Game On

Happy new year and welcome January – a perfect name for the month that kicks off 2024!

What’s in a Name?

The name “January” is derived from the ancient Roman god Janus. Janus is the god of doorways, gates, and thresholds that mark a transition from one space to another. Janus was depicted with 2 faces, one looking forward the other looking backward – setting him apart from  that other Roman and Greek gods that have single face.

The relevance of Janus to January is easy to see! The start of the new year marks a transition from the one year to the next. It’s also a time to look back on the past year and forward to the next.

Freshen Up

The start of the new year is often a time to set new goals – those infamous New Year’s resolutions. The most common New Year’s resolutions typically fall into the bucket of either health or financial improvements such as commitments to exercise more, eat healthier, and save money.

Why do people choose the start of the new year to set and begin work on new goals?  According to psychology researchers, people are more likely to start and maintain change that is tied to temporal landmarks, significant dates or events in time that provide a break from the past. These temporal landmarks create a “fresh start effect” that helps to put any prior failed attempts in the past and create focus on the new goals.

Talkin’ About Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions about health and finances are great but is that all there is?

How about something different? No, not cleaning out the cluttered closet or organizing the garage. How about amping up skills so you can excel at games like Harmony Square, Fake It to Make It, Bad News or Cranky Uncle?

These games require players to have one of today’s most essential skills – the ability to identify misinformation. The inability to identify misinformation can lead to falling victim to the latest telephone or online scam, spending  money on worthless health and beauty products or engaging in risky behaviors. Misinformation in the workplace can lead to conflict between workers, decline in morale, decreased  productivity, and increased costs. At a macro level, failing to detect politicians’ misinformation can lead to public policies that will have adverse consequences for millions of Americans not only today but for decades to come.

Being skillful at detecting misinformation is needed now more than ever as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly taking the creation and  rapid dissemination of  misinformation to a whole new level.

So, let’s talk about a new resolution for 2024 – elevating your skill at detecting misinformation along with your resolutions. Best of luck with the misinformation games – both electronic and in real life!
Happy Reading!

Suzanne Daniels