exposure to white supremacist beliefs inside of online games doubled between 2021 and 2022. Gaming companies have hired cognitive scientists, sociologists, experts in extremism to keep their platforms inclusive so everybody can enjoy them. Cecilia D'Onostacio: Where do you see this heading? Do you think that gaming becomes a kinder, gentler place in the next three years, five years, or do you think that things become more abrasive?
In December, an Anti-Defamation League study found a sharp rise in the number of people who say they’ve encountered white supremacist ideology while playing online video games. The persistent presence of individual gamers and groups spreading hate in gaming communities has led to calls for the industry to do more to stop it.
The question is, how?
Bloomberg video game reporter Cecilia D’Anastasio joins this episode to explain why it’s so difficult to police virtual worlds, and what companies are and aren’t doing to confront the problem. Alex Newhouse, deputy director of the Middlebury Institute’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism, talks about his work trying to help the gaming industry stamp out toxic culture on its platforms.
For More on Cecilia’s story: https://bloom.bg/3Dx2yzo
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