Bertelsmann Stiftung Study Explores the Democratic Potential of Gaming Communities
"Gaming communities are anything but apolitical" is one of the findings of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's study, "Spielräume für Demokratie - Potenziale und Spannungsfelder im Gaming" (Room for Democracy: Potential and Areas of Tension in Gaming).
In Germany, gaming is generally regarded as either an economic factor or a form of entertainment. However, the political views of gamers are often overlooked, particularly when they interact with each other in gaming communities such as Twitch, TikTok, YouTube or Discord. These digital spaces bring together a high level of socio-political engagement and trust in democracy with a culture of debate that is both diverse and problematic in some respects. This topic was examined in a study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, written by Dr Joachim Rother, Jessica Gerke, Aurelia Brandenburg and Prof. Dr Jeffrey Wimmer.