Slashdot Mirror
Researchers Develop Online Game That Teaches Players How To Spread Misinformation
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Cambridge researchers have built an online game, simply titled Bad News, in which players compete to become "a disinformation and fake news tycoon." By shedding light on the shady practices, they hope the game will "vaccinate" the public, and make people immune to the spread of untruths. Players of the fake news game must amass virtual Twitter followers by distorting the truth, planting falsehoods, dividing the united, and deflecting attention when rumbled. All the while, they must maintain credibility in the eyes of their audience. The game distills the art of undermining the truth into six key strategies. Once a player has demonstrated a knack for each, they are rewarded with a badge. In one round, players can opt to impersonate the president of the United States and fire off a tweet from a fake account. It declares war on North Korea complete with a #KimJongDone hashtag. At every step, players are asked if they are happy with their actions or feel, perhaps, the twinge of shame, an emotion that leads to the swift reminder that "if you want to become a master of disinformation, you've got to lose the goody two-shoes attitude." The work is due to be published in the Journal of Risk Research.
With learning feedback, improving your disinformation skills. What could possibly go wrong?
Ezekiel 23:20
The original game was created by anti-monopolist Elizabeth Magie to awaken people to the danger of uncontrolled capitalism -- in the game money always goes to money. But the effect was exactly the opposite, it encouraged capitalistic thinking.
This game should be called "the Joy of Fake News".
Incidentally, I wish the SJWs would never have coined the term, and would stop using it. Trump et. al. has done an excellent job of turning it around to mean anything they disagree with.
At least in 1984 it's only the Two Minutes Hate. Don't you people ever get tired of this stuff?
I've seen some sore losers in my life, but you are the sorest. Give ... it ... a ... rest.
You lost because you sucked. Nobody cared about this "fake news", because there was more than enough real news that was highly unfavorable to you, despite the fervent loyalty (to you) of the news readers.
BTW, if you really think these 8o Russians and their tiny Facebook ad buy decided the election, then I highly recommend that you hire them. They are the most amazing marketers ever.