Social control on Discord, Steam etc.? – Legal and Criminological Factors of Hate Speech in Gaming Communities

• In Event: Hate speech in the online world and beyond

Abstract

For many individuals, particularly the younger demographic, gaming communities serve as crucial social hubs. Nonetheless, communication platforms within the gaming realm, such as Discord and Steam, also serve as spaces where content is shared that would be deemed unacceptable in other contexts, extending to criminal hate speech. The acceptable boundaries of expressions are under constant scrutiny in all social contexts. The joint project, Radicalization on Gaming Platforms and Messenger Services (RadiGaMe), funded by the BMBF, aims to explore how radicalization processes unfold across diverse communication spaces and how security authorities or civil society prevention entities can respond. The presented sub-project aims to delve into the identification of behaviors considered deviant in gaming communities, examining how they are addressed, and exploring the formal and informal mechanisms of control on gaming platforms.

This presentation will introduce preliminary considerations on the subject and approach of the research. It will commence with a discussion on the legal framework governing the management of criminal content by providers of digital services, particularly those pertinent to the gaming sector. Subsequently, the current state of research on gaming communities in this context will be outlined. Finally, the presentation will shed light on the research interests and the planned approach to field access.

Authors

• Charlotte Korenke, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

• Marius Kuehne, Ruhr-Universität Bochum