Fake Plots! 

Description

• How do conspiracy theories arise, and why do they become popular? By playing, we will understand from the inside what mechanisms are involved in developing and spreading a conspiracy theory.

• In the game, you will create a new conspiracy theory and disseminate it on a social platform created specifically for this purpose!

How to play

• The aim of the game is to artfully create conspiracy theories and spread them, so that they become as popular as possible in that social community. 

• To this end, you will be given time to study the "conspiracy theorist's toolkit". When you are ready, you will join Glitter. Glitter is the social media platform where the game takes place. You can access the platform here. 

• A breaking news item from a mainstream information channel will appear in the Glitter newsfeed. From that moment, you can post your conspiracy-themed response to the news item in question and interact with other players - commenting, liking, and reposting contributions. 

• This part of the game lasts 10 minutes, during which new updates on the initial news item will also appear. During the 10 minutes of play, your activity and that of the other players will be monitored by the Glitter algorithm, which determines the players' "popularity score".

• The popularity score is updated in real time in the ranking available in the relevant section of the Glitter app, accessible on the sidebar by clicking on the Trophy symbol. When the game stops, whoever has scored the most popularity points wins. 

Score system

You will be awarded:

• 3 points when your post is liked;

• 4 points when your post is reposted;

• 5 points when there is a comment on your post;  

• 1.5 points when you like another player's post;

• 2 points when you repost another player’s post;

• 2.5 points when you comment on another player's post.

The Conspiracy Theorist's Kit

• The kit teaches you some useful strategies to develop and spread your explanations on Glitter.

Resources

Here you find a write up of our experience playing Fake Plots!

Watch some mini talks and video resources on conspiracy theories.

Credits

• The game was developed from an idea of Anna Ichino, in collaboration with Lisa Bortolotti. The Glitter platform was created by Paolo Ceravolo and Diego Tarantola. The design of the kit is by ma:design - Massimiliano Patrignani, Monica Zaffini. 

• Thanks to Nikk Effingham for contributing to the English version of the kit. Thanks to Fer Zambra for developing the Spanish version of the game.