This week you read the first two and last chapters of the book, NewsGames: Journalism at Play. The author argues that newsgames offer a new way of thinking about the news and can be a valuable contribution when embraced as a viable method of practicing journalism. Play some of the games mentioned in the three chapters such as the Persuasive Games (founded by the author Ian Bogost) mentioned in Chapter 9. A few game examples and other resources can be found at: http://delicious.com/karenmturner/games
Also, a quick look at the Persuasive Games website shows some of the election games developed that are no longer available: http://www.persuasivegames.com/games/
Are newsgames really a viable way of practicing journalism? (The author cites a few missteps in Chapter 2) Can newsgames embrace the traditional tenets of journalism – accuracy, objectivity, timeliness, etc? Should they? Why the seeming resistance to this form of storytelling as discussed by the author in Chapter 9? Can/should newsgames be a realistic part of the future of journalism?
Don’t forget to post your responses by the Tuesday 10/15 @ 11:59p deadline.
I do not personally think that Newsgames are a viable way of practicing journalism. Before reading about or playing them, I kept thinking “This takes a lot of time.” When I want to get news or find out about issues, I like it to be fast and easy. I like reading an article that tells me exactly what’s going on and I can just Google the topic I want to read about. I think playing a game will take too much time in American society where many people need instant gratification. I think that Newsgames should embrace the traditional trends in journalism however; I don’t think they will be able to. In terms of timeliness, in chapter 2, it mentions that the games are created very fast, which effects the accuracy. On the other hand, if you wait for a game to be accurate, timeliness is affected. Chapter 9 says: “Figuring out how these games actually fit into news is more difficult than building the games themselves.” I think this resistance exists because news outlets don’t really know how to use them or incorporate them into the news. I think that this concept is too new and experimental. Also mentioned in chapter 9 was that there is a fear that news is dying and I think that outlets mat believe that trying something new is too risky. I think that Newsgames could possibly be a part of the future of journalism to an extent. I think that news outlets will play around and test them out. I’m not sure how people will react though because as I mentioned before, I think it may take too much effort for busy Americans.
I had every intention of agreeing with Kelsey, as there are many logistics I just can’t seem to work out in my head.
Then I looked up Cutthroat Capitalism, the Somali pirate newsgame. Then I put off this assignment because I was so captivated by it. So, I may have accidentally proved myself wrong.
I can see newsgames working for broad topics such as this. However, I still have a lot of issues with games playing out specific stories. First of all, while I understand they can help get the public involved in the stories, I just can’t see them still maintaining the principles of journalism. First, it takes a lot of time to create a video game, especially if we were to start talking games formatted for consoles, so timeliness is the first to go. Secondly, whenever I try and think about how I would format a newsgame, I am having a very hard time remaining objective without losing the player’s interest.
While I myself can’t see how newsgames will work, I still believe there is a place for them in journalism. As I pondered the issue of attracting audiences like the people that are checking FOX News and CNN everyday, I had an “oh wait” moment. Newsgames don’t need to suit the people that are interested in news now. Newsgames can appeal to the current or next generation that is really the first generation to grow up with video games, therefore already having an audience with more interest. So, while I don’t think I’ll be contributing to any groundbreaking newsgames development, I think it remains a definite possibility.
I don’t know if I believe that journalism will ever be practiced through games. The idea seems interesting in theory, but about as viable and practical as creating a movie to cover each story. Would it get audiences interested in a topic they might otherwise not give as much thought? Yes, definitely. However, the practicality is definitely not a “logical” one.
It raises a lot of questions that would need to be answered sufficiently: for example, which stories would get “game” coverage? How often would stories be converted into games, and what would happen to the outdated games that dealt with stories that were no longer hot topics? How many games per year would enter circulation?
And of course, there is always the question of violence. While I agree with Catherine Schifter in that one should not shy away from violence and pretend it doesn’t exist, video games are currently coming under attack for presenting violence in a fictional context. What happens when/if games begin presenting ‘real life’ scenarios focused around (if not necessarily graphically depicting) violent situations? Especially if, as Schifter suggested, we are exploring the idea that the “bad guy” may not be all that “bad” . . .
I do believe that games can help to SUPPLEMENT journalism, however. Using games to help the general public understand criminal investigation or police procedures, or even governmental legislative procedures, would be beneficial, I think. But using them to actually COVER events seems over the top, especially with news reporting in general being in the flux it is in nowadays.
Ultimately, I feel like we have spent enough energy accommodating our audiences’ deteriorating ability to be engaged through the simple act of reading information. Maybe instead of trying to find new ways to mix sweetener into the medicine, we should be focusing on bringing the average newspaper up from an eighth grade reading level …
After reading the chapters of Newsgames: Journalism at Play, I’m more optimistic about the future of video games as a journalistic tool. I share many of the same misgivings towards newsgames as my fellow classmates. I find it unlikely that any blockbuster console-style newsgame will ever be produced. I also think it will be difficult for newsgames to maintain the same level of timeliness and accuracy that print or multimedia stories have. However, I’ve now seen that newsgames definitely can work as supplements to other forms of coverage on a story. The examples mentioned in the readings, such as Cutthroat Capitalism and September 12th show that newsgames can help educate players and show another side to a story. I agree with Carter that newsgames work better for broad topics rather than specific stories. Even simple, free online games take significant time and effort to develop. Furthermore, most newsgames will probably have a tendency to be biased. Perhaps newsgames would work best as continuing coverage stories or a gamified form of editorials, columns and op-eds. The strict deadlines and 24-hour news cycle of modern journalism make it impractical to develop a game for each individual story, but newsgames could still be used to inform people about general newsworthy topics, in an interactive way.
I think the conclusion of the book is very interesting because Bogost says that future journalists will need to become programmers. I agree that it’s in journalists’ best interests to learn more about computer science and programming. I don’t particularly enjoy programming, but I can see that it’s a useful skill to know. The advent of the Internet has led to the rise of the ‘multimedia journalist’ who’s expected to know how to cover a story using any and all mediums as well as publish the story to the web. It’s only a matter of time until journalists are expected to know the ins and outs of web design and game design and computer programming in general. I definitely think newsgames have a place in the future of journalism, but it’s hard to say how quick they will catch on, and what forms they will eventually take.
I thought this was interesting considering our conversation: http://www.zmescience.com/research/studies/gamers-solve-decade-old-hiv-puzzle-in-ten-days/
Interesting!! Will post to the Temple gamer group. Nice find…thanks.