Remember those Russian media influence indictments earlier this month? Turns out they also revealed an effort by Russia to cultivate a new GamerGate to get Trump elected. I wrote about it for @foreignpolicy.com
Gamers have become unwitting agents in a global culture war.
Good article. The Ukrainians have been *on it* for quite awhile. This is a constant topic of conversation there and they have a lot of insight since they’ve been flooded with Russian propaganda for decades. If you want more info, I can connect you to Ukrainian gamers who speak English.
After playing COD solidly for a decade, part of the reason I quit video games was all the idiots in the pre-game lobbies. Some of the most vile and disturbing talk can be found there coming out of the mouths of teens. Most is just bravado, but anonymity allows people to speak their inner thoughts.
Is there a non-paywalled version? I'm teaching a class right now on video games and politics and this might fit in nicely.
Been going on for quite some time. “Seemingly innocuous or humorous content can divert attention, lowering defenses and facilitating the absorption of Russian propaganda disseminated via television, anonymous Telegram channels, and other platforms, including video games.”
Українською читайте тут. According to Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Russia’s video game industry was the world’s eighth-largest in 2021, boasting revenues of $2.
Russia hasn't been a communist country for over 3 decades. Why does anyone use the hammer and sickle for them? LoL
Really well-written article, Joshua! Thank you!
That Russia sees video game culture as the "backbone of the right-wing trends" online is pretty telling. Mainstream coverage in the US sees it as basically neutral.
I appreciate that your article also discusses US propaganda and recruitment efforts in games. Pretty interesting article, thanks!