Finnish Broadcaster Launches Troll Simulation Game to Fight Disinformation
Finland's public broadcasting company Yle releases an English version of Troll Factory, a game that puts players in the shoes of an internet troll to teach critical thinking. The interactive experience exposes real disinformation tactics to help users recognize and resist online manipulation.
Finnish Public Broadcasting Company Yle launches an international version of Troll Factory, an online game designed to teach critical thinking by letting players act as malicious internet trolls. The game uses authentic, disturbing social media content to simulate the experience of working in a digital disinformation operation.
Players interact with a simulated messaging app on a virtual smartphone, taking orders from a troll factory boss to generate anti-immigrant sentiment. The gameplay demonstrates real manipulation tactics, such as seeding conspiracy theories, exploiting news events, microtargeting demographics, and using paid bots to amplify propaganda.
After completing the simulation, the game provides a rating of the player's reach and offers detailed context about the influencing methods used. Yle creates this English version after the original Finnish release achieves strong local success and gains traction as an educational resource among security and education professionals.