Video Games Take on the Challenge of Combating Propaganda

More than three years have passed since the initial release of the thought-provoking satire Not For Broadcast, published by TinyBuild. The game is now set to receive a DLC pack called Live and Spooky, along with a VR version, both of which are slated for release at the end of March. Not For Broadcast is a rare gem that manages to tackle complex political issues while keeping players entertained. Set in an alternate 1980s British TV newsroom under the rule of an extremist government, the game challenges players to edit and censor news clips to boost ratings and shape public opinion. Players can create a narrative that supports the government's populist policies, effectively becoming a tool for propaganda. They can also manipulate content to alter the meaning and context of interviews. The game's early access release received positive reviews from critics in early 2020, but the COVID outbreak disrupted the developer's plans, and the cast of actors couldn't resume filming new episodes until after the lockdown. However, the new updates feel timely, especially given recent revelations about disinformation campaigns following the last U.S. presidential election. This is also a time when more games are addressing disinformation, often through satire and media manipulation. Last year, Tilt Games released Cat Park, a game about social media manipulation sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The game is designed to teach players about disinformation and how to identify fake news. Tilt's previous game, Harmony Square, told the story of a small town divided by the player's manipulations, and a Cambridge University study found that players were better at recognizing fake news after playing the game. A forthcoming seminar for military cadets will feature the board game Lizards and Lies, where players try to dominate social media spaces by spreading conspiracy theories or fact-checking them. According to Alex Nichiporchik, CEO of TinyBuild, 'We put players in the shoes of powerful news people and ask them to make morally questionable choices. The most important thing for us is that the game is fun, but players come away understanding how news media manipulates cuts and edits to fit an agenda.' Not For Broadcast's charm lies in its ability to reveal the inner workings of the TV news business. Nichiporchik believes that players are interested in understanding how things work and enjoy engaging with that process. The game is designed to give players difficult moral choices, with censorship and propaganda serving as a useful canvas. Other games, like Cat Park, are more focused on giving players evil motives, both for entertainment and educational purposes. Cat Park was funded by the U.S. Department of State to counter disinformation, particularly when used as a recruitment tool for extremist organizations. Players take on the role of a resident who becomes embroiled in a campaign against a nearby cat park and must learn disinformation tactics to help the cause. As players progress, they begin to realize that their actions may be part of a larger, nefarious scheme. According to Lisa Poot, senior project manager at Tilt Games, 'The purpose of the game is to increase people's media literacy. We're not trying to say what is true and what is not true – only to show how misinformation works, how disinformation spreads, and how it can have harmful consequences.' Tilt's games are based on inoculation theory, which states that people's minds can be 'inoculated' against disinformation, much like their bodies can be inoculated against diseases. Scott DeJong, creator of Lizards and Lies, has studied dozens of games that tackle disinformation and believes that games can improve players' ability to process conspiracy theories in real life. 'Games are great tools for asking questions,' he says. 'It's fine to tell people to seek out the source material behind the stories they read online, but the average person doesn't do that. Games about disinformation create spaces where there is a heavy focus on being critical about social media, and a reward for demonstrating an understanding of how disinformation works.'