Combat troops navigate through streets engulfed in flames. Fighter jets are brought down by missiles. Tanks are turned to rubble by drones. These gripping visuals may resemble real-life warfare, but they are actually clips from video games that are fueling the spread of misinformation.
Footage from the war-themed video game Arma 3, often misleadingly labeled as “live” or “breaking news” to appear authentic, has been repeatedly used in fake videos about the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The frequency and ease with which gaming footage is mistaken for real combat, even by some media broadcasters, and shared as genuine news on social media, highlight its potential to disseminate misinformation.
“The fact that this keeps happening is a reminder of how easily people can be deceived,” stated Claire Wardle, co-director of the Information Futures Lab at Brown University. “As video game graphics become more sophisticated, computer-generated imagery (CGI) can, at a glance, look genuine. People need to learn how to verify images, including examining metadata, in order to prevent these mistakes, particularly within newsrooms.”
Arma 3, developed by a Czech-based company and promising “true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox,” allows players to create various scenarios using aircraft, tanks, and weapons. Players often upload extensive gaming footage on platforms like YouTube, and researchers attribute its widespread availability to its misuse.
Underneath an Arma 3 video titled “Ukraine’s counteroffensive!”—which simulated a missile strike on tanks—one user, who mistook it for authentic footage, wrote: “After this war, we should ask Ukraine to train NATO forces on how to fight.”
The Era of Misinformation on TikTok
“While it is flattering that Arma 3 accurately simulates modern warfare, we are not pleased that it can be misconstrued as genuine combat footage and used as war propaganda,” stated a representative from Bohemia Interactive, the game’s creator. “We have been attempting to combat this content by reporting these videos to platform providers, but it is largely ineffective. For every video taken down, ten more are uploaded each day.”
In recent years, Arma 3 videos have been used to falsely depict other conflicts, including Syria, Afghanistan, and Palestine. These videos have often been debunked by fact-checkers, including AFP, which exposed a video in November claiming to show US-made Javelin missiles striking Russian tanks. The video had garnered tens of thousands of views on social media.
Bohemia Interactive stated that these misleading videos have gained traction specifically regarding the Ukrainian conflict, earning the label of the “first TikTok war.” The conflict is unique as it is inundated with a constant stream of visual content from the frontlines, some of which is deceptive or false, flooding social media platforms.
Due to the unsophisticated nature of the Arma 3 misinformation, researchers believe it is unlikely the work of state actors. “I suspect that the people posting this content are just trolls doing it to see how many people they can fool,” explained Nick Waters from the digital forensics firm Bellingcat. “Secondary disseminators are gullible individuals who pick up this content and share it to gain fake internet points.”
Bohemia Interactive stated that these false videos have been “massively shared” by social media users, many of whom seek engagement bait—captivating posts that generate more interaction through likes, shares, and comments.
Distinguishing Reality from Fiction
Bohemia Interactive acknowledged that the Arma 3 videos, which possess the potential to spread fake news, have been shared by various mainstream media and government institutions worldwide. In a live broadcast in November, Romania TV mistakenly presented an old Arma 3 video as battle footage from Ukraine. Even a former Romanian defense minister and former intelligence chief provided their analysis of the footage as if it were real.
This incident occurred after another Romanian news channel, Antena 3, made the same mistake in February. The channel invited experts, including the spokesman of the Romanian defense ministry, to analyze their video sourced from Arma 3.
Bohemia Interactive has urged users to responsibly use gaming footage, avoid using clickbait titles, and clearly state that the content was derived from a video game. Researchers note that these videos are relatively easier to debunk compared to “deepfakes”—fabricated images, audio, and videos created using sophisticated technology that is increasingly becoming prevalent in the criminal underworld.
“If you know what you’re looking for, these (Arma 3) videos aren’t actually difficult to identify as fakes,” said Waters. “Despite how visually impressive Arma 3 is, it still significantly differs from reality.”
The fact that many individuals are unable to distinguish between the two underscores a harsh reality in the era of misinformation. “It shows that some people lack the skills needed to navigate the current information landscape,” Waters stated.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
