From neo-Nazis and far-right groups to Islamic State, those seeking to instigate hate and violence for their ideological ends are finding new platforms to do so as traditional social media platforms crack down on their content. New platforms, including the chat application Discord, live-streaming sites such as Twitch, online games like Fortnite and gaming platforms like Steam, are rife with extremist content and recruiters. Games themselves are not the problem, but socialisation inside gaming-related spaces reveals real and pressing difficulties. Video gaming is a source of resilience for many, reaching an all-time-high during the pandemic according to polling agency Nielsen, with 82% of global consumers playing video games and watching gaming content during lockdowns. Yet, media reports about gaming and its potential to be exploited by extremist actors often sensationalise the issue, and impartial research and analysis on the topic is hard to come by.

As part of its multi-layered research effort, the EGRN will map the research that has already been carried out in this relatively unexplored field and utilise innovative methodologies to help bridge outstanding evidence gaps. We aim to conduct research and build up evidence around the following priority research questions:

• In what ways are gaming platforms used by extremist individuals or organisations?
• How does this trend differ across regions?
• In what ways can gaming, gaming-related spaces (forums, platforms, etc.) and key messengers be utilised for the prevention and countering of (violent) extremism?

This research will go beyond written outputs and suggest actionable outcomes, such as designing and executing digital interventions in gaming spaces.