GLS Conference

This paper analyzes the current landscape of video games that address the topic of fake news.
There are dozens of games that address the topic that typically fall into two categories: those that have
players discern real from fake news, and those that have players create fake news as a form of
‘disinformation officer’. The authors use two case studies in order to exemplify these two types of
games and their underlying design. Several issues are addressed, including the lack of a specific
audience, the designation of fake news spread as a knowledge or education problem, and similarly that
many of these titles lack engaging or innovative mechanics. While there is some research on the efficacy
of these games, the authors argue that deep investigation of the scope of their influence is lacking.