Gaming Against Misinformation: 'Bad News' Teaches Students to Spot Fake News
A study reveals that playing ‘Bad News’, a game where one plays as a disinformation spreader, enhances students’ ability to discern fake news.
Innovative Learning Through Gameplay
A novel educational tool has emerged from Maastricht University, leveraging the immersive power of computer games to tackle the pervasive issue of misinformation. ‘Bad News’ puts players in the shoes of those who create and spread disinformation, providing a practical, interactive method to understand and identify misleading content. This approach aims to empower students with critical thinking skills necessary in the digital age, by exposing them to the strategies used by purveyors of fake news.
A Collaborative Development Effort
The development of ‘Bad News’ is the result of a collaboration between researchers from the University of Cambridge and various video game studios. The game’s effectiveness was tested involving 516 Swedish upper secondary school students across four different institutions, demonstrating that engagement with the game improved their ability to differentiate between reliable and misleading news. The collaborative effort underscores the potential of interdisciplinary partnerships in creating innovative educational solutions.
Understanding the Mechanics
The game operates by breaking down six key misinformation tactics: impersonation, emotion, polarisation, conspiracy, discrediting, and trolling. The strategic gameplay requires users to employ these tactics, in turn educating them about the manipulation techniques often used in spreading disinformation. It’s a method referred to as ‘prebunking,’ which anticipates misinformation strategies and equips individuals with the ability to identify them before they are deceived.
Quantifiable Educational Benefits
The study, published in the Journal of Research on Technology in Education, found that students showed a marked improvement in their ability to identify manipulative social media techniques. By engaging in the game either individually or in groups, students encountered a variety of scenarios that tested their discernment skills. The outcome was a statistically significant increase in their ability to recognize and evaluate the credibility of news sources, fostering a more critical and informed perspective on media consumption.