Russia is incorporating battle information from the Russo-Ukrainian War into popular video games. In one instance, Russian players are utilizing Minecraft, a sandbox game developed by Mojang (a Microsoft company), to recreate the Battle of Soledar, in which Russian forces captured the Ukrainian city in January. They have shared a video of this gameplay on VKontakte, Russia’s most popular social networking service.
Another example involves the Russian version of the game “World of Tanks,” a multiplayer warfare game. In May, on the 78th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis, players celebrated by reenacting the Soviet Union’s tank parade in Moscow in 1945 within the game. Additionally, on the gaming platform Roblox, a player created a simulation of the Interior Ministry forces in June to mark Russia Day.
Tanya Bekker, a researcher at ActiveFence, highlighted, “The gaming world is indeed a platform with the potential to influence public opinion, particularly among young populations.”
ActiveFence empowers Trust & Safety teams to proactively ensure online integrity, thereby safeguarding users from online harm across various content formats, languages, and abuse areas (source: activefence.com/about/).
In April, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, disclosed that the company’s security teams had detected recent Russian attempts to infiltrate gaming communities, including those of Minecraft and Discord discussion groups. Clint Watts, the head of Microsoft’s threat analysis team, informed researchers about the Russian paramilitary force, the Wagner Group, which spread “malign narratives” on Discord and Steam to support the Kremlin’s perspectives.
The potential impact of using video games to promote specific narratives is considerable. Such efforts can shape public opinion, especially among young people who may develop biases concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If individuals align with this propaganda, they might be inclined to join the armed forces or contribute financially to the military cause.
Another example involves the Russian version of the game “World of Tanks,” a multiplayer warfare game. In May, on the 78th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis, players celebrated by reenacting the Soviet Union’s tank parade in Moscow in 1945 within the game. Additionally, on the gaming platform Roblox, a player created a simulation of the Interior Ministry forces in June to mark Russia Day.
Tanya Bekker, a researcher at ActiveFence, highlighted, “The gaming world is indeed a platform with the potential to influence public opinion, particularly among young populations.”
ActiveFence empowers Trust & Safety teams to proactively ensure online integrity, thereby safeguarding users from online harm across various content formats, languages, and abuse areas (source: activefence.com/about/).
In April, Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, disclosed that the company’s security teams had detected recent Russian attempts to infiltrate gaming communities, including those of Minecraft and Discord discussion groups. Clint Watts, the head of Microsoft’s threat analysis team, informed researchers about the Russian paramilitary force, the Wagner Group, which spread “malign narratives” on Discord and Steam to support the Kremlin’s perspectives.
The potential impact of using video games to promote specific narratives is considerable. Such efforts can shape public opinion, especially among young people who may develop biases concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If individuals align with this propaganda, they might be inclined to join the armed forces or contribute financially to the military cause.
