“The effects of COVID and the isolation and what’s called the gamification influence where young men are growing up being raised by video games.”
MSNBC aired a discussion suggesting that pandemic-era isolation and online video gaming could play a role in radicalizing young people toward violence following the Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday. National security analyst Christopher O’Leary claimed that factors ranging from family breakdown to the “gamification” of culture are increasingly cited by security professionals as pathways to extremist thinking.
“Whether it's a terrorist organization or the variety of ideologies that different people follow, they're following them because they have susceptibility,” O’Leary said. “Maybe it's some kind of mental break. Maybe it's their life has gone down the toilet and they have no hope. Maybe they have bad parenting—a variety of things.”
He pointed specifically to COVID-19 lockdowns as a turning point. “The effects of COVID and the isolation and what's called the gamification influence where young men are growing up being raised by video games—all of those things are involved in really people mobilizing towards violence more routinely,” he explained.
O’Leary also claimed that radicalization can occur entirely within gaming platforms. “You will also see people get radicalized solely on these video games through headsets,” he said. “They may never go on the internet otherwise.”
The shooter in the Wednesday morning mass shooting has been identified as Robin, born Robert Westman. The suspect identified as transgender.
A since-deleted YouTube account under the username "robinw" posted numerous videos in the hours leading up to the shooting. In one video, the user showed off weaponry and gear that had writings on it, including the phrases "where is your god?," "kill Donald Trump," and "I'm the Woker, baby, Why so serious?"
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