What to Do When Your Video Game Gets Co-opted by Neo-Nazis

Myths about medieval European history are important to white supremacists. This community imagines a past in which Europe was solely racially white, isolated from outside influences, entirely patriarchal, and organized militarily against threats from non-Christian brown people. In fact, none of these beliefs about the Middle Ages are true, but a video game set in the Middle Ages allows people to create their own fantasies of the past. For example, on Stormfront, a sprawling neo-Nazi newsletter and discussion board, a user under the handle “sXe SSkinhead” wrote, “I would also like to say that Crusader Kings 2 features an option to Expel the Jews from your land… that’s a plus in a video game if you ask me.” He was referring to the game’s “<a href="https://www.pcgamesn.com/sons-abraham-expansion-takes-crusader-kings-2-fraught-territory" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Sons of Abraham</a>” expansion, which adds significant content around medieval Judaism. “Crusader Kings 2 is a great pro-white game,” says the user “88whitecanada.” Worse, online communities of gamers provide gateways to radicalization. Terrorists regularly cite medieval fantasies in manifestos, which are often published in online spaces frequented by gamers, creating a potential feedback loop of hate. <a href="https://onezero.medium.com/what-to-do-when-your-video-game-gets-co-opted-by-neo-nazis-193880841495">Click Here</a>