Yearning for a world full of hate? Well then come to Steam, one of the world's largest gaming platforms. If you are unfamiliar with the company, think of it as the Netflix of video games.
With a community of around 125 million, the app is a veritable juggernaut in the gaming world. It attracts young people in droves looking for a place where they can not only play the most popular games but chat and meet like-minded people. And that is part of the problem.
While other online platforms have been proactive in weeding out hate groups and violent language,
Steam, owned by Valve Corporation, has largely kept silent, choosing only to react when accounts of racism on the platform appear in the news.
A basic search in the groups tab for words and phrases like "Nazis" or "Jews" or "school shooting" will bring up thousands of results: "KILL ALL THE JEWS" or "How to shoot up a school"; are just a few of the horrible community groups that exist within Steam, but they are by no means the worst. Valve's lackadaisical response to this type of activity shows a lack of integrity but it also provides a place where hate can fester. Case in point, 17-year-old Nicholas Giampa found a safe haven for his ideals in Steam's chat rooms. His profile was filled with Nazi imagery and white nationalist rhetoric. Giampa was a white supremacist.
When his girlfriend's parents' found out about his views they reported him and he shot them dead. Valve needs to take action to rid Steam of the hate and violence that lies right below the surface. Please sign the petition to ask them to rid their platform of hate and make gaming safe for all of their members, rather than a safe place for bigots. 