Video games may ease loneliness among young men, but also attract extremist influence

Young men in the United States face high rates of loneliness and suicide, and a 2017 Pew study found that 72 percent of those under 30 play video games often or sometimes, making gaming a key social arena. George E. Osborn, founder of Half-Space Consulting, notes that this environment can both alleviate isolation and be weaponized by anti-democratic forces, citing the 2014 Gamergate harassment campaign and its subsequent pipeline to the 2017 Charlottesville rally, a process amplified by Steve Bannon’s media strategy.

Osborn also highlights constructive uses of games, such as the State Department’s 2024 Ctrl+Alt+Disinfo partnership with The Global Game Jam, which produced titles that illustrate how misinformation spreads. Funding for such projects vanished after Donald Trump’s second term began and budget cuts by Elon Musk’s DOGE impacted government spending. Positive examples include Epic Games’ Fortnite charity drives that raised more for the Red Cross than several European nations, and UN-backed Playing for the Planet Alliance’s climate-themed games, showing that collaborative, bottom-up approaches can achieve broad impact. The piece concludes that while gaming can be a lifeline for isolated men, coordinated efforts are needed to steer its influence toward public good.