Gamified Extremist Recruitment on Social Platforms

Abstract

Extremist actors have increasingly adopted gamified elements on online platforms—such as leaderboards, point systems, badges, multiplayer missions, role-playing narratives, and identity-based challenges—to attract, engage, and retain vulnerable individuals. These mechanisms do not inherently cause radicalization; rather, they exploit existing vulnerabilities including identity crises, marginalization, status-seeking behavior, and online social dependency. This paper synthesizes research from political psychology, digital sociology, UX design, and online extremism studies to analyze how gamification intersects with algorithmic exposure, social influence, and platform affordances. A new model, Gamified Radicalization Vulnerability Framework (GRVF), is introduced to map pathways from psychological distress to ideological immersion while emphasizing early intervention and protective design. Policy implications center on youth safety, platform regulation, ethical content moderation, and digital literacy programs.