Is Gaming Really A Tool For Terrorist Radicalisation? We Ask An Expert
On February 16, we came across an article on The Star.com.my that talks about online gaming being a tool for radicalisation and extremism; terrorist activities for those not in the know. Basically, radical groups use video games and their online functions and chat rooms to not only recruit people to their terrorism cause but also plan and launch attacks.
A University Malaya criminologist –Dr Haezreena Begum Abdul Hamid– also stated that extremists are making video games that are on the “Dark Web” where “terrorists are portrayed as heroes”, thus “gamifies propaganda, desensitising players to violence and reinforcing extremist ideologies”.
One problem: the article does not list the game in question. In fact, one can suspect that the first few paragraphs of the article read like a page out of a fiction novel. Here’s an excerpt:
“DANIEL* was in full battle mode in a raid on a steel mill turned into a base by enemy forces when a gruff voice suddenly yelled into his ear.
“Hey man! You look like you know a lot about this MP7 submachine gun.”
When Daniel didn’t answer, the player using a pseudonymous gamertag continued over the din, “I have tried it, what about you?”
He then rattled on about guns through voice chat before contacting Daniel privately to share his extensive knowledge about weaponry. This was the first time Daniel, who is from Klang, had encountered this player in the looter shooter multiplayer game he liked, and the “radical stranger” just made him feel uneasy.”
That, and the “Dark Web” bit all sound like there’s an alleged agenda to demonize video games yet again by linking it as the cause of terrorism & its support of it.
Unfortunately, not all of us here at Kakuchopurei are counter-terrorism experts to further back up the claim that the article is factually and objectively wrong. So we asked one: Munira Mustaffa, Executive Director and Principal Analyst of Chasseur Group (who owns a PS5, had a Nintendo and Sega console back in the 90s, and is a lifetime gamer).
