The Bad News Game confers resistance against disinformation by putting players in the position of the people who create it, and as such gain insight into the various tactics and methods used by ‘real’ fake news-mongers to spread their message. This, in turn, builds up resistance. The game works in a simple and straightforward way: players are shown a short text or image (such as a meme or article headline) and can react to them in a variety of ways. There are two ways in which their score is measured: ‘followers’ and ‘credibility’. Choosing an option that is in line with what a ‘real’ producer of disinformation would choose gets them more followers and credibility. If, however, they lie too blatantly to their followers, choose an option that is overtly ridiculous or act too much in line with journalistic best practices, the game either takes followers away or lowers their credibility. The aim of the game is to gather as many followers as possible without losing too much credibility.

*Information courtesy of the Bad News Game Information Sheet

In “Factitious,” players read abbreviated news stories and have to swipe right if they think they’re real or swipe left if they think they’re fake. Once a reader makes their choice, the game tells them if they were right or wrong. A player also has the option to see the source of the story, which can be a big hint.

*Information courtesy of https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/fake-news-factitious-game-1202861337/