Abstract for: Developing serious games with the help of CLD's to decrease the vulnerability of students and citizens to Disinformation

This study addresses the challenge of disinformation in democratic societies, particularly among young people and individuals who rely on social media for news. A lack of media and information literacy (MIL) negatively impacts democracy, as individuals are less critical of misleading information. To address this challenge, we are developing a serious game that promotes MIL among students. The pedagogic framing is based on situated learning and transformative play, aiming to temporarily transform one's identity by taking advantage of the fictional and participatory properties of enactment afforded through play. The serious game will use causal loop diagrams to represent and enact the larger mechanics of disinformation in democratic societies, fostering a deeper understanding towards empowered agency. The results of this study are the development of an overarching CLD representing the problems and sources that are linked to disinformation. Additionally, six specific CLDs have been developed to describe the motor of disinformation spreading. This study explores a solution to the problem of disinformation in democratic societies by utilizing digital tools and principles of MIL and multiperspectivity. The serious game aims to foster critical thinking and counteract the challenges posed by disinformation, contributing to the development of a more informed and democratic society.