A 麻豆视频 scientist has developed a smartphone game that uses critical thinking and cartoons in the fight against dangerous climate change misinformation.
, a research assistant professor at 麻豆视频鈥檚 within the , launches his 鈥淐ranky Uncle鈥 game on Dec. 15 after spending over a decade studying different ways to counter misinformation. The game is available for free on iPhone and Android.
鈥淢isinformation does great damage to society,鈥 Cook said. 鈥淎n essential solution is making the public more resilient against fake news. But how? Gamification is a powerful approach that can potentially reach many millions of people.鈥
The game uses a resilience-building technique known as active inoculation. In the game, players are mentored by a cartoon Cranky Uncle, who is dismissive of scientific evidence on climate change, vaccines, COVID-19 and other issues. As players learn the techniques used to deny science, they gain points on their quest to become a cranky uncle.
鈥淚f you want to learn how to spot someone cheating at cards, first, you have to learn how to cheat at cards,鈥 explained Cook.
Cook, who used to draw cartoons for a living before becoming a scientist, illustrated many of the cartoon depictions of logical fallacies. He called the cumulative impact of humor, cartoons and games a powerful one that compels players into critical thinking through gameplay.
鈥淭he deeper a player gets into the game, the more resilient they become against misinformation,鈥 he said.鈥
Cook teamed up with creative agency Autonomy Co-op to develop the game.
鈥淭he issue of science misinformation is more critical than ever before,鈥 said Autonomy CEO Jay McDowell. 鈥淲e're honored to be part of such a unique and innovative approach to fighting it.鈥
Cook is the founder of the website and the lead author of a . He spent the last decade examining how to best counter climate science denial. His research, which focused on the responses of high school seniors and college students, is designed to explain the techniques of denial to make the public more resilient against climate change misinformation.
Learn more about the game at .