Cat Park
A serious game, developed in cooperation with U.S. Department of State, that's centered around a mysterious, cat-related conspiracy. Winner of the Games For Change 2023 award.
What we did
Serious game, Concept, Design, Art direction, Development
Challenge
Teaching people to recognize online manipulation and arm themselves against it.
Solution
An exciting, story-driven game to boost cognitive resistance against disinformation.
Play to understand
Cat Park is a free, online visual novel that teaches players about common tactics and techniques of online manipulation. We based the design on ‘active inoculation theory’, so that the game works as a effective intervention; playing the game builds cognitive resistance against common disinformation techniques.
Flexible game engine
The game engine is custom made, allowing us to bring a colorful neo-noir city to the web, including a cast of very odd characters and a number of plot-twists. The game combines hand drawn animations, atmospheric audio and fun minigames in a light weight, mobile first package that runs on any modern browser. A user friendly backend makes it possible to craft multiple story lines and game variations.
In a survey analysis of the game’s efficacy conducted by the University of Cambridge researchers found that players are 19% more likely to spot disinformation and 15% less likely to share it.
Cat Park won “Best Civics Game” in the Games For Change 2023 Awards.
We designed and develop Cat Park in collaboration with Tilt and Jordi Verdult. The amazing graphics and animations were made by Felicia Kiessling. The impeccable sounds were created by Corey Taylor.
Cat Park was funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) and U.S. Embassy The Hague.
