Gaming-adjacent platforms: a gateway to extremism?

In the wake of the Buffalo mass shooting, it has been revealed that the shooter previously left details of his plans on Discord and used Twitch to livestream the attack.

ISD’s Jacob Davey spoke to Tortoise about findings from ISD’s Gaming and Extremism series.

Jacob said he “hesitates to make a direct tie to the act of gaming itself”. However, platforms that work to complement gaming like Twitch and Discord, show “a concerning trend towards becoming involved in white supremacy and terrorism”.

“The problem is the co-opting and adapting of incredibly viral youth internet culture [and] the illusion that this is a fringe part of the internet. It’s not fringe. It’s a big part of how people conduct themselves online.”