Why have people taken to video games to express solidarity with Palestine?

A rally for Palestine in the popular massive multiplayer online (MMO) game Roblox went viral, bringing attention to political activism in video games. These spaces have been utilised in protest before, particularly by the Black Lives Matter movement and pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. They can provide an outlet for participation for people unwilling or unable to take part in physical protests. Game developers can also create games themselves with an activist message. But questions remain over how much of a real-world impact these video game protests have, with critics accusing them of being merely performative clicktivism.

Presenter: Anelise Borges

Guests:
Jennifer Stavros – Culture journalist
Daniel Fernandez Galeote – Gamification Group researcher
Adelle Lin – Creative engineer