Keywords
Conspiracy, Micro-game, educational

Technologies
Flutter, Figma, Qualtrics

Overall, this project builds upon Nashville P.I., a game designed to encourage critical thinking about conspiracy theories, by adapting it into a microgame format. However, initial observations of the prototype indicated that unclear feedback limited the development of discernment. Therefore, this study examines how feedback explicitness influences players’ discernment and perceived learning within a conspiracy-themed microgame. A qualitative within-participant study was conducted, involving four gameplay tasks incorporating implicit and explicit feedback. Semi-structured interviews were then carried out after each task and analysed using template analysis. Findings revealed explicit feedback promoted engagement by triggering a reflection-recalibration process. Second, learning emerged as rule-based rather than accuracy-based, with explicit feedback supporting the formation of evaluative principles. Third, confidence aligned with learning only under explicit feedback, where it was grounded in articulated reasoning rather than intuition. Ultimately, feedback explicitness is a critical design mechanism supporting reflective, transferable learning and the development of discernment.