Member-only story
What to Do When Your Video Game Gets Co-opted by Neo-Nazis
‘Crusader Kings 3’ depicts a more diverse and connected version of the Middle Ages than its predecessors
The Swedish video game maker Paradox Development Studio has a problem. Paradox is the creator of Crusader Kings, a wildly popular medieval history simulation game franchise. Unfortunately, that following includes a small but internet-savvy cohort of dedicated white supremacists. It’s a niche problem, but one that can escalate from online hate speech to terrorism.
Myths about medieval European history are important to white supremacists. This community imagines a past in which Europe was solely racially white, isolated from outside influences, entirely patriarchal, and organized militarily against threats from non-Christian brown people. In fact, none of these beliefs about the Middle Ages are true, but a video game set in the Middle Ages allows people to create their own fantasies of the past. For example, on Stormfront, a sprawling neo-Nazi newsletter and discussion board, a user under the handle “sXe SSkinhead” wrote, “I would also like to say that Crusader Kings 2 features an option to Expel the Jews from your land… that’s a plus in a video game if you ask me.” He was referring to the game’s “Sons of Abraham” expansion, which adds significant…
