January 07, 2013
In 2002, the ADL wrote a report about Racist Groups using Computer Gaming to Promote Hate and Violence against Blacks, Latinos, and Jews (PDF).
Introduction
Attempting to capitalize on the vast popularity of computer video games - especially among the young - hate groups are manipulating available technology to create violently racist and anti-Semitic versions of popular video games.
With titles such as "Ethnic Cleansing" and "Shoot the Blacks," the manipulated games are proliferating on the Internet, where they can be previewed, purchased or downloaded on the Web sites of some of the nation's most dangerous hate groups. These so-called "White Power" games are advertised as "entertainment" on extremist sites run by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and Holocaust deniers.
Once again, racists are finding new ways to exploit technology to spread their message of white supremacy, anti-Semitism and hate to a mass audience. As with most computer games, these games are being created primarily for a teenage audience. The difference is these games are loaded with blatantly racist messages and themes. It's a disgusting, sick perversion of the original games, where the manipulated versions give players points for killing as many non-whites and Jews as possible.
Several hate groups have invented new game levels and characters by taking advantage of a built-in feature of some commercially sold games that enable them to be modified - creating "mods," in the industry parlance - of the original games. Other hate groups have created their own original racist games using "open-source" software that enables new games to be constructed essentially from scratch.