Agents of Influence, an educational video game that teaches students to combat online misinformation

Jun 20, 2022 6:40 PM

Anahita Dalmia of Alterea, Inc.

Anahita Dalmia, chief executive officer of Alterea, will present to Rotarians on Agents of Influence, a spy-themed educational video game that teaches middle and high school students to combat online misinformation. With the unprecedented spread of misinformation related to COVID-19, the elections, and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, the Alterea team recognized an urgent need to better prepare people to navigate the deluge of digital information they see every day. Their goal is to equip the next generation with the skills and knowledge to identify reliable information that enables them to act responsibly in their personal, civic and social lives.

Anahita is co-founder of Alterea. She has been designing immersive theatre experiences since high school, including Alohomora: Unlock the Magic, a Harry Potter-themed event, and Ascend, an ancient mythology experience that was a finalist for the 2020 SXSW Innovation Awards. She is a three-time published author on achieving social impact using experiential design, including the articles "Disney: Castles, Kingdoms and (No) Common Man" in JTEAS and "Designing An Adventure” in the Carnegie Mellon University’s Well Played Journal and has been featured in multiple publications including Authority Magazine and ThriveGlobal’s “Dreamers” and “Future of Games” series. She is also an associate faculty member at the Media Education Lab and on the Board of Advisors for The Game Academy.