Bad News (video game) explained

Bad News
Developer:DROG and University of Cambridge
Platforms:Browser
Released:February 19, 2018
Designer:Gusmanson

Bad News is a free browser game in which players take the perspective of a fake news tycoon. It was released on February 19, 2018. The game is classified as a serious game and a newsgame aimed at improving media literacy and social impact.[1] The game was produced by the Dutch media platform "DROG"[2] in collaboration with University of Cambridge scientists. The game has been described by the media as a "fake news vaccine".[3] [4] [5] [6]

Gameplay

The purpose of the game is to immunize the public against misinformation by letting players take on the role of a fake news producer. In the game, players earn "badges",[7] each of which correspond to common techniques used in the production of fake news, such as polarization, conspiracy theories, discrediting, trolling, and invoking emotion. The goal is to build your own fake news empire and gain as many followers as possible while maintaining credibility. The game is based on a psychological concept known as inoculation theory, where exposure to weakened doses of common fake news tactics is thought to help confer resistance or psychological immunity against fake news.[8]

Reception

The game received the 2020 Brouwers Trust Prize from the Royal Holland Society of Sciences[9] and the Frank Prize in Public Interest Communications from the University of Florida's College of Journalism.[10]

The game was on exhibit in the London Design Museum for Beazley's Designs of the Year[11] and the University of South Australia's Museum of Discovery[12] and has been the subject of scientific research evaluating its impact on fake news discernment and recognition.[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

Localization

In 2020, localised versions of the game were released for Eastern European markets where Russian-backed disinformation is of particular concern. Debunk.org published multiple-language versions of the game in Russian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Polish.[18]

Other websites

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Social Impact Game. 5 April 2018. 30 July 2020. 10 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180510050641/https://www.aboutbadnews.com/social-impact-game. dead.
  2. Web site: About Bad News. 5 April 2018.
  3. Web site: Game helps players spot 'fake news'. BBC News . 22 February 2018.
  4. Web site: This video game wants to be a fake news vaccine. MIT Technology Review . 20 February 2018.
  5. Web site: Bad News: the game researchers hope will 'vaccinate' public against fake news. The Guardian . 19 February 2018.
  6. Web site: Researchers have created a 'vaccine' for fake news. It's a game. CNN. 4 July 2019.
  7. Web site: Fake news 'vaccine' teaches you to spot disinformation. Reuters. 20 March 2018.
  8. Web site: Spot Fake News By Making It. NPR . 19 March 2018.
  9. Web site: Brouwer Vertrouwensprijs 2020: Online game tegen fake news wint 100.000 euro voor verdere ontwikkeling. Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen. 16 January 2020.
  10. Web site: 2020 Research Prize in Public Interest Communications. University of Florida. 16 January 2020. 30 July 2020. 6 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200806153141/https://realgoodcenter.jou.ufl.edu/2020-research-prize-in-public-interest-communications/. dead.
  11. Web site: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, the world's first plastic-free shopping aisle, and the SpaceX Falcon Heavyrocket: Design Museum announces Beazley Designs of the Year nominees. Design Museum. 2018. 2020-07-30. 2021-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20210303140743/https://www.beazley.com/Documents/Beazley%20DotY%20final.pdf. dead.
  12. Web site: Bad News Game. Museum of Discovery and Science . 2020.
  13. Roozenbeek. J . van der Linden. S . 2018. The fake news game: actively inoculating against the risk of misinformation . Journal of Risk Research . 22 . 5. 570–580 . 10.1080/13669877.2018.1443491. 149129860 .
  14. Roozenbeek. J. van der Linden. S. 2019. Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation. Palgrave Communications. 5. 65. 10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9. 195329457. free.
  15. Basol. M . Roozenbeek. J . van der Linden. S . 2020. Good News about Bad News: Gamified Inoculation Boosts Confidence and Cognitive Immunity Against Fake News. Journal of Cognition . 3 . 1 . 2 . 10.5334/joc.91. 31934684 . 6952868 . free.
  16. Roozenbeek. J . van der Linden. S . Nygren. T . 2020. Prebunking interventions based on "inoculation" theory can reduce susceptibility to misinformation across cultures. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review . 1 . 2 . 10.37016//mr-2020-008. free.
  17. Roozenbeek. J . Maertens. R . McClanahan. P . van der Linden . S . 2020. Disentangling Item and Testing Effects in Inoculation Research on Online Misinformation: Solomon Revisited. Educational and Psychological Measurement . 81 . 2 . 340–362 . 10.1177/0013164420940378. free. 37929261 . 10621688 .
  18. Web site: Recognize disinformation: after this game, you will be expert in recognising fake news. . 11 September 2020.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bad News (video game)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.