Games are a weapon in the war on disinformation
They are effective at teaching players how to spot falsehoods online
THE MAYOR of your city has announced a strange new public project: a lavish park especially for cats. It seems like a waste of money so, with the help of some activists you have met online, you campaign against it on social media. You start with rousing posts—“Breaking News: Outrageous! City prioritises elitist pets over our kids!”—and funny memes. You soon move on to doctoring images to make it look like the mayor is part of “an ultra-secret cat-worshipping cult”. You galvanise your followers to take violent action.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Players and the played”
Culture
April 8th 2023
From the April 8th 2023 edition
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