Abstract:

Fake news spread significantly faster, further and more effectively than the truth (Vosoughi et al., 2018) and they present a threat to political, social and economic stability. Despite advances in artificial intelligence in recognizing fake news, technology alone will not solve the problem (Lazer et al., 2018). A key measure to counter fake news is to support the development of news literacy and critical thinking in internet users. Educational institutions have thus an important role in equipping users with critical and reflective skills in the fight against fake news.

There is an emerging body of studies indicating that gamification and online games can make an effective contribution to the development of digital literacy and, in particular, fake news recognition competencies (e.g. Basol et al., 2020; Maertens et al., 2021). However, for higher education students, the role and value of the increasing number of freely available online games in developing these competencies is less clear (Pimmer & Eisemann, 2020). Lecturers and learners in the university context are faced with the challenge of selecting and using these tools in a context-appropriate and targeted way, especially in social sciences, where the topic of media literacy is integrated in many curricula.

In response to this gap, the paper will present findings from a project that has systematically analyzed 17 popular, freely available online games on misinformation and disinformation and their adequacy for a higher education context. The game analysis consisted of an expert evaluation and a student evaluation. In the expert evaluation, three researchers with a background in digital education and media studies independently classified and qualitatively evaluated the games according to three competency domains relevant for news literacy on a higher education level: the extent and quality to which a game focused on the development of
(1) concrete skill sets necessary to detect fake news;
(2) knowledge on political and media systems including causes, dissemination dynamics, and implications of fake news; and
(3) meta reflection – i.e. whether a game prompts the critical reflection of a player’s own media consumption. In addition, students from an undergraduate business curriculum were randomly assigned to play one or two of the games. Using an online survey, each game was quantitatively evaluated by a number of 11 to 30 students according to established and psychometrically validated constructs such as immersion and interests, perceived ease of use, and the perceived suitability for its use in higher education. Students were also required to provide qualitative feedback on these dimensions.

The findings indicate that the scope of most games was restricted, covering specific aspects of news literacy competencies. Students’ evaluation of the games varied widely, revealing different fake news game typologies, and suggesting that some game design principles were favored over others. The paper presents and discusses the results of the game analysis in detail and, and on this basis, develops suggestions for the integration of the evaluated games in the higher education landscape.

Keywords:

Fake news, gamification, online games, media literacy, digital literacy, higher education.