Break Out Dig The News

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Aboutthe game

DIG THE NEWS

Created by Veneta Medarova

BAD NEWS

This is a Choose your own adventure text maze game, which can be used as a teaching tool in English language immersion classes at a C1 level. Such games take your students on a trip through a story told in a non-linear way. They will need to make choices and face the consequences. Meanwhile, they'll have to do some reading! ;) It’s loosely based on the game, whose idea is to “inoculate” young people against bad online information by putting them into the position of those who create bad news.

For teachers

This is a Choose your own adventure text maze game. Such games take you on a trip through a story told in a non-linear way. You’ll need to make choices and face the consequences. Let’s see how far you can get in the wicked and vicious world of creative news writing and disinformation. I hope, it'll help you boost your resistance to the nuisanse news which bombard us all the time.Good luck!

For those who want to play

You meet up with your boss in a quiet café. He wants you to take a final decisive step and get the big guns out.

That's a bit too shy. Even with a fake account, it'll take ages to convince the public through personally writing tweets. You'd better go back and make another choice.

The Good Party boss

The party member

I guess, you've read some really badly written news stories. Stories which you find hard to dig as they don't make any sense. Funny enough, although far-fetched and outrageous, such stories have enormous popular appeal and are consumed by millions of people. How easy is it to create them? Who makes them up? And why? Are people so gullible that they'd buy anything you throw to them? How about you? Can you always tell what True, or False is? First, check out who the characters are. Then, have a go and see how much you can influence public opinion through creative news writing. Complete the missions and try to get as many followers as you can!

Characters

Map/missions

Introduction

DIG THE NEWS

introduction

DIG THE NEWS

Your mission

Try to help out the Good Party PR diva to boost the party's popularity on Internet. All you need to do is follow the party's boss advice and guidance. He's been Good Party President and Prime minister of the country for years, so he must know what's good or bad for people. So, why bother them with boring facts, which not only might make them feel unhappy, but may also bring undesired changes within the establishment? Anyway, people watch or read the news for the fun of it. News stories are simply the new fairy tales, aren't they? Let's just keep the magic going!

Help out the trainee journalist

The Good Party boss

The party member

Characters

Map/missions

Introduction

DIG THE NEWS

DIG THE NEWS

The Good Party boss

The party member

You've been a faithful party member for years. You've proved yourself as such in more than one occasion, and no way you'll miss the chance to get promoted to Head of Public Relations (PR) and Communications. It's time to show your full potential.Your party needs you!

Characters

Missions

Introduction

DIG THE NEWS

The Good Party member

The Good Party boss

The party member

It's a life or death situation we have here! Our party either wins the elections next month, or we'll be washed away from the political scene. And what's the worst, all these corruption secrets will blow into my face.Luckily, I think I've got the right person. She just needs a bit of persuasion...

Characters

Map/missions

Introduction

DIG THE NEWS

The Good Party boss

You've found this envelope on your office desk at the Headquarters of the Good Party. Open it!

Choose a slogan for the Good party news site

What's going on? Have you seen the pre-election polls? It's high time you did something about our rating on the net! So, PLEASE, get to writing. Remember your past...

A tip from your party's boss

I think, I know now what is needed.

Now, that's real! 20 K new followers and rising! Good shot, but we can't stop here.

HQ café

Sorry, chief... The show must go on!

Moral objections? Give me a break!

HQ café

We'll get Autism on camera to prove danger of vaccines. Keep safe! #Goodpartycares

A woman linked to a pet rights group takes away Maya, the chihuahua of a lonely 9-year old girl. We know whose friends they are. #Goodpartyprotectsyourpet

I was in a hipster café and heard people next to me whispering to each other how good for the economy the Good party is. Now, I know GP will definitely be re-elected! #Goodpartyforrightcause

Start posting on Twitter

Choose you comment

While some try to make you believe the imposible, we always keep our feet on the ground. We're sure we don't need to remind you that in the thin air of Mars no mushrooms can survive.

Busting pseudoscience

They've been trying to hide from us the facts. Here comes the Good Party to inform you. How safe are we? While the Bad party just doesn't care, we'll keep you alert. It's time to be united!

Breaking news. We're not alone!

"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." Irish Murdoch

Post this comment

Dig The News

April, 1st, 2021

Post this comment

How serious can this piece of news be? Is it scientific or pseudoscientific?

Source:OAT at https://bit.ly/3ugDZA4

Trump Administration withdrew most of his staff members and issued an alert claiming that his diplomats had been the victims of targeted sonic attacks. A new medical report published by the American Medical Association defines it as a neurotrauma from a nonnatural source, possibly a new sonic weapon developed by the Cuban army. Questions arise about the safety of our country and citizens.

U.S. personnel at the Embassy in Havana experienced a rash of symptoms from mysterious sonic health attacks. Between 2016 and 2018 about 30 diplomats working there suffered symptoms of unexplained origin such as nausea, hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo or lack of concentration.

New weapons threatening our democracy

"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality." Irish Murdoch

Discart it as pseudoscientific

Dig The News

April, 1st, 2021

Post this article

Sonic weapons cause cancer

Try another article

Just outsite the Headquarters a guy in a hoodie passes you a message from the boss.

Do I need to repeat it again? I need a make-believer and a scare-monger!

TRY another one

Good try! That's what we need. Your news feed is becoming a trending topic with more than 30K new followers. It doesn't matter that sonic weapons are in the realm of sciene fiction. They sound scary enough.

100/100

Publish another article

10K new followers and rising! Keep distracting the public...

We need more suspence to make everybody forget about our silly corruption scandals.

Fear is often the response to uncertainty.

I knew I could rely on you!

Good start! Aliens and consripacies always work on people's emotions.

We can't slow down. The more anxious people feel, the more they'll trust us.

Your boss seems satisfied

Of course, boss... What an idea... I'll do as you say!

But I've got some moral objections...

Sorry, chief... I thought my mission was to inform people. We can't just watch how the public is being disinformed...

Moral objections? Don't be funny!

Nobody really knows what reality is about. Not to say that reality often happens to be boring. I need you to change this comment of yours. I told you, we need distraction and uncertainty.

Are you a physicist or what? How exactly busting pseudoscience will help us improve our chances of winning the elections?

Back to previous page

HQ café

You think this must be a joke. Discard it.

You think this is for real. Denounce the legislation bill as an attack on individual freedom.

Spoon Test

Good PartyGood for You

Tendencies

www.digthenews.com

EU Parliament is discussing a new post pandemic law. Fearing the avalanche of mad partying after the end of physical distancing measures, MPs are concerned that EU citizens might not get enough sleep. School marks and work pay will depend on how well you perform at the spoon test.

certified

June, 20th 20XX

Date

The Good Party Big Boss

PRO senior

Congratulations!

As a Senior Public Relations Officer (PRO), you'll be in charge of the Good Party's ofiicial Twitter account. You are now only a step away from getting the job of Head of Public Relations and Communications. It all depends on how well you'll manage the account in order to get as many new followers as possible.

You've been promoted

I've warned you! if we needed an investigation journalist, we would have hired a proffesional, not you. your mission was to bug the public opinion, not to fight the fake news. Just to see how benevolent i am, i'll let you try again.

TRY AGAIN

Every news site needs a slogan. Choose yours. Remember, it's first impressions that count!

Good Party Good News

Because Good Party Cares

Good Better Best

WAtch the video

Choose your comment before posting it on the Good Party's news site.

Crecimiento de seguidores

Escribe un subtítulo aquí

121.2k

Nice! So take us somewhere new . Life's been kind of dull lately. To take control of people's emotions, they need to get excited in the first place...

She must have seen it!

He must have seen it!

Fuente

Choose a gif for your tweet.

You know that an image is worth a thousand words.

That's the truth!

That must be truth!

Fuente

Choose a gif for your tweet.

You know that an image is worth a thousand words.

Isn't that ridiculous?

Isn't she so right?

Fuente

Choose a gif for your tweet.

You know that an image is worth a thousand words.

You approve the use of crying kids as a form to influence public opinion. The goal always justifies the means.

You disapprove such use as you believe the goal doesn't justify the means.

The sound of a baby cry captures attention in a way that few other sounds in the environment do. It seems that our brains are made this way. So, if you want somebody to get alert, just show them a picture of a kid crying. Everybody will react! Our popularity is growing by thousands of new followers...

Kudos for the choice!

You feel ashamed. You don't really want to be good at this game. You think you've got enough of it.

How clever! It's a fact the lady's pregnant. She's also wearing the right getup for a woman involved with a king. She seems nervious. Why? Does the scene prove she has a secret? Of course, not! But does the gif give this impression? Sure! You're getting each time better! Our popularity is growing by thousands of new followers...

Kudos for the choice!

You're enjoying yourself. Manipulation is such fun! You want to go further.

Title 2

You feel ashamed. You don't really want to be good at this game. You think you've got enough of it.

How clever! It's a fact there is a baby. Somebody needs to take responsibility for her! Does the image of the ultrasound scan prove the King is invloved? Of course, not! But can the gif distract the public? Sure! You're getting each time better! Our popularity is growing by thousands of new followers...

Kudos for the choice!

You're enjoying yourself. Manipulation is such fun! You want to go further.

Title 2

You feel ashamed. You don't really want to be good at this game. You think you've got enough of it.

What's the point in feeding a homeless guy some fine meat? Just to make him go away when the camera is once off. What if everybody started doing the same? Much worse, this would have a pull effect. What are we going to do with all these new homeless flooding the city centre? The proof that people don't like this is that our popularity is growing by thousands of new followers...

There you go!

You feel you are just a step away from completing your mission. You can't wait to continue.

Title 2

You feel ashamed. You don't really want to be good at this game. You think you've got enough of it.

Of course she's right! Some people seem to have lost all sense of decency. They just come from everywhere, wearing all sorts of foreign garments. Some of them look like terrorists! If they look like terrorists, they might be terrorists. Logical! Or not? It doesn't really matter. Just keep wagging the dogs as it makes our popularity growing by thousands of new followers...

There you go!

You feel you are just a step away from completing your mission. You can't wait to continue.

Who cares about old people? Old people are burnt out and sad by definition. An old man crying would never break the heart of the masses. On top, he looks like a Hollywood actor. Why would anybody pity a rich old man?Change you choice!

That's a losing card :(

Title 2

That's the end of the game for you. You've lost the chance to get promoted to Head of Public Relations and Communications. Now you'll have to face the consequences of your past actions. However, as you were forced to get involved in dodgy deeds, the law will take it into account. You'll get the opportunity to start fresh and create a better life. Don't you feel better losing this game? Do you always need to win in games?

#1

Sock-puppetaccount

YOUR CALL

#3

#2

Trolling

NO WAY!

Twitter bot

Before you make a decision, you'd better get well informed!

Last challenge

+info

+info

+info

+info

Do you still like yourself, though?

That's the total number of new followers you've managed to obtain! Remember, you've got them through scare-mongering, manipulating, distracting and, in the end, even with the help of malicious software. Nothing really got on your way. You helped the Good Party boss to raise the popularity of the party on Internet and you'll probably win the elections as well. You showed little remorse along the way and your boss did not forget his promise. Now you are the Head of Public Relations and Communications and a real expert on how to manipulate public opinion.

500,000

Use a sock-puppet account to get more followers

#3

#2

NO WAY!

Trolling

Before you make a decision, you'd better get well informed!

Last challenge

#1

+info

Use a Twitter bot to get more followers

#Goodpoliticalpartycalledtosavetheworld

The King involved in another paternity scandal. A woman claims she has photographs from her mother's pregnancy. Where is the bad political party? #Goodpoliticalpartyformorality

The wife of a member of the Bad political party has been seen smashing a cat while driving. How cruel!#Goodpartyforanimalrights

Aren't you tired of all these strangely dressed people? Who allowes them to ruin the beauty of the city centre? Beauty will save the world!#Goodpartyfororderandbeauty

Choose another Tweet

On top, the Association to the world Hipster has published an open letter to distance themselves from politics.

Economy?! Who cares about the economy?

I'm disappointed, I have to say...I expected more.

People have got enough worries how to make ends meet to annoy them with boring stuff.

Your boss seems disappointed.

Post another tweet

Give them more of this!

They anyway tend to care for their pets more than for anything else.

People's pets are not safe either.

It's not only that our country is threaten by alien life forms and mysterious weapons.

Right now the post is a trending topic on Twitter and our account has grown with another 30 K new followers!!

Maya? The chihuahua?! HA-HA-HA.. Brilliant! That's exactly what we nedd.

Your boss seems delighted.

Try again! I'm sure you can come up with some interesting stuff!

Good! About 5K new followers!

We don't want to be labelled as negationists. Not everybody will understand it.

It's just that this time we need everybody on board, so no extreme points of view...

That topic always catches the public eye, but considering the pandemic, maybe this time we should not go this way.

Your boss seems happy.