Bad News (video game)

Bad News
Developer(s)	DROG and University of Cambridge
Designer(s)	Gusmanson
Platform(s)	Browser
Release	February 19, 2018

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]

References

1. "Social Impact Game". 5 April 2018. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
2. "About Bad News". 5 April 2018.
3. "Game helps players spot 'fake news'". BBC News. 22 February 2018.
4. "This video game wants to be a fake news vaccine". MIT Technology Review. 20 February 2018.
5. "Bad News: the game researchers hope will 'vaccinate' public against fake news". The Guardian. 19 February 2018.
6. "Researchers have created a 'vaccine' for fake news. It's a game". CNN. 4 July 2019.
7. "Fake news 'vaccine' teaches you to spot disinformation". Reuters. 20 March 2018.
8. "Spot Fake News By Making It". NPR. 19 March 2018.
9. "Brouwer Vertrouwensprijs 2020: Online game tegen fake news wint 100.000 euro voor verdere ontwikkeling". Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen. 16 January 2020.
10. "2020 Research Prize in Public Interest Communications". University of Florida. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
11. "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" (PDF). Design Museum. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
12. "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. doi:10.1080/13669877.2018.1443491. S2CID 149129860.
14. Roozenbeek, J; van der Linden, S (2019). "Fake news game confers psychological resistance against online misinformation". Palgrave Communications. 5 (65). doi:10.1057/s41599-019-0279-9. S2CID 195329457.
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. doi:10.5334/joc.91. PMC 6952868. PMID 31934684.
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). doi:10.37016//mr-2020-008. {{cite journal}}: External link in |doi= (help)
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. doi:10.1177/0013164420940378. PMC 10621688. PMID 37929261.
18. "Recognize disinformation: after this game, you will be expert in recognising fake news". Delfi. 11 September 2020.

Other websites

• Official website
• YouTube CNN Interview with game designer
• The Economist documentary