From Play to Mobilization: A Sociotechnical Pathway from Youth Gaming Communities to Geopolitical Cyber Operations

Abstract

Digital gaming communities have become dexnse sociotechnical environments in which youth develop trust,
technical fluency, identity, and coordination practices that extend far beyond gameplay. This paper investigates how such
communities can, under particular structural conditions, evolve into networks that participate in cyber activities with
geopolitical relevance. Rather than treating this transition as primarily ideological from the outset, the paper argues that the
pathway is initially sociotechnical: repeated interaction builds social cohesion, status systems reward experimentation and
technical competence, and platform migration enables tighter coordination across gaming, chat, and adjacent online spaces.
Drawing on prior work on youth gaming, online extremism, gaming-adjacent radicalization, and child involvement in cyber
operations, the paper develops a four-stage lifecycle of formation, capability building, alignment, and deployment. It then
illustrates this lifecycle through three case studies that show both prosocial and harmful trajectories. The central claim is
that escalation is better explained by evolving community structure and task organization than by overt political language
alone. The paper concludes by proposing youth-centered interventions, platform governance strategies, and early warning
indicators that can reduce exploitative mobilization while preserving the legitimate social and educational value of gaming
culture.