Giochi e videogiochi per contrastare la disinformazione: esempi e proposte nell’ambito del progetto Yo-Media

[Autom. eng. transl.] Introduction Since February 2020, in the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated the "infodemic" as one of the contemporary problems, i.e. an excess of information, not always accurate, which makes it difficult orient yourself due to the difficulty of identifying reliable sources (Cavalcante et al., 2022). Since that year, an increasing number of researchers have focused on the ability to identify fake news (Yankoski et al., 2020), highlighted the role of disinformation in creating a hostile climate (Greene & Murphy, 2021), in feed conspiracies and conspiracy theories (Santerini, 2023), in a framework of "new scenarios for old rages" (Pasta, 2021). The force of impact of the different forms of disinformation is increased by post-truth, a discursive regime characterized by the force of impact of emotions and initial personal beliefs rather than by facts, and by its consequences on the democratic debate (Nicita, 2021). These phenomena, so connected to the current information ecosystem, question education professionals (Pasta, 2018); from this point of view, considering the media consumption of the youngest, this contribution proposes an insight into video games in the scenario referred to. As the editorial by Willy C. Kriz (2020) published in Simulation&Gaming underlines, «the World Health Organization (WHO) has changed its attitude towards online gaming, starting from a widespread warning regarding the connotation of risk and addiction towards recognizing the positive value of socializing and managing stress during the pandemic. In 2019, WHO defined game addiction as a sign of mental disorder, warning people against developing a game addiction. However, in 2020, WHO asked people to stay at home and play. In a joint effort, the global gaming industry has participated in disseminating key messages to support awareness and slow the spread of COVID-19» (2020, p. 2). This change, recalls Kriz, has led to the direct involvement of more than 50 leaders in the gaming and interactive entertainment sector with the launch of the #PlayApartTogether campaign, an initiative that has encouraged user networks to follow the guidelines of the WHO on health (including physical distancing, hygiene and other important actions to combat and prevent further escalation of the virus). Description The research questions move in the space of the Yo-Media – Youngster's Media Literacy in Times of Crisis project carried out by the consortium composed of the Associação Portuguesa de Imprensa, the Media Competence Center of Aveiro, the Universidade de Aveiro, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and by the Universitat de Vic – Central de Catalunya and financed by the Gulbenkian Foundation's European Fund for Media and Information. How can games and video games support the development of media literacy - and information literacy in particular - in a time of crisis, marked by misinformation, confusion and the need to manage stress? What are the characteristics of the video game that are most functional in building media competence? Are there good practices and examples – on the market or in the educational field – that become references for the design of new proposals for kids? The two-year work is divided into three phases: the mapping of media literacy initiatives in times of crisis, including the analysis of the literature on the theme of games and video games in times of health, military and climate crises, a first review of actual proposals already developed (benchmark analysis) and the interviews with educators, teachers and journalists involved in that