Prototype of Serious Games to Increase Awareness of Influence Operation

Abstract

With the widespread proliferation of social media platforms, the volume of information disseminated by individuals, news media, and other entities has surged exponentially. This increase is complicated by the prevalence of misinformation, disinformation, and biased content, creating a complex information ecosystem. The sheer volume of information individuals must process daily is becoming unsustainable. Influence operations (IO), which exploit this phenomenon to manipulate public perceptions and behaviors, further exacerbate the issue. This highlights the urgent need for individuals to critically evaluate information, discern the intentions behind its dissemination, and make informed decisions. While educational institutions have introduced initiatives to promote information literacy, existing curricula often lack provisions for fostering advanced metacognitive skills to counteract IO. To make up for this gap, we propose an experiential learning approach using a serious game targeting individuals who have completed basic education. By interacting with a simulated environment, participants experience firsthand how cognitive biases unconsciously influence their judgments, potentially leading to errors in decision-making. This paper presents the design and development of a prototype serious game aimed at cultivating such skills and outlines a framework for evaluating its effectiveness in enhancing awareness and resilience against cognitive manipulation.