Game On: How Simulations are Enhancing Counter-Terrorism Responses

Tech Against Terrorism

Video games are increasingly being leveraged as powerful tools in the fight against extremism. Counter-terrorism practitioners are using these "serious games" to enhance critical thinking and decision-making by immersing participants in realistic scenarios that mirror real-world security challenges.

In this episode of the Tech Against Terrorism podcast, host Lucas Webber is joined by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Founder & CEO of Valens Games and an internationally recognised expert on political violence, alongside Eleanor Ross, Director of Game Design at Valens Games. Together, they discuss how immersive wargames and AI-driven narrative simulations are shaping the future of intelligence and counter-terrorism training.

🎧 Listen to learn:

➡︎ About the intersection of gaming and counter-terrorism

➡︎ How Valens Games develops simulations for practitioners

➡︎ The real-world applications of video game technology in security strategy

➡︎ The Challenges and risks associated with gamifying counter-terrorism training

➡︎ The role of AI and interactive storytelling in security simulations

📱Connect with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Eleanor Ross.

📚Learn more about Valens Games here.

⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn.

🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.

💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber.

📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.

🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.