‘New Missions Unlocked’: UN Experts Fight Extremism in the Gaming Space
In an industry that has already surpassed Hollywood in monetary value – reaching $196 billion by 2023 – these digital platforms are becoming a recruiting ground for extremists, fostering unprecedented collaboration between counterterrorism experts and game companies.
To discuss the growing threatUN News Sarah Daly sat down with Steven Siqueira, Deputy Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center (part of the counter-terrorism office, UNOCT) and Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of United Nations Interregional Institute for Crime and Justice (UNICRI).
Senior officials organized a landmark event on this issue called New mission unlocked was held earlier in December, which brought together gaming companies, policymakers and researchers to address violent extremism in the gaming space.
“This alarming trend requires a collaborative research approach with the gaming industry and neighboring platforms.Mr. Siqueira said, highlighting how extremist groups are increasingly targeting gaming spaces and adjacent platforms such as Discord and Telegram.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
UN News: Your General Facts, New mission unlockedbringing together both UNICRI and UNOCT as well as gaming companies, policymakers and researchers. What prompted this collaboration?
Steven Siqueira: Last year, in 2023, the gaming industry and adjacent platforms were a $196 billion industry. For comparison, the film industry is about 40 billion, five times the size of the film industry.
Young people are being approached by terrorists and violent extremist groups through these platforms, with propaganda videos increasingly appearing across Discord, Telegram and Tiktok. This alarming trend requires collaborative research and collaboration with the gaming industry, neighboring platforms and of course with our members and member governments.
UN News: Recent intelligence reports indicate a higher threat level than previously understood. What exactly are you seeing?
Steven Siqueira: While gaming has many positive aspects in terms of social interaction around the world – there is also a growing risk that terrorists and violent extremist groups are using these platforms and adjacent gaming platforms to convey their message.
The findings are clear: in Australia alone, around one in five counter-terrorism cases now involve young people, with gaming platforms playing a significant role in every case investigated.
UN News: These findings challenge common perceptions about gaming platforms. How has the landscape evolved?
Steven Siqueira: This industry is not just for young people. Increasingly, the average age of gamers is around 30-35 and is much more gender balanced than in years past.
UN News: Your research specifically focuses on the gaming market in Africa. Why is this area important in understanding future challenges?
Leif Villadsen: Africa has indeed become one of the fastest growing markets for mobile gaming. With an unprecedented 11% annual growth rate, the continent represents both an exceptional opportunity and a hidden vulnerability.
We aim to better understand the industry, the communities, the tactics used, and the gaps and challenges in our understanding of this threat across the continent.
UN News: You are developing what is called ‘game intelligence’ as part of a global prevention strategy. How will this transform digital security?
Leif Villadsen: Game intelligence focuses on bringing intelligence from open source platforms such as in-game, chat and social networks to monitor extremist content and recruitment activities. This intelligence will inform early warning systems that help detect and prevent radicalization at an early stage.
UN News: How important is artificial intelligence to these global preventative measures?
Leif Villadsen: Given the scale of the ecosystem, we are looking to develop and deploy advanced content moderation tools using AI-based tools. However, the gaming community is full of personalities with large followings, so we wanted to avoid any type of takedown or large-scale action that could be counterproductive and viewed as offensive by gamers. suspicious.
It is important that we work with the gaming community, private sector companies and with gamers themselves, including young men and women to educate and build resilience throughout the community .
UN News: As we look towards 2025, what concrete outcomes will make gaming spaces safer?
Leif Villadsen: By creating common global standards and encouraging collaboration between governments, technology companies and civil society, we can provide a framework to address these threats in a sustainable way. more coordinated.
Steven Siqueira: Global Digital Compact acknowledges these dual realities of the digital age and calls for a unified global commitment to ensuring that digital spaces are safe, inclusive and consistent with human rights principles.
Ultimately, finding the right actors in the game system – those who are vocal but also open to understanding what the threats are, where they can be mitigated, and how best to mitigate them threat, can actually help us strengthen and make the gaming ecosystem more efficient. resilient in the face of violent extremism.
