Gamification of Terrorism in Digital Environments

Abstract

This article examines the violent radicalisation process that terrorist organizations have constructed with the games. In this process, which is the gamification of terrorism, terrorist groups can recruit of militant, plan for possible attacks, determine tactics for attacks, and get financial income. Terrorist organizations transform to virtual reality into terrorist acts by editing of issues such as political, economic, cultural, etc., which take place in daily life conditions with extremist discourse and narratives. With the developing internet technology, terrorist organizations have reached to users with designed video games by themselves or made software changes for existing games. In addition, terrorist groups can influence to users who are out of the game with the adjacent platforms. In this way, the motivation for violence is reinforced by triggering cognitive and behavioral changes for gamers. A wide variety and complex acts of terrorism (school shooting, marauding and lone wolf terrorism) take a place under the influence of video games in the last years. The article discusses the gamification of terrorism with the radical milleu and self-determination theories. With these theories, it can be analyzed how individuals adopt to the terrorist radicalisation process seen in video games and by which dynamics terrorist violence triggers the desire to do something.

Keywords

• Terrorism
• Cyberterrorism
• Radicalisation
• Online Platforms
• Video Games

Dijital Ortamlarda Terörizmin Oyunlaştırılması

Öz

Bu makale, terör örgütlerinin video oyunlarıyla kurguladığı şiddet içeren radikalleşme sürecini incelemektedir. Terörizmin oyunlaştırılması olan bu süreçte terör grupları eleman kazanmakta, olası saldırlar için planlama yapmakta, eylem için taktikleri belirlemekte ve finansal gelir elde edebilmektedir. Terör örgütleri günlük olağan yaşam koşullarında gerçekleşen siyasi, ekonomik, kültürel ve benzeri konuları aşırı söylem ve anlatılarla kurgulayarak sanal gerçekliği terörist eyleme dönüştürmektedir. Gelişen internet teknolojisiyle birlikte terör örgütleri video oyunlarını bizzat tasarlamakta veya yazılımsal değişimlerde bulunarak mevcut oyunlarla kullanıcılara ulaşmaktadır. Ayrıca terör grupları oyunlarla birlikte kullanılan bitişik platformlara nüfuz ederek oyun dışında kalan kullanıcıları da etkileyebilmektedir. Bu sayede oyuncularda bilişsel ve davranışsal değişim süreci oyun içi ve dışı alanlarda tetiklenerek şiddet motivasyonu pekiştirilmektedir. Video oyunlarının etkisiyle son yıllarda çok çeşitli ve karmaşık terör eylemleri (okul baskınları, yağmacı terörizm, yalnız kurt saldırıları) gerçekleşmektedir. Makale terörizmin oyunlaştırılmasını radikal ortam kuramı ve öz-belirleme teorisiyle ele almaktadır. Bu kuramlarla bireylerin video oyunlarında görülen terörist radikalleşme sürecine nasıl uyum sağladığı ve bir şeyler yapma isteğinin terörist şiddetin hangi dinamiklerle tetiklendiği analiz edilebilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Terörizm
• Siber Terörizm
• Radikalleşme
• Sanal Platformlar
• Dijital Oyunlar

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