Case

Bad news

Making headlines with a serious game about fake news.

What we did

Serious game, Concept, Naming, Design, Development

Challenge

Bring a scientifically proven method to combat disinfo to a global audience.

Solution

A serious game that’s seriously fun to play, letting players experiment with common disinformation techniques. Based on inoculation theory.

Distort the truth, command a bot army, gather a million loyal followers!

The inner workings of fake news

A serious game about fake news, made in collaboration with DROG (a group of researchers, journalists and media-experts) and the University of Cambridge. The game teaches players the inner workings of fake news.

5-bn

Inspiration

For the game’s visual identity we took inspiration from the “tacky” and “over-the-top” aesthetic of tabloid newspapers and clickbait media sites.

Verified to be effective

The game is scientifically proven to be effective: playing the game increases your resistance against fake news. This makes the game a powerful tool in the fight against disinformation. It’s being played in class rooms all over the world.

Martijn Gussekloo

Have an idea for a serious game? Contact Martijn.