Capturing.
Released by the Global Islamic Media Front, a propaganda arm of al-Qaeda, the game was a modification of Quest for Saddam, an American-made game designed to mock the former Iraqi leader.
In Quest for Bush, players fight through various levels with the ultimate goal of assassinating a character resembling former US president George W. Bush.
By repurposing an existing game, al-Qaeda leveraged familiar gaming mechanics to appeal to younger recruits. This form of propaganda capitalises on interactivity, immersing players in violent narratives that reinforce extremist ideologies.
The ability to “win” by completing terrorist acts effectively gamifies radicalism, making it more palatable and engaging for impressionable audiences.
> The Christchurch attack (2019)
While some groups have modified games to spread their messages, others have blurred the lines between gaming and real-world violence. The 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand exemplify this disturbing trend. The attacker live-streamed his massacre using a first-person perspective eerily reminiscent of first-person shooter video games.
The stream was designed to appeal to specific online subcultures that glorify violence. By adopting gaming-like elements – such as referring to a “high score” in reference to the body count – the attacker reinforced the idea that mass murder could be consumed as a form of interactive entertainment.
This approach gamified terror in a way that encouraged virality, ensuring the attack was widely shared and discussed in extremist online circles.
> Atomwaffen Division’s propaganda
The neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division has also integrated gaming culture into its propaganda.
Their recruitment materials include heavily stylised violent imagery inspired by video game aesthetics, making extremist ideologies more appealing to younger audiences.
These materials often depict their members as elite fighters in a virtual war, echoing the narratives found in many popular games.
