Student’s final major project takes on Social Media Misinformation

Troubled by the rise of populist politics and the spread of misinformation through social media, a Southampton Solent University student has created a board game aimed at encouraging people to think more critically about the information they are exposed to - in a fun and engaging way.

Third-year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student Ash Raine’s board game is called M.I.S.I.N.F.O.R.M., in which players take part in a job interview for a shadow government organisation called the Department of Mass Influence Strategy and Information Networking for Fear, Outrage and Radical Messaging.

Ash, who is from Southampton, got the idea for his final major project following discussions about the rise of certain types of politics, as well as from personal experiences with family members who have come to believe troubling ideas based on what they have seen on social media in recent years.

“I began researching misinformation, and it really opened my eyes to how dangerous it can be - not only politically, but also in areas such as health, finance and science. It’s scary stuff!”

Recognising that misinformation is a complex issue - and that challenging people’s beliefs directly is difficult for many reasons - the goal of the project is to encourage people to think more critically about the information they’re exposed to on a daily basis, and to gently challenge some of the ideas they may hold as a result of being misinformed.

“Due to the seriousness of the issue, I decided to approach it with humour to make it accessible to a wider audience. I’m hoping that bringing people together in a fun and engaging way might help achieve the project’s overall goal,” says Ash.

“The game consists of invented stories and events I wrote myself, loosely based on real types of misinformation, with a few more absurd elements thrown in for fun. There are also ‘source’ and ‘verify’ cards that help demonstrate how misinformation works in the real world.”

Ash built the game board using a 3D printer, inspired by the iconic board used in the original Jumanji film, as well as luxury board games available in shops such as Harrods.

Talking about the highs and lows of completing the project, Ash says, “I underestimated how many different components go into a board game project, so it was quite a challenge to get everything exactly how I wanted it at the final production stage. But overall, I’m really happy with the final product.

“The highlights of the project for me were creating a backstory and writing the content for my cards. I love using humour in my work, and this project really allowed me to express myself. I also really enjoyed designing the game board - from figuring out how it should all fit together to incorporating electronics.”

Reflecting on his time at university, Ash says he has loved being in a room with creative people over the past three years.

“As a mature student, I spent years before university working jobs I didn’t really want to do and pursuing my creative ideas independently. So being able to focus my time and energy on learning and developing creatively among people with different ideas and perspectives has been great. I’ve also really enjoyed taking part in live briefs for real clients, and I think it’s definitely reduced some of the fear I might have otherwise felt about going into the industry.”

Looking ahead to life after graduation, Ash would love to continue developing M.I.S.I.N.F.O.R.M into a game that others can buy, and he has already been working on ways to refine it. His ultimate aim is to gain more experience in the graphic design industry, with the long-term goal of owning his own business.