When I first saw these anti-drug ads I thought they were a parody.

The anti-drug campaign in the US is grounded on loose “facts” and this PSA just points that out!

But when it comes to influencing public opinion, it’s enough to:

1. Show a debate around a topic.
2. Show one side winning through body language.

This technique is much more effective than supporting a position with “rational” arguments.

These high fructose corn syrup ads follow a similar formula.

The ads are carried by the expressions of the actors playing the losing side. These smart alecs think they know what they’re talking about but then are surprised and humbled by the unwavering resolve of the winning side.

It’s amazing to me how easily the human mind can be influenced. So much of what we consider true is based on what others consider true. And we grant the authority to decide truth based on signals of authority, such as body language. My favorite moments in Don DeLillo’s White Noise are the absurd situations that this leads us to.

One final propaganda ad, I recently saw this trailer on Hulu. Honda is running ads to change the public perception of robots. They’re not the bad guys!

Bryan Newbold and I made a game for the 2010 Global Game Jam, a worldwide, 48-hour game making marathon.

The theme for the 2010 jam was deception. We decided to make a 3D game where the space was constantly changing due to datamoshing.

Read the whole story here.