![]() In addition to revenue made from other developers selling games on Steam, Valve, also makes its own games that it sells on the platform, such as Counterstrike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2. Game developers that sell on Steam range from independent developers, to small studios, to industry giants such as Xbox, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts and Bethesda. Valve, Steam’s owner/operator, takes 30 percent of the revenue from game developers for all games sold on the Steam platform. Source: GDC State of the Game Industry Report Both games were developed by Valve, the company that owns and operates Steam, underscoring a clear need for this and other companies to be more transparent about how extremism functions in online game spaces, and to call particular attention to the role Valve plays in the operating of the Steam platform. ![]() Steam is of specific concern now when considering that the online games where Americans experienced the most harassment, according to ADL’s survey, were Defense of the Ancients 2 or DOTA 2 (79%) and Counterstrike: Global Offensive (75%). That being said, the Steam platform is among the growing list of virtual spaces where one can encounter extremist activity. While much has been written on this topic, outside of these survey results, the evidence of the widespread extremist recruiting or organizing in online game environments (such as in Fortnite or other popular titles) remains anecdotal at best, and more research is required before any broad-based claims can be made. Source: Newzoo Global Games Market Report 2019ĪDL’s 2019 nationally representative survey of Americans who play online multiplayer games found that 23% of respondents were exposed to extremist white supremacist ideology in online games. ![]() The PC game market, specifically, includes video games played on PC computers, as opposed to games played on mobile devices or consoles such as Playstation or Xbox, and generates $35.3 billion annually, or 24 percent of total gaming revenue. Gaming plays a huge role in American life: according to the Entertainment Software Associatio n, 75% of American households include at least one gamer, and the video game industry generates more money annually than the film and music industries combined. ![]() Many of these game companies have made public statements about and dedicated significant resources towards keeping their products safe from the kinds of hateful ideologies espoused by extremists - while continuing to work with Steam. The difference between Steam and social media platforms like Telegram or Gab is that while the latter do not share a formal business relationship with the wider social media industry, Steam has direct and lucrative relationships with most major game companies, including 2K, Electronic Arts, Xbox Game Studios, Ubisoft and others. Steam, the largest and most important online store for PC gamers with over $4 Billion in revenue in 2017, has recently gained popularity among white supremacists for being a platform, like Gab and Telegram, where they can openly express their ideology and calls for violence. The platform hosting these threats: Steam, the leading storefront and social platform for PC games. The criminal complaint states that Farca, using the handle “Adolf Hitler (((6million)))),” repeatedly posted online threats against “high value” Jewish targets and police officers, praised Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant as a “hero” and boasted of violent plans: “Wanna see a mass shooting with a body count of over 30 subhumans?” They acted on an anonymous tip sent to the Concord, California, Police Department, flagging a potential imminent threat. On June 10, 2019, authorities in Northern California arrested Ross Farca, 23, on state felony criminal threats and weapons charges.
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