GEMS at World Youth Forum 2024: Tackling Extremist Threats in Gaming – Bledar Feta

Bledar Feta took part in the World Youth Forum 2024 in Porto, Portugal, an event hosted by the Centre for Diplomatic Advancement. This remarkable gathering united 140 young leaders, innovators, and change-makers from 90 diverse nationalities, all dedicated to tackling the most pressing challenges of our era.

In his address to the youth delegates, Bledar Feta showcased the EU-funded GEMS project, shedding light on one of the most intricate security challenges of our time: the exploitation of online gaming platforms by extremists. Feta delved into the various dimensions of this complex phenomenon, explaining how extremists leverage these platforms to propagate their ideologies and recruit new supporters. He highlighted the critical issue of awareness, particularly among young people, including gamers themselves. Out of the 140 individuals present, only one was aware of the extremist risks lurking within the gaming ecosystem. In addition, he emphasized that gamers should be equipped with tools and mechanisms to report any suspicious activity within their gaming environments.

Feta highlighted the crucial work that GEMS partners are doing to generate primary knowledge about the exploitation of online gaming platforms by extremists and to inform various audiences about this pressing issue. Through the presentation of the GEMS project at this event, a significant number of young people were informed about the issue, and it was heartening to see the audience’s keen interest in learning more. Many young participants recognized the presence of extremists in the gaming ecosystem as a substantial risk that could undermine peaceful coexistence, especially amidst the current geopolitical developments.

You can learn more about the GEMS project by visiting the project’s official website here.