MelancholicMechanicus
Thought Criminal
Here is a update on this story. Reddit user LunarArchivist translated this monstrosity in english so you can admire the autistic screeching of the German SJWs.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS IN VIDEO GAME COMMUNITIES
In recent years, we have seen a strengthening of right-wing extremist positions in society, which is being nourished by different areas of public and private life. One of these areas is represented by video game culture, within which there are diverse forms of expression for right-wing extremism. It is not without reason that right-wing populist parties in Germany and internationally have recognized that followers can be recruited on gaming forums and in communities .
GLORIFICATION OF A RIGHT-WING PAST
Right-wing extremists are not simply concerned with demonstrating their presence in video games and gaming groups. The appropriation of games is linked to very specific goals. For right-wing extremists, video games are, in many ways, also a suitable platform for spreading their mindset. For example, in games that are set around World War II, this can manifest itself in a kind of glorification of that time. In the communities of these games and on Steam, one often encounters player profiles that are decorated with elements of the Nazi regime, in which names or photographs of Nazi officials or relevant and, to some extent, unconstitutional symbols are used. If these are criticized, references to an alleged historicity are often made. With the excuse that it is only a citation, an alleged "objectivity" is used to express racist opinions with impunity or outright reproduce National Socialist ideology.
But, unfortunately, even outside of relevant World War settings, one runs into right-wing extremist language again and again, particularly in games which have a focus on multiplayer duels. A desire is expressed to send players "to Auschwitz" following defeats, and, if things are going well, you roll over opponents "like German tanks". Terms like the N-word are also specifically used in this context to insult and discriminate. If a linguistic reference to Nazi ideology is created, whether it be a glorifyingly positive reference to the time or a disparagingly negative reference to the victims, then it is harmful. It harms the victims, it harms a meaningful, critical examination of the Nazi era, and it harms the conversational tone within the respective games and communities. And, in the process, it only helps one thing: hatred.
PROMOTING HATRED
In addition to spreading the right-wing mindset, the active promotion of one's own collective is also an important goal for right-wing extremist players. In most video games, one does not see one's fellow players, cannot directly visualize them, and cannot properly evaluate their facial expressions, gestures, and, when it comes to written communication, the pitch of their voices as well. Right-wing extremists take advantage of this and usually try to very subtly gain approval for their collective without revealing themselves as right-wing extremists. Thus, humor is often used to test to what extent fellow players are open to one's own ideology without unequivocally revealing one's own mindset in the process. If too much resistance is encountered, then "everything was just a joke". Only after a fundamental acceptance for right-wing positions or a tolerance towards intolerance has been explored does the active promotion for approval of one's own position take place. In this way, large right-wing networks or ones open to the far-right can emerge relatively quickly, over which relevant material can then be spread outside of the game and in which extremism is met with approval. Good examples of this are insufficiently moderated forums, in which "political content" is often not desired, but where racist or sexist jokes are not perceived as such. Or also meme collecting websites like pr0gram or certain subreddits on which the use of the N-word is almost considered good form.
Thus, right-wing extremists are not playing "for themselves", but are instead also frequently practicing targeted promotion of their own positions in video games that allow social contact. The specific pitfall with this is the often indirect form of influence: Relatively clear cases such as the use of a nickname or profile picture with an openly right-wing extremist background are rather in the minority when it come to this. On the one hand, such players would act as a deterrent to the uninitiated from the outset, which would render the goal of promoting one's own position moot. Moreover, they would make themselves directly vulnerable to public attack in the process and thus be banned more quickly. For this reason, right-wing extremists usually make their appearance in video game communities in such a way that they can be directly recognized by people from within their own collective but not by people outside of it. Internationally, this is known as "dog whistling", after the dog whistle whose high-pitched sound can be heard by the animals but not by humans. For this, they use codes and ciphers, replacement symbols for what they actually want to present. In names, this can be done using known abbreviations (AH = Adolf Hitler, HH = Heil Hitler (Hail Hitler), 18 (= AH) = Adolf Hitler, SS in rune form, etc.). Even names like "Adlerhorst" appear harmless at first glance; it is only when the context that this was the name of one of the Führer's headquarters in Hesse is provided that the Nazi connection become clear. The same applies to profile pictures that do not have unambiguous symbols such as swastikas or Siegrunen (victory runes), but more subtle aspects (e.g. the color combination black-white-red, the "Pepe" or "Deus Vult" memes that were adopted by the right-wing, or insignias from World War I) give an indication of their own views.
ATTACKS AND CONSPIRACIES
It becomes even more problematic when right-wing extremist players leave this exclusively self-presenting world and express their ideology in their behavior towards other people. Namely because this consists of the discrimination and marginalization of others: Here, antisemitism, racism, or antifeminism are the order of the day. They are the main components of right-wing extremist agendas - a fundamental assumption that certain groups of people are less valuable than others is the ultimate basis of right-wing hatred. This marginalization can occur completely out in the open and often without resistance through, for example, the reproduction of common sexist and racist clichés which are still accepted as "common knowledge" or anecdotally well enough known "opinion" by many players without comment. Among them is the fairy tale of the fake "gamer girl" who cannot play but only wants to impress boys, or the Asian against whom you always lose anyway because he only sits in front of the PC all day or is part of an e-sports league that he is not disclosing.
Thus, hatred is also packaged into arguments in which they presumably do not even fit in the first place for people without right-wing tendencies. This often happens by linking a "suitable" conspiracy theory to the appropriate subject, such as the erroneous belief that the video game industry has caved in to a financially influential "social justice warrior" lobby. Such claims are shared both within video games themselves (e.g. through hate-filled chat messages or mass reporting using report functions) as well as outside of them through the spread of hateful comments in debates over video games. The debate about female generals and soldiers in Battlefield 1 and Rome II, for example, exhibited structured antifeminism, where right-wing extremist ideology was spread using historical authenticity as a smokescreen. The same was also true of the debate about the portrayal of the "white" Middle Ages in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, where it was actively argued why it was good and proper that no people with dark-colored skin appeared in this game.
JUST AN OVERVIEW
The forms of virtual right-wing extremism are diverse and often not always immediately recognizable. As a result, right-wing extremists are provided with multiple avenues for the creation of their own spheres of communication and the targeted promotion of support for their own ideology. For this reason, it is all the more important to clearly oppose fascists wherever you can recognize them. This article provides a brief outline of what makes hatemongers knowable and recognizable in online communities, forums and on social media platforms. It should serve as a start, not as a comprehensive guide for identification. The forms of hatred are varied, change according to technical possibilities, and can often only be recognized with a trained eye. We remain vigilant to stand up for a diverse gaming culture and to ban hatred from our communities. And we hope that this impetus will encourage you to do the same.
RELATED LINKS
Amadeu Antonio Foundation (ed.): Gaming and Hate Speech: Computer Games From a Civil Society Perspective. 2015. Amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de. (https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/gaming-internet-1.pdf)
Körner, Erik: The Game with the Right-Wing. 2020. akduell.de. (https://www.akduell.de/home/schwerpunkt/das-spiel-mit-rechts)
Rödl, Jakob: Right-Wing Extremism in Online Games. 2014. Spieleratgeber-nrw.de. (https://www.spieleratgeber-nrw.de/Rechtsextremismus-in-Onlinegames.3811.de.1.html) Schwarz, Karolin: Right-Wing Hate and Gaming Culture. 2020. Netzpolitik.org. (https://netzpolitik.org/2020/rechter-hass-und-die-gaming-kultur-hasskrieger-karolin-schwarz/)
Smarzoch, Raphael: "Right-Wing Extremists Profit From Unmoderated Platforms" - Christian Huberts on DLF Corso. 2020. deutschlandfunk.de. (https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/radi...htsextreme.807.de.html?dram:article_id=466275)
Stendera, Karolin: "Less Talk About Surveillance" - Pia Stendera Interview With Jörg Friedrich. 2019. Taz.de. (https://taz.de/Spieleentwickler-ueber-Rechtsextremismus/!5633920/)
(Translator's Note: I've taken the liberty of translating the negative review of "Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition" made by the Steam user Aenrikr so people can see for themselves what constitutes a "negative review [containing] structured antifeminism [and] where right-wing extremist ideology was spread using historical authenticity as a smokescreen". I've also added links to all of the Steam pages the writers screenshotted .)
HOW TO RECOGNIZE RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS IN VIDEO GAME COMMUNITIES
In recent years, we have seen a strengthening of right-wing extremist positions in society, which is being nourished by different areas of public and private life. One of these areas is represented by video game culture, within which there are diverse forms of expression for right-wing extremism. It is not without reason that right-wing populist parties in Germany and internationally have recognized that followers can be recruited on gaming forums and in communities .
"Welcome to the Official AfD Steam Group." Screenshot taken on May 13, 2020.
GLORIFICATION OF A RIGHT-WING PAST
Right-wing extremists are not simply concerned with demonstrating their presence in video games and gaming groups. The appropriation of games is linked to very specific goals. For right-wing extremists, video games are, in many ways, also a suitable platform for spreading their mindset. For example, in games that are set around World War II, this can manifest itself in a kind of glorification of that time. In the communities of these games and on Steam, one often encounters player profiles that are decorated with elements of the Nazi regime, in which names or photographs of Nazi officials or relevant and, to some extent, unconstitutional symbols are used. If these are criticized, references to an alleged historicity are often made. With the excuse that it is only a citation, an alleged "objectivity" is used to express racist opinions with impunity or outright reproduce National Socialist ideology.
But, unfortunately, even outside of relevant World War settings, one runs into right-wing extremist language again and again, particularly in games which have a focus on multiplayer duels. A desire is expressed to send players "to Auschwitz" following defeats, and, if things are going well, you roll over opponents "like German tanks". Terms like the N-word are also specifically used in this context to insult and discriminate. If a linguistic reference to Nazi ideology is created, whether it be a glorifyingly positive reference to the time or a disparagingly negative reference to the victims, then it is harmful. It harms the victims, it harms a meaningful, critical examination of the Nazi era, and it harms the conversational tone within the respective games and communities. And, in the process, it only helps one thing: hatred.
Right-wing extremist Steam profile. Screenshot taken on May 13, 2020.
PROMOTING HATRED
In addition to spreading the right-wing mindset, the active promotion of one's own collective is also an important goal for right-wing extremist players. In most video games, one does not see one's fellow players, cannot directly visualize them, and cannot properly evaluate their facial expressions, gestures, and, when it comes to written communication, the pitch of their voices as well. Right-wing extremists take advantage of this and usually try to very subtly gain approval for their collective without revealing themselves as right-wing extremists. Thus, humor is often used to test to what extent fellow players are open to one's own ideology without unequivocally revealing one's own mindset in the process. If too much resistance is encountered, then "everything was just a joke". Only after a fundamental acceptance for right-wing positions or a tolerance towards intolerance has been explored does the active promotion for approval of one's own position take place. In this way, large right-wing networks or ones open to the far-right can emerge relatively quickly, over which relevant material can then be spread outside of the game and in which extremism is met with approval. Good examples of this are insufficiently moderated forums, in which "political content" is often not desired, but where racist or sexist jokes are not perceived as such. Or also meme collecting websites like pr0gram or certain subreddits on which the use of the N-word is almost considered good form.
Thus, right-wing extremists are not playing "for themselves", but are instead also frequently practicing targeted promotion of their own positions in video games that allow social contact. The specific pitfall with this is the often indirect form of influence: Relatively clear cases such as the use of a nickname or profile picture with an openly right-wing extremist background are rather in the minority when it come to this. On the one hand, such players would act as a deterrent to the uninitiated from the outset, which would render the goal of promoting one's own position moot. Moreover, they would make themselves directly vulnerable to public attack in the process and thus be banned more quickly. For this reason, right-wing extremists usually make their appearance in video game communities in such a way that they can be directly recognized by people from within their own collective but not by people outside of it. Internationally, this is known as "dog whistling", after the dog whistle whose high-pitched sound can be heard by the animals but not by humans. For this, they use codes and ciphers, replacement symbols for what they actually want to present. In names, this can be done using known abbreviations (AH = Adolf Hitler, HH = Heil Hitler (Hail Hitler), 18 (= AH) = Adolf Hitler, SS in rune form, etc.). Even names like "Adlerhorst" appear harmless at first glance; it is only when the context that this was the name of one of the Führer's headquarters in Hesse is provided that the Nazi connection become clear. The same applies to profile pictures that do not have unambiguous symbols such as swastikas or Siegrunen (victory runes), but more subtle aspects (e.g. the color combination black-white-red, the "Pepe" or "Deus Vult" memes that were adopted by the right-wing, or insignias from World War I) give an indication of their own views.
The right-wing Steam group "Deutsche Soldaten" ("German Soldiers") warns about the deletion of Nazi profiles. Screenshot taken on May 13, 2020.
ATTACKS AND CONSPIRACIES
It becomes even more problematic when right-wing extremist players leave this exclusively self-presenting world and express their ideology in their behavior towards other people. Namely because this consists of the discrimination and marginalization of others: Here, antisemitism, racism, or antifeminism are the order of the day. They are the main components of right-wing extremist agendas - a fundamental assumption that certain groups of people are less valuable than others is the ultimate basis of right-wing hatred. This marginalization can occur completely out in the open and often without resistance through, for example, the reproduction of common sexist and racist clichés which are still accepted as "common knowledge" or anecdotally well enough known "opinion" by many players without comment. Among them is the fairy tale of the fake "gamer girl" who cannot play but only wants to impress boys, or the Asian against whom you always lose anyway because he only sits in front of the PC all day or is part of an e-sports league that he is not disclosing.
Thus, hatred is also packaged into arguments in which they presumably do not even fit in the first place for people without right-wing tendencies. This often happens by linking a "suitable" conspiracy theory to the appropriate subject, such as the erroneous belief that the video game industry has caved in to a financially influential "social justice warrior" lobby. Such claims are shared both within video games themselves (e.g. through hate-filled chat messages or mass reporting using report functions) as well as outside of them through the spread of hateful comments in debates over video games. The debate about female generals and soldiers in Battlefield 1 and Rome II, for example, exhibited structured antifeminism, where right-wing extremist ideology was spread using historical authenticity as a smokescreen. The same was also true of the debate about the portrayal of the "white" Middle Ages in Kingdom Come: Deliverance, where it was actively argued why it was good and proper that no people with dark-colored skin appeared in this game.
Right-wing negative review from the review bombing of Rome II, including the "witch hunt" narrative. Screenshot taken on May 13, 2020.
JUST AN OVERVIEW
The forms of virtual right-wing extremism are diverse and often not always immediately recognizable. As a result, right-wing extremists are provided with multiple avenues for the creation of their own spheres of communication and the targeted promotion of support for their own ideology. For this reason, it is all the more important to clearly oppose fascists wherever you can recognize them. This article provides a brief outline of what makes hatemongers knowable and recognizable in online communities, forums and on social media platforms. It should serve as a start, not as a comprehensive guide for identification. The forms of hatred are varied, change according to technical possibilities, and can often only be recognized with a trained eye. We remain vigilant to stand up for a diverse gaming culture and to ban hatred from our communities. And we hope that this impetus will encourage you to do the same.
RELATED LINKS
Amadeu Antonio Foundation (ed.): Gaming and Hate Speech: Computer Games From a Civil Society Perspective. 2015. Amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de. (https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/w/files/pdfs/gaming-internet-1.pdf)
Körner, Erik: The Game with the Right-Wing. 2020. akduell.de. (https://www.akduell.de/home/schwerpunkt/das-spiel-mit-rechts)
Rödl, Jakob: Right-Wing Extremism in Online Games. 2014. Spieleratgeber-nrw.de. (https://www.spieleratgeber-nrw.de/Rechtsextremismus-in-Onlinegames.3811.de.1.html) Schwarz, Karolin: Right-Wing Hate and Gaming Culture. 2020. Netzpolitik.org. (https://netzpolitik.org/2020/rechter-hass-und-die-gaming-kultur-hasskrieger-karolin-schwarz/)
Smarzoch, Raphael: "Right-Wing Extremists Profit From Unmoderated Platforms" - Christian Huberts on DLF Corso. 2020. deutschlandfunk.de. (https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/radi...htsextreme.807.de.html?dram:article_id=466275)
Stendera, Karolin: "Less Talk About Surveillance" - Pia Stendera Interview With Jörg Friedrich. 2019. Taz.de. (https://taz.de/Spieleentwickler-ueber-Rechtsextremismus/!5633920/)
(Translator's Note: I've taken the liberty of translating the negative review of "Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition" made by the Steam user Aenrikr so people can see for themselves what constitutes a "negative review [containing] structured antifeminism [and] where right-wing extremist ideology was spread using historical authenticity as a smokescreen". I've also added links to all of the Steam pages the writers screenshotted .)