Project Description
Agents of Influence is a spy-themed educational video game that teaches people, primarily middle-schoolers, about the impact information has on their worldview and decision making and helps them recognize and combat the misinformation they encounter in their daily lives. In this game, students learn about topics including data collection and tracking, algorithms, echo chambers, impostor content, logical fallacies, and data fallacies while practicing three critical thinking skills: research, document analysis, and conversations. The story and name of Agents of Influence come from the cold war spy term “agent of influence,” which describes spies sent to foreign countries to influence foreign policy. Our game reclaims the term. We want our players to be “agents of influence” in the sense that they have agency (ability to navigate the world) and influence (impact on others and the game world), both of which are essential to be informed and empowered citizens.
We use our Rotary Clubs inner active 4-7-8-17 banner to help us rate and display each of our club projects. The “Boxes” lighten for each “Box” that the project qualifies for. All projects must pass “THE FOUR WAY TEST” and at least one “Area of Focus” and one United Nations, 17 Sustainable Development Goals