Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures
Extremist ideologies have clearly become increasingly prevalent in the world of video games. What is less clear, however, is the mechanism through which these ideologies make their way into the psyches of gamers. Here we focus on the potential role of identity fusion in the radicalization of video g...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.1007128/full |
| _version_ | 1811344676294230016 |
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| author | Rachel Kowert Alexi Martel William B. Swann |
| author_facet | Rachel Kowert Alexi Martel William B. Swann |
| author_sort | Rachel Kowert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Extremist ideologies have clearly become increasingly prevalent in the world of video games. What is less clear, however, is the mechanism through which these ideologies make their way into the psyches of gamers. Here we focus on the potential role of identity fusion in the radicalization of video gamers. In three studies, we show that fusion with gaming culture is uniquely predictive of a host of socially pernicious outcomes, including racism, sexism, and endorsement of extreme behaviors. We also show that specific personality attributes (e.g., insecure attachment, loneliness) may interact with fusion with gaming culture to further amplify support for extreme behavior, and that specific gaming communities (e.g., Call of Duty) may serve as catalysts that encourage strongly fused gamers to embrace antisocial attitudes and behaviors. These findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of the psychological processes that foment radicalization and guide the development of strategies for discouraging extremist ideologies in gaming spaces. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:50:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a98f67fc6ed49faac3df942813b4450 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:50:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a98f67fc6ed49faac3df942813b44502022-12-22T02:32:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2022-10-01710.3389/fcomm.2022.10071281007128Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming culturesRachel Kowert0Alexi Martel1William B. Swann2Take This, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United StatesExtremist ideologies have clearly become increasingly prevalent in the world of video games. What is less clear, however, is the mechanism through which these ideologies make their way into the psyches of gamers. Here we focus on the potential role of identity fusion in the radicalization of video gamers. In three studies, we show that fusion with gaming culture is uniquely predictive of a host of socially pernicious outcomes, including racism, sexism, and endorsement of extreme behaviors. We also show that specific personality attributes (e.g., insecure attachment, loneliness) may interact with fusion with gaming culture to further amplify support for extreme behavior, and that specific gaming communities (e.g., Call of Duty) may serve as catalysts that encourage strongly fused gamers to embrace antisocial attitudes and behaviors. These findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of the psychological processes that foment radicalization and guide the development of strategies for discouraging extremist ideologies in gaming spaces.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.1007128/fullidentity fusiondigital gamesextremism and radicalizationextremismvideo games |
| spellingShingle | Rachel Kowert Alexi Martel William B. Swann Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures Frontiers in Communication identity fusion digital games extremism and radicalization extremism video games |
| title | Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| title_full | Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| title_fullStr | Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| title_short | Not just a game: Identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| title_sort | not just a game identity fusion and extremism in gaming cultures |
| topic | identity fusion digital games extremism and radicalization extremism video games |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2022.1007128/full |
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