Truth, Lies & Democracy Game Jam
Truth, Lies & Democracy is an activist game jam aimed at mobilizing the European gaming community to combat fake news and defend democracy.
Three local and up to four European teams, will engage in a 3-day game jam from May 17 to 19 at the Canódromo – Ateneu de Innovación Digital y Democratica to create video games and interactive proposals addressing fake news. Renowned professionals from gaming, technology, politics, and communication will provide talks and mentorship.
The initiative aims to educate gamers on democratic decision-making, disinformation, deep fakes, privacy, and the societal impact of new technologies. Fake news poses a threat to democracy by undermining faith in elections, fostering mistrust, diminishing confidence in journalism, and eroding trust in government.
With Europe boasting 4,900 game studios, 200 game distributors, and 386 million players, the project emphasizes the role of games in promoting European values and democracy. It positions video games as a means for younger generations to express how democracies should adapt to evolving cultural and political landscapes.
Truth, Lies & Democracy, initiated by European Capital of Democracy NPO and further developed with the City of Barcelona, is curated by ArsGames and María Luján Oulton, with the support of local and international partners such as Gameloft BCN, GameBCN, IndieDevDay, DeviCat, Nimble Giant Entertainment, ENTI-UB, CITM-UPC, UPF, ENTI-UB, Fundación Maldita.es, and Verificat.