The gaming industry has surpassed Hollywood in total monetary value. INTERVIEW | How UN experts are combating extremism in the gaming space Peace and security
Gaming consoles and new games are extremely popular gifts during the New Year holidays, especially for children and teenagers. Meanwhile, UN experts warn that the younger generation needs to be protected from extremism on digital gaming platforms.
In an industry that has surpassed Hollywood in total monetary value — it will reach $196 billion in 2023 — digital platforms are increasingly being used to recruit for extremist organizations. To discuss the growing threat, UN News spoke with Stephen Siqueira, Deputy Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, and Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. In December, the two organizations hosted a landmark event called New Quest Unlocked, which brought together gaming companies, policymakers and experts to find solutions to extremism in the gaming space. Stephen Siqueira:Last year, the gaming industry and related platforms earned $196 billion. By comparison, the film industry earned about $40 billion during the same period. Terrorists and extremist groups are increasingly using gaming platforms to attract young people, with propaganda videos appearing on Discord, Telegram, and TikTok. This alarming trend has required joint research and work with the gaming industry, related platforms, and UN member governments. UN News Service: The latest assessment suggests the threat level is now higher than previously thought. What exactly is happening in the gaming environment? CC: While gaming has many positive aspects in terms of social interaction, gaming platforms are also used to spread dangerous ideas. In Australia, around one in five counter-terrorism cases involve young people, with gaming platforms playing a role in every single case investigated. The gaming industry is not only popular with young people. The average age of gamers is now 30-35, and there are many more women among them than in previous years. UN News Service: Your research focuses specifically on the gaming market in Africa. Why is this region so important for understanding the challenges ahead? Leif Villadsen: Africa has indeed become one of the fastest growing markets for mobile gaming, with an unprecedented 11 percent annual growth in gamers. The continent offers significant opportunities for the gaming industry, but is also potentially vulnerable to new threats. We aim to better understand the industry, the gaming community, and the tactics used by extremists, as well as the gaps in our own understanding of the threat on the continent. Read also:
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UN News Service: As part of developing a global strategy to prevent extremism, you are creating “game intelligence.” How will this improve the security of gaming platforms?? LV: Game intelligence aims to obtain operational information from open sources such as games, chats and social media to monitor extremist content and recruitment activities. This intelligence will be used in early warning systems to help detect and prevent radicalization at an early stage. UN News Service: How important is the factor of artificial intelligence in developing global preventive measures?? LV: Given the huge size of the gaming space, we are looking to build and implement cutting-edge content moderation tools using artificial intelligence. In doing so, we want to avoid any type of game content shutdown or other actions that could be counterproductive and negatively perceived by gamers. It is vital that we work collaboratively with the gaming community, private companies and individual gamers, including young women and men, to educate and inform them of potential threats. UN News Service: What concrete actions between now and 2025 can make gaming spaces safer? LV: By creating common global standards and encouraging cooperation between governments, tech companies and civil society, we can lay the foundation for a more coordinated response to these threats. SS: Global The Digital Compact recognizes the dual realities of the digital age and calls for a unified global commitment to ensure that digital spaces are safe, inclusive, and compliant with human rights principles. Finding popular players in the gaming system—those who have large followings but are also open to collaborating to counter threats—will help us make the gaming ecosystem more resilient to extremist threats.