Call of Duty Propaganda Warfare: How the World’s Most Popular Video Games Are Being Weaponized By Terrorist Organizations in their Video Propaganda

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  • May 14, 2020
Creator
  • Blair, Austin
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense
Abstract
  • Since the Islamic State burst onto the international scene in June 2014 and declared the reestablishment of the Islamic Caliphate, the group has been the center of attention for much of the counterterrorism world. Of particular import have been the high-end propaganda materials produced by the terrorist organization. Much research has focused on the print operations of the Islamic State, with a particular focus on its magazines Dabiq and Rumiyah. Receiving less attention were both Islamic State videos and those of its terrorist rivals and allies. Within this realm, Islamic State and a regional competitor, al Nusra descendent Ha’yat Taḥrīr al Sham (HTS), both have copied video games into their visual propaganda. This study sought to find out how extensive this motif was in terrorist propaganda.This case study of nearly 1,500 videos from Islamic State and Ha’yat Taḥrīr al Sham illuminates this trend and demonstrates that both groups copy video games prolifically. These groups have used video games as actual content, as inspiration, as source material for narratives and themes. They have hijacked a pastime beloved around the world to target a demographic that is primarily global, young, male, and tech savvy. A self-designed analytical framework reveals these groups’ use of video games has followed certain patterns and trends across time and space. These groups’ use of video games in propaganda has improved in sophistication over time and has come to command a significant share of its video propaganda. Combined with relevant video game statistics and pertinent psychological research, this study paints a portrait not only of the target demographic, but also of why the choice to copy video games is a calculated one for terrorist organizations. In total, analysis reveals that HTS and IS have developed comprehensive schemes to mimic and hijack both video games as a motif and their surrounding culture. Since this is a large file with embedded video clips, the best way to view and read this thesis is to download the zip file and open the HTML file "AGB Thesis Final WEB." Mozilla Firefox has been the best browser for this.
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Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Dauber, Cori
Degree
  • Bachelor of Arts
Academic concentration
  • Peace, War, & Defense
Honors level
  • Highest Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2019
Language
  • English

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file details Call_of_Duty-Propaganda_Warfare_Full_Draft.docx 2020-05-14 Public Download
file details HT Final Paper with Clips.zip 2019-05-18 Public Download