Spin Doctor
First you grow a disinfo account by deploying manipulation tactics — then the game flips and you must catch those exact tricks in the wild.
How to play
Phase one casts you as the manipulator: deploy tactics to grow followers and feel how each one works. Phase two flips you to fact-checker, where you identify the tactic behind each post.
- Deploy the required number of tactics — each adds reach but costs credibility — to reach the flip.
- Once flipped, read each post and pick which manipulation tactic it uses from the options.
- Get feedback and the tell for each tactic after every answer.
- Your debrief scores how many tactics you correctly caught and your overall accuracy.
Controls
- Desktop: click tactic cards and answer options, or press number keys to pick an option in the fact-check phase.
- Phone & tablet: tap cards and options — touch works throughout.
Tips & strategy
- Pay attention to how each tactic felt to deploy; the same emotional pull is the giveaway when you're fact-checking.
- Learn each tell from the feedback — recurring tactics reappear, so the lessons compound.
What you'll learn
Spin Doctor teaches disinformation techniques by letting you wield them, then tests whether you can spot them — inoculation by example.
- Skills: media literacy, disinformation tactics, critical thinking
- Best for: roughly grades 8–12 (ages 13+)
- For parents & teachers: builds resistance to manipulation by exposing its tricks.
About Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor is a media-literacy game that teaches disinformation techniques by letting you wield them, then test you on spotting them. It is an original, free browser game built in-house.
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