Department of Homeland Security Awards $700k Grant to Research “Radicalization in Gaming”
(LibertySons.org) – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just released the recipients of its Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program. The three named groups will work together to study “extremism” and the role it plays in gaming. The DHS awarded the researchers $699,763 for the venture.
The collaborating organizations include Take This, Logically, and Middlebury Institute’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC). Take This is a nonprofit focusing on the mental health impacts of gaming, and Logically is an entity working to change behaviors within the online community.
DHS will spend nearly $700,000 to investigate ‘radicalization in gaming’ https://t.co/XvbTMC3hho
— mzee26 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@mzee26) September 20, 2022
Dr. Rachel Kowert from Take This and CTEC Deputy Director Alex Newhouse have been developing ideas and goals for the project over the past few years. The grant will help move that work forward.
The researchers were motivated by concerns about the influence gaming has on radicalizing youths. Some worry having access to the communities may allow domestic extremists to recruit new members. They saw examples of what they feel is propaganda and hate speech in online platforms and determined there was a lack of information and awareness of the possible threat the exposure may pose.
The project aims to prevent radicals from using gaming to negatively influence young people by developing “a set of best practices and centralized resources” for monitoring purposes. In addition, the companies want to create training for those working in game development, design, safety, and management to help recognize issues.
What do you think about the new initiative?
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