Cranky Uncle App

[Roselee Kruppa]

CrankyUncle Vaccine is a free digital health game that teaches you how to spot misinformation tricks you might see on social media, or hear from a friend or family member (especially a cranky uncle).

Play the game to:

Cranky Uncle is a quiz-style game that can be introduced to hone in on real-world examples of denial methods to combat misinformation. The app is centered around five denial methods: fake experts, impossible expectations, logical fallacies, cherry picking, and conspiracy theories. As students select correct answers, they're given a brief explanation with the reason the answer is correct, and they're given cranky points. As they collect more cranky points, they can progress to a new level in the game. Because of the political nature of many of the questions, it could be more well-rounded with sources or additional context after correct answers. As with any game of this genre, it is important to use your own discretion to analyze the simplified responses.

One way to integrate Cranky Uncle in the classroom would be to have students input a group code to take the quiz together. Another idea would be for the teacher to play while sharing their screen and pausing to ask the students to discuss each response. Students could also write quiz questions for the game based on the different denial methods and then test each other. They could also earn a percentage of their grade by emailing or uploading a screenshot of the progress screen.

This app is an excellent tool for students. They can learn knowledge while having fun. I like that the website is separated into five parts, each showing one denial method. Cranky Uncle will explain each technique after doing quizzes. I am unsure whether the content is enough for students, but the app is excellent overall.

The game uses a resilience-building technique known as active inoculation. In the game, players are mentored by a cartoon Cranky Uncle, who is dismissive of scientific evidence on climate change, vaccines, COVID-19 and other issues. As players learn the techniques used to deny science, they gain points on their quest to become a cranky uncle.

Cook, who used to draw cartoons for a living before becoming a scientist, illustrated many of the cartoon depictions of logical fallacies. He called the cumulative impact of humor, cartoons and games a powerful one that compels players into critical thinking through gameplay.

Cook is the founder of the Skeptical Science website and the lead author of a study that found 97% scientific consensus on climate change. He spent the last decade examining how to best counter climate science denial. His research, which focused on the responses of high school seniors and college students, is designed to explain the techniques of denial to make the public more resilient against climate change misinformation.

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