New post: Undiminished Hate – Right-wing extremism and games

From “non-political” subculture to social mass phenomenon: more than 43% of Germans regularly play games on computers, game consoles or smartphones. Whether you’re alone or with friends, games are here to stay! No other entertainment is so popular in Germany as the regular ‘Daddeln’ that has found its way out of the dirty corner despite the tiring ‘killer game debates’.

But “manipulation” has never been “apolitical” as some commentators suppose: whether in far-right mobilization and recruitment attempts, or reproducing role models or toxic narratives. Here, too, socio-political issues have become indispensable, which not only create new possibilities and opportunities for a democratic civil society and for political education. But it also offers some possibilities for conflict, because many players still see their medium as apolitical and also become skeptical due to earlier discussions when they hear the terms “politics,” “right extremism,” and “games” at the same time. Recurring theme: “Games should just be fun.”

It’s time to look for “rights” there too, together and on a par with the gaming communities. The project “”Good games – a well-functioning democracy“She set herself exactly that task. In the bulletin.”Absolute Hate – Toxic and Far-Right Gaming CommunitiesThe project provides for the first time practical tools for dealing with right-wing extremists and toxic behaviors in gaming. At the same time, it emphasizes the positive aspects of gaming culture and formulates video game opportunities in engaging with young people.

What is the “Absolute Hate – Toxic and Far-Right Gaming Communities“?

• The first part of the post is mainly about politics in and around video games, conspiracy stories in games, and the portrayal of marginalized groups in games.
• After the tutorial, different strategies of the far right in games are analyzed. Video games and their platforms have become part of a far-right “metapolitics” in which the limits of what can be said are shifted.
• In the final part, recommendations for action against attempts by the far right to exploit and gaming opportunities for democratic actors appear in the introduction.

What does far-right exploitation look like? What makes stealth recruitment attempts so dangerous, and how can players effectively defend themselves against them? You can find answers to all these questions in our new guide available from now on It can be ordered and accessed online.

Amadeo Antonio Foundation / Good Gaming – A Well-Performing Democracy:
“An Undiminished Hate. Toxic and Right-Wing Gaming Communities.”
Berlin 2022
90 pages

Contents:

Tutorials: Games – a civil society issue?

• game with democracy
• good game Well-played democracy: players against the right-wing takeover
  gaming culture
• Character selection. for us author features
• Games as a leader in digital maturity and media competence

Main story – Chapter 1:

• The political dimension of video games
• How political are video games?
• Acting in games
• Right-wing conspiracy fantasies of ‘Call of Duty’
• Disinformation Played: Clarifying Plots in Video Games
• Toxic Games Studios

Main story – chapter two:

• Toxic and far-right gaming communities
• Toxic societies: harmful behaviors and how to confront them
• How New Rights Shape the Internet Linguistically
• The long shadow of anti-feminists
• Anti-feminism and hostility to LGTBIQ+ in societies
• The right cheats in gaming communities
• Politics and discrimination in esports

Main story – Chapter 3: Platform analysis

• How do platforms react to problematic content?

Expansion Pack: Don’t Accept Noisy Minority

• Recommendations for action for digital moral courage
• Digital Network – Awareness of (social) youth to work in video game communities
• Video game about resistance under National Socialism
• Games as an important component of political education

Expansion Corridor: where You find me From And the when?

• Projects and NGOs in the field of games
• Credits: Bibliography

Excerpts of the content will also appear on Belltower.News in the coming weeks.