About the project
The project was developed in the Design Inquiry and Methods in Information Science class @ ischool and is advised by Dr. Wanda Pratt.
Time
March 27 - May 21, 2023
Skills
Scholarly Skills
- literature review, academic writing and presentation
Game Design
Design Problem
Seniors (aged 65+) are a vulnerable group. to online misinformation. While the number of seniors use technology has grown and they have also become more active in online space, they did not seem to equip with sufficient skills and knowledge to online misinformation. With the prevalence of health misinformation online. How can we support seniors to build resilience to online health misinformation and navigate health misinformation online ?
What do we know about the seniors?
Seniors (aged 65+) are a vulnerable group to online misinformation
Cognitive vulnerability, such as declined memory, lower cognitive flexibility, can heighten their susceptibility
Despite often seniors’ limited digital literacy, the number of seniors using technology has increased, with many of them becoming more active participants in online spaces. This growing engagement, while empowering, also exposes them to greater risks.
Not only are seniors more likely to encounter and consume misinformation, but they are also more prone to engaging with and even taking an active role in spreading the online misinformation.
Seniors and Games
Research has shown promising benefits of games for seniors, for example, seniors who engage in games have shown improvements in cognitive functions such as memory, critical thinking, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility. Additionally, games can also support emotion regulation, which is essential when processing potentially distressing health misinformation.
What do we know about online health misinformation and seniors?
Higher exposure to and sharing of misinformation among seniors: research has found that the exposure to and sharing of misinformation on social media are much higher for seniors compared to younger people
Defining Health misinformation: Erroneous information about health that is spread intentionally or unintentionally
Need for technological assistance: Given the challenges seniors face in evaluating health information online, there is a need for supporting seniors navigating online health information
criteria for determining health misinformation includes expert consensus, best available evidence
Health misinformation is one of the most prevalent misinformation that seniors engage online; seniors may experience information overload when navigate online information.
Online health misinformation can be contradictory or conflicting, which makes it difficult for one to determine its veracity
My Approach
Value sensitive design
Value Sensitive Design is a theoretically grounded approach to the design of technology that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner throughout the design process (Friedman et al., 2017)
Identified values for developing games for seniors
Accessibility
Difficulty with navigation negatively affects the players’ play experience (Amir Doroudian et al., 2020)
Care
Social relationship/collaboration
Feeling at ease
Focus on a sense of success and improved self-esteem(Nimrod, 2011)
Goals
Encourage players engage in active health information-seeking and navigating health information online
2. Support players to be reflective about their information consumption
3. Develop competencies in discerning and dealing with health misinformation
Game Background
Game Type: RPG, Interactive RPG game, puzzle adventure
One day, everything around you starts to look different. The world is no longer clear, but instead, it appears in pixels. At first, it's disorienting and terrifying, like you’ve suddenly entered a glitchy, digital reality. As you try to adjust, you realize something even stranger—you can control time.
With a simple action, you can zoom in to focus on specific details, uncover hidden clues, or zoom out to see larger information environment. While initially confusing, you soon realize that this newfound ability might be the key to understanding what's happening. What’s causing this strange distortion in reality? Why are you seeing the world in pixels?
The mystery deepens when you notice your AI assistant, a program you’ve always interacted with through your computer, emerge from the screen. It’s now physically present, a companion in your bewildering journey. The AI, just as confused as you, insists that together, you can solve the mystery behind this strange phenomenon.
Your mission is clear: unravel what’s going on. But with every passing moment, more questions arise. Is this just a malfunction? A hidden conspiracy? Or something more profound?
Main Mechanism
Story Progression
Players will engage with the narrative by making choices in conversations and taking different actions. Each decision leads down a unique path, resulting in different story outcomes and endings.
Zoom in/out function
Zooming in: By long-pressing the “Zoom In/Out” button, players can zoom in on a specific sections of a given text to uncover clues or find details
Zooming out: A single one press of the “Zoom In/Out” button allows players zoom out to inspect the information environment such as understanding the broader context or getting to know the surrounding/background information
Mental Notes
Throughout the game, Mental notes will fly to players as the story progresses. players can choose to:
discard a note if it’s irrelevant or unhelpful
edit a note to refine/correct or add new information for future use
save the note directly
Design Rationale
Design Rationale
