In brief
Client: Skuola.net and Altroconsumo, for the Google project against fake news
Year: 2020
Format: educational serious game in pixel art, browser-based
Objective: to teach students to recognize fake news and evaluate online information
Mechanics: three articles per session, three clues per article, true/false verdict with explanation and final grade
The game
“The Information Tower” is the serious game created by Dinobros for Skuola.net and Altroconsumo, as part of the Google project against fake news, to teach students how to recognize fake news. An educational goal told in the language that kids already use: that of a pixel art video game. The mechanics of the video game involve the user in an active participation in which first of all they select the character to play with and then access the "Google and Altroconsumo building". Each of the playable characters is identified with one of the colors of the Google logo.
Entering the game, the player is shown a monitor inside which they can read short articles and get information and the tools to recognize whether it is a real article or fake news. Each game session involves the analysis of three short articles, within each article the player finds three clues, recognizable through the icon of a magnifying glass with Google's colors. By carefully reading the points where the magnifying glass is present, the system explains the clue to the user and then asks them if the news is true or false. The answer given by the player is followed by an explanation on how to recognize reliable news from unverified news. The player can also access the power up. At the end of the game, the player is shown a summary of correct and incorrect answers, and a final grade is also given.
Objectives and results
The project brings media education into a format that students willingly use: fact-checking becomes a game mechanic, and the lesson is delivered while playing. It works because the topic reaches kids where they already are: inside a video game.
