Have fun and learn: the best games for spotting hoaxes
Who said that playing and learning should be separate worlds? That’s silly! Playing games is one of the best ways to remember new information. Why is that? Well, when we are having fun, new information becomes etched in our minds. That is why we have prepared a list of the best games and activities to help you learn how to verify what you read and become more aware of the nature of disinformation. We suggest that you put yourself in the shoes of a journalist, or a fake news creator. Learn how to train your eye to identify fake photos and how to figure out where you are if you get lost with Google Street View… Play and find out if you are ready to be good fake hunters!
HECHO
ECHO is an educational escape room created within the framework of the European ENDGAME project to help young people understand how artificial intelligence works and develop a critical perspective on digital disinformation. In the game, participants become content moderators on ECHO, a fictional social network where they must identify automated accounts, detect AI-generated content, and recognize inappropriate uses of this technology. The resource was developed by an international consortium with the participation of the Maldita Foundation, among others, and is accompanied by a teaching guide for addressing topics such as climate disinformation, generative AI, fact-checking, emotional manipulation, and content moderation on social media in the classroom.
La fábrica de bulos
La fábrica de bulos is a virtual escape room created by Maldita.es and Oxfam Intermón to raise awareness about the misinformation that affects migrants and its consequences. For 45 minutes, participants become investigative journalists and must gather evidence to uncover a network dedicated to generating and spreading hoaxes against the migrant population. The cases that appear in the game are based on real misinformation denied by Maldita Migración, and the tour incorporates media literacy resources to work on concepts such as stereotypes, biases, echo chambers, bubble filters and hate speech.
Bad News
In Bad News you play the role of a fake news creator. Drop your ethics and take the path that will get you the most followers on your social media. How do you play? The game offers you a series of choices and you have to walk a fine line. If your lies are too obvious, you lose credibility, but if you are too truthful, you lose followers. The goal is to bend the truth without breaking it as you watch the number of your followers go through the roof. Be careful! It is addictive to see the number of followers going up and it seems so simple…
Which face is real
The rules are simple: you click on the person you think is real. The game Which face is real? shows you two faces and you decide which one is computer-generated. Easy right? Well, it isn’t. The game has been developed at the University of Washington as part of the Calling Bullshit project. The aim is to “make you aware of the ease with which digital identities can be faked, and to help you spot these fakes at a single glance.” Try it out. It’s much harder than you might think.
EUvsDisinfo Quiz
“Can disinformation fool you?” This is the question that welcomes you to the EUvsDisinfo Quiz. The quiz takes you through a series of tweets and news stories and asks you to identify which of them are real, fake, or satire. It’s a chance to play at being a real journalist and learn to dig deeper by consulting the sources and rooting out deception. The project is part of the European External Action Service, which is dedicated to identifying and exposing disinformation narratives originating in pro-Kremlin media.
First Draft Geolocation Challenge
A vehicle exploded and you are told that it was in Turkey. How can you know if it really happened? Geolocation is one of the best ways to verify images by taking advantage of the observable clues in a photograph and identifying its real position on the map. This is what the First Draft Geolocation Challenge offers. Perhaps you can see a sign, the name of a street, a store, or a license plate on a car; all these clues will help you pass the First Draft test. First Draft News is the premier anti-disinformation site leading the fight against misinformation by proving people with the necessary knowledge and tools.
GeoGuessr
This is probably the best-known application on this list. GeoGuessr has become a live-streaming phenomenon on Twitch. Your job is simple, figure out where in the world the game has dropped you in the shortest time possible. You use Google StreetView, like in the previous game, and have to collect information from your surroundings such as traffic signs, landmarks, and shop signs to discover where you’ve been randomly dropped. The more precise you are, the higher your score.
BBC iReporter
Congratulations! You have been chosen to join the BBC’s team of journalists! What is your assignment? Cover a breaking news story and report it on the BBC. This is the challenge in the BBC iReporter game. You will be assessed based on your accuracy, speed and impact. Be careful not to fall for hoaxes and remember that your sources are your best allies. But relax; you will be provided with tips on how to detect misinformation. The BBC released this game in 2018 to help 11 to 18-year-olds identify misinformation online.
Harmony Square
Hello and congratulations! You’re hired!
Hired? As what?
As our new Chief Disinformation Officer!
That’s how you are introduced to Harmony Square where your mission is to trample the peace and quiet of Harmony Square, a neighborhood obsessed with democracy. The strategies are well known; polarize citizens, spread fake news, and set social media on fire. The aim of the game is to show the techniques used to deceive people and demonstrate just how easy it is to spread hate. The initiative was created at the University of Cambridge and is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Fact-check it!
We also want to share a different suggestion: Fact-Check It! This time it’s not an online game, but a card game for classroom play, which will be perfect for teachers. It all takes place in the fictional country of Agritania, where a debate about an upcoming referendum to ban GMOs has been attacked by fake news creators. Students will work in the newsroom of Agritania Today and must fact-check 25 different news stories to inform the editorials that will be published on vote day. The game is ideally designed for a class of 25 students, aged 15 and up, divided into five working groups. The game kit consists of 25 cards, a fact-checking tip sheet, and a teacher’s guide, all available for free download.
