Simulating terrorism and insurgency: video games in the war of ideas

Abstract

This article analyses several video games created by Hezbollah and Afkar Media which simulate recent conflicts in Israel and Lebanon. These games are representative of an important new means of waging ideological warfare which is increasingly a part of the media strategies that states, violent non-state actors and media corporations employ in their efforts to persuade audiences. I argue that video games allow their developers to address players as though they were participants in ongoing conflicts, rather than passive observers, and that this style of presentation is extremely useful to efforts to create an attractive image of people who are frequently described as 'terrorists'. Video games also enable their developers to carefully construct media narratives that appear to be realistic depictions of contemporary conflicts even when those narratives show signs of bias. Through these mechanisms, video games provide violent non-state actors and organizations sympathetic to them with a means of presenting their grievances and displaying their fighting prowess in ways that advance the organizations' strategic goals.

Military videogames and the future of ideological warfare

“…Although violent non-state actors lack the resources of state military forces and contractors, they are able to exploit videogames to disseminate their own ideologies-either by creating original games or by providing alternative ways of experiencing existing games (Galloway, 2004;Schulzke, 2014;Šisler, 2008. Hezbollah demonstrated the former strategy by creating Special Force (2003) and Special Force 2 (2006).…”

“…These games cast players in the role of Hezbollah members fighting in Lebanon in 2000 and 2006. They allow players to take part in pitched battles against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and include memorials to real fighters who took part in the war (Galloway, 2004;Schulzke, 2014;Šisler, 2008.…”

“…'Much of politics involves battles over how a campaign, a problem, or an issue should be understood' (Druckman, 2001: 235), which makes control over the media that are used to shape understandings of issues and events a central political consideration. From politicians reaching out to voters (Schulzke, 2012), to state military forces attempting to attract recruits (Allen, 2011;Salter, 2011), to non-state actors challenging the narratives propagated in mainstream media outlets (Galloway, 2004;Schulzke, 2014;Šisler, 2008, videogames play an important role in efforts to construct issues in domestic and international politics. They Videogames are particularly important when they simulate real conflicts or fictional conflicts involving real actors that engage in political violence, such as state military forces and insurgent groups.…”

“…Military videogames have attracted considerable attention from scholars in politics and international relations (Ciută, 2016;Delwiche, 2007;Mantello, 2012;Power, 2007;Robinson, 2012b;Salter, 2011;Schulzke, 2013Schulzke, , 2014Valeriano and Habel, 2016). This literature struggles to come to terms with a new form of political communication, and in particular, the challenge of understanding what makes videogames a unique medium when it comes to representing conflicts.…”

Video games, terrorism, and ISIS’s Jihad 3.0

“…25 In this way, "video games provide violent non-state actors and organizations sympathetic to them with a means of presenting their grievances and displaying their fighting prowess in ways that advance the organizations' strategic goals." 26 Some of these alternative games include Quraish and Under Siege, which were both produced by Afkar Media. 27 Trolling, flaming, and social media effects This paper covers two concepts that are related to the use of harsh and violent language, namely trolling and flaming.…”