https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3881279 Skip to main content PDF iconDownload This Paper Open PDF in Browser Add Paper to My Library Share: * * * * Permalink Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely [https://papers.ssrn.] Copy URL [https://dx.doi.org/1] Copy DOI Surveilling the Gamers: Privacy Impacts of the Video Game Industry 23 Pages Posted: 8 Jul 2021 See all articles by Jacob Leon Kroger Jacob Leon Kroger Technische Universitat Berlin; Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society Philip Raschke Technische Universitat Berlin Jessica Percy Campbell University of Victoria Stefan Ullrich Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society Date Written: July 6, 2021 Abstract With many million users across all age groups and income levels, video games have become the world's leading entertainment industry. Behind the fun experience they provide, it goes largely unnoticed that modern game devices pose a serious threat to consumer privacy. To illustrate the industry's potential for illegitimate surveillance and user profiling, this paper offers a classification of data types commonly gathered by video games. Drawing from patents and literature of diverse disciplines, we also discuss how patterns and correlations in collected gameplay data may leak additional information in ways not easily understood or anticipated by the user. This includes inferences about a user's biometric identity, age and gender, emotions, skills, interests, consumption habits, and personality traits. Based on these findings, we argue that video games need to be brought into the focus of privacy research and discourse. Considering the granularity and enormous scale of the data collection taking place, this industry deserves the same level of scrutiny as other digital services, such as search engines, dating apps, or social media platforms. The knowledge compiled in this paper can serve as a basis for privacy impact assessments, consumer education, and further research into the societal impact of video games. Keywords: Video game, Privacy, Surveillance, Behavioral analysis, Data mining, Inference Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation Kroger, Jacob Leon and Raschke, Philip and Campbell, Jessica Percy and Ullrich, Stefan, Surveilling the Gamers: Privacy Impacts of the Video Game Industry (July 6, 2021). Available at SSRN: https:// ssrn.com/abstract=3881279 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3881279 Jacob Leon Kroger (Contact Author) Technische Universitat Berlin Strasse des 17. Juni 135 Berlin, 10623 Germany Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society Hardenbergstrasse 32 Berlin, 10623 Germany Philip Raschke Technische Universitat Berlin ( email ) Strasse des 17 Juni 135 Berlin, 10623 Germany Jessica Percy Campbell University of Victoria ( email ) 3800 Finnerty Rd Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2 Canada Stefan Ullrich Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society ( email ) Berlin Germany PDF iconDownload This Paper Open PDF in Browser Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN? 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