issue 001  //  09.08.2026  //  16:04 theme  //  snd: off
menu
homepage / 003 games / Misinfo Madness01 / 04

Misinfo Madness

Parsons · March to May 2023

Misinfo Madness

a card game for spotting fake news with friends. two teams sort real headlines into true and false, and the other team can challenge any call.

the final game
a final card, front and back: climate change
a final card, front and back: climate change
playtesting with graduate students
playtesting with graduate students
rolegame designer + researcher
skillsgame design · user research · playtesting · card design
teamfive graduate students
timelineMarch to May 2023
my partthe rules and mechanics, the challenge system, and the card categories, plus research and card content
formata physical card game for 4+ players
the problem

people believe what friends share and rarely read past the headline. most media-literacy tools are either too academic or too simple to stick.

the work

i led the mechanics and rules, designed the challenge system and the seven card categories, and worked on research and the cards.

the outcome

two rounds of playtesting. players were surprised how often a real-sounding headline fooled them, and said the arguments were the best part.

by the numbers·
12interviews
78%more likely to believe friends and family
chapter 01research
findings01
01friends countpeople believe what friends and family share, even unchecked.
02the name over the claimpeople judge the source's name more than what it says.
03headlinessensational headlines and emotional language win, and few read further.
04no timechecking takes time nobody has.
chapter 02the gameargue, then flip the card
how a turn works
how a turn works
the rules

first team to 10 points

a team picks a category, draws a card, talks it over, and calls it true or false.

  1. 01the other team can challenge any call, and the card gets flipped
  2. 02the back says why it's true or false, with the source
  3. 03a correct call or a winning challenge scores a point
prototypes

three rounds of cards

the arguments mattered most in early tests, so the challenge system grew and the explanations on the back got longer.

low fidelity: testing the rules
low fidelity: testing the rules
medium fidelity: a color for each category
medium fidelity: a color for each category
final: a real headline, the answer on the back
final: a real headline, the answer on the back
changes from playtesting02
01round 1 · studentsthe challenge was the most fun part. the timer only added stress, so it went.
02round 1 · studentssome headlines didn't start a debate, and players wanted more on sources. cards got more context and a bigger size.
03round 2 · gamersplayers were surprised how often they got fooled, and source labels swayed them.
04round 2 · gamersa clearer true/false system on the back, and difficulty balanced across categories.
I was shocked by how many times I got fooled by a headline that sounded completely legitimate.a playtester
The discussions we had while deciding if something was true or false were the best part.another playtester
what i learned·

you can teach media literacy without being prescriptive, by having people teach each other.

the card only gives the answer after the table has argued about it. players defend their call, get challenged, and explain their reasoning to each other.

next would be a web version with a bigger card library that keeps up with the news.

the cards

the climate change set

every back says true or false, why, and where that comes from.

a full set of card backs: the answer and the source
a full set of card backs: the answer and the source
← previousback to 003 games next →Zoom Schwartz Profigliano
← homepage  //  003 games © 2026 Naeema :)