Researchers have developed and tested an online game to help train people how to recognize vaccine misinformation.
The game ‘Bad Vaxx’ introduces players to four fictional characters, each embodying a different manipulation technique commonly used in vaccine misinformation: Ann McDotal, who represents emotional storytelling; Dr. Forge, the archetype of fake expertise and pseudoscience; Ali Natural, who relies on appeals to nature; and Mystic Mac, a conspiracy theorist. Players interact with these characters in a simulated social media environment. Two versions of the game were created: a “good” version, in which players aim to defeat the characters and reduce their influence, and an “evil” version, in which players act as an apprentice to the characters and help spread their misinformation. Both versions expose participants to weakened examples of misleading content in an attempt to strengthen their ability to recognize such techniques in real-world situations.
“The Bad Vaxx game is a method of inoculating people against vaccine misinformation online that is scalable, entertaining, and economical – especially given that prevention is better than cure when it comes to vaccine misinformation – and even entertaining,” write the study authors.
To evaluate the game, the researchers conducted three randomized controlled trials between 2020 and 2021 with a total of 2,326 participants recruited in the US. The first study, involving 690 people, served as a proof of concept. A second trial with 557 participants made adjustments based on early feedback. The third study, with 1,079 participants drawn from a nationally representative sample, aimed to test robustness and to clarify what participants were actually learning from the game.
In each trial, participants were randomly assigned to play one of the two versions of Bad Vaxx or to a control group that played Tetris. After gameplay, participants were asked to evaluate social media posts that either contained misinformation based on the techniques from the game or neutral, non-manipulative content.
Across all three studies, and in a combined internal meta-analysis, the results indicated that the game improved participants’ ability to tell manipulative from non-manipulative vaccine content. Both the “good” and the “evil” versions had an effect, but the “good” version tended to perform better on most measures.
Vaccine misinformation is not new. Even back in the 1800s, anti-vaxxers were claiming that the small pox vaccine (derived from cowpox) could turn people into human-cow hybrids. The problem in the modern world is that anti-vaxxers have a much wider reach thanks to the internet and social media. In addition, vaccine misinformation is also being disseminated by politicians and other highly influential people.
We need new approaches to combatting misinformation – and it’s great to see gamification being considered. Gaming can have huge benefits outside of entertainment – and I’ve written a number of pieces about how gaming is creeping into pharma and healthcare, from treating ADHD to depression.
In a separate article about Bad Vaxx, the authors claim that the game could be potentially “integrated into educational curriculums, used by public health officials, doctors and patients in medical settings, and feature as part of international public health campaigns on social media and beyond.”
The game is available for free at badvaxx.com.
(Incidentally, my score was 5.612. Deputy Editor Rob Coker scored 5.644).
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