Let’s Play Extremism: Analysing Trends and Identifying Gaps in the Study of Far-Right Gaming Videos

This article examines the exploitation of Let’s Play (LP) gaming videos by far-right actors to mainstream white supremacist ideologies within digital gaming communities. Through a comprehensive literature review and content analysis of the Nordic Resistance Movement’s (NRM) BitChute gaming series, we demonstrate how LP videos serve as vehicles for political radicalisation beyond traditional entertainment purposes. The analysis reveals that LP videos function as cultural artefacts valued for creator personalities rather than solely gaming content, enabling parasocial relationships that facilitate processes of ideological transmission. Far-right LP content often circumvents content moderation systems, thereby reaching mainstream audiences through coded language and cultural references. These videos also operate as metapolitical tools, furthering cultural transformation, whereby actors strategically “occupy culture” to advance white supremacist political ideologies. The case study of the NRM’s “Gaming with Tiwaz” series demonstrates how a designated terrorist organisation has strategically deployed LP videos to normalise neo-Nazi ideology through casual framing, community-building, and affective engagement. This research also identifies critical gaps in understanding radicalisation pathways, audience reception, and effective intervention strategies within gaming environments.