Why does disinformation persist in Asia-Pacific, especially Indonesia, despite numerous countermeasures?
One reason may be that current strategies miss key aspects of the problem. These strategies often focus on digital literacy and fact-checking, emphasising individual vigilance. In Indonesia, this has taken an elitist and ageist turn, placing the blame on educational deficiencies and older age groups. Many research, however, has questioned the efficacy of such strategies. They have shown that disinformation is linked to complex sociocultural and political-economic processes; exploring the context that enables engagement with disinformation from a first-person perspective instead of placing sole burden on individual technical capacity.
Yet their insights are still largely unrecognised by the public.
As an effort to rethink and recalibrate our approach to disinformation, EngageMedia is developing Taksa: A Game on Disinformation, an interactive story visual novel. Supported by Oxfam*, and in partnership with IOTA Kreatif Media and narrative developer Annas A. Aziz, the single-player video game is informed by the aforementioned disinformation research in the Asia-Pacific, particularly in Indonesia.
In Taksa, player takes on the role of a single father navigating a landscape of information amidst a pandemic, making crucial decisions to find a cure for his daughter while rising to popularity due to viral social media posts. Instead of simply teaching critical thinking, the game asks the player whether such skills are sufficient to navigate an “information muddle” in a widespread distrust of public institutions. Offering an immersive experience, the game draws the attention to the structural factors influencing how people engage with disinformation.
The game will be available as a web-based game, hosted on EngageMedia.org, as well as ported to Steam as a free-to-play game.
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*) Disclaimer: This game development is supported by Oxfam International and Oxfam in Indonesia, part of a global movement working to eliminate poverty in more than 90 countries. Oxfam in Indonesia has partnered with local and national entities in eight provinces since 1957 under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. They support the efforts of the government, civil society, and local communities in eradicating poverty by addressing inequalities in Indonesia. The content of this game does not reflect the opinions of Oxfam in Indonesia or the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
