Spreading Learning through Fake News Games

Abstract

To enhance news and information literacy skills for college students, I used three games related to the spread of disinformation, Harmony Square (2020), Fake it to Make it (2017), and Troll Factory (2019). I found that the simpler games with a series of scaffolded, meaningful choices better supported student engagement. I also found that some students engaged more with a game, Harmony Square, which has strong fictional elements (characters, world-building, and humor), while others engaged more with a game, Troll Factory, which has more realistic, raw elements (using real-world posts). In all three games, players played as the villain, which was engaging for students but may have longer-term problematic implications. Finally, students critiqued the design of these games, and made their own games, which helped them to further practice their critical literacy skills.