FACTS & FAKES
ABOUT THE PROJECT
"Facts & Fakes" was developed on behalf of the Deutsche Telekom Stiftung for the target audience of teenagers and young adults during the COVID-19 era when fake news has been spreading rapidly and extensively through social media. The game aims to teach players how to recognize fake news in both social networks and real-life events, making it an essential tool in times of misinformation.
Together with an in-game friend group, the players' task is to observe different types of sources and analyze statements to determine their authenticity as either facts or fakes, utilizing the provided research tools. In a mobile phone mimicking environment, players learn where they need to focus their attention the most when reading new sources, how to conduct research effectively, and how to ensure the trustworthiness of these resources.
GAME IMPRESSIONS
GAME LOOP AND MECHANICS
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We decided to design a linear game play aims to guide players smoothly, allowing us to teach them new information about fake news.
LEO
Leo, a robot NPC, serves as a unifying element throughout the game, introducing players to each step of the game loop. Leo not only explains emerging mechanics but also imparts knowledge about fake news as the game progresses.
WHATSON
WhatsOn serves as the central point where players begin and wrap up each research case. The main purpose of Whatson is to receive tutorial introductions, provide players with the current research case to solve, and enable them to rate their experience with the resolved case within the app. Furthermore, Whatson also serves the role of giving NPCs distinctive personalities, contributing to a richer immersive experience for players.
RESEARCH APP
In the Research App, players begin by tapping on the topics they want to explore. After they've selected all the topics, they decide on the best source to confirm or disprove each topic. The difficulty increases as they go through the cases, with some tricky sources to challenge players and including different types of content like videos, voice messages, and pictures.
TUTORIAL APP
Before starting a research case, players are introduced to new content that awaits them in the upcoming research case. The content varies in each case and becomes progressively more complex. The purpose of this app is to equip players with knowledge that they can directly apply in practice for the next case.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Players receive stars as rewards for completing each research case. The better they solve a case, the more stars they can earn, with a maximum of 3 stars.
STAR SHOP
Stars can be used as an in-game currency to unlock fun facts in the Star Shop App.
MY WORK ON THE PROJECT​
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defined the games overall concept, core and meta mechanics, progression, achievements and player guidance within a team of three individuals
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documented and delivered game content for the research cases and the Npc chat conversations
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planned milestones and managed budgeting
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oversaw project management, making sure that all milestones were completed on time and the development process progressed smoothly
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​managed and collaborated with external freelancers and partners to ensure alignment of everyone's vision for the game
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took responsibility for overseeing the publication process for iOS and Android for the games "Facts & Fakes" and "Facts & Fakes 2"