INVESTIGATION OF VIDEO GAMES AND GAME PLATFORMS IN TERMS OF RADICALIZATION AND TERRORISM

Abstract

Radical and terrorist groups have sought to use the digital space to identify people from within society who are close to their ideologies and motives or have a tendency to violence and to decide how to approach each individual. Within the framework of this study, video games and gaming platforms, which are also the main subject of the study, have become places where radical and terrorist groups care about and can use as a domain, with a usage size almost equivalent to the Internet, which is an important basis for digitalization. In this context, direct use of video games, export of video game features to other areas or communication through games has been adopted as a method by these groups. With these methods, it is aimed to achieve such goals as spreading messages to wider segments, gaining supporters, recruiting employees, attracting attention, threatening and intimidating enemies, normalizing violence, encouraging those with a tendency in this direction to take action. The main purpose of the study is to analyze how video games and game platforms are effectively used by radical and terrorist groups to achieve their goals in addition, in order to conduct the analysis, first of all, the conceptual framework and some quantitative data specific to the concept of radicalization and terrorism and video games will be revealed. Then, video games and gaming platforms will be analyzed in terms of radicalization and terrorism.