Dispatch from the Digital Frontier: Can Games Save Journalism?

Asan American, I have a deep appreciation for journalism and those whopractice it. Journalism is fundamental to a successful democracy, andI expect there are many Americans who are grateful, as I am, for thehard work of the reporters who dog the events of our time so thatthey can shine the light on the inner workings of government andother institutions that affect how our society operates.

Sadly,the businesses that have traditionally sustained the practice ofjournalism are themselves unable to sustain the business models thatkeep them in business. How many people do you know who get the newsvia Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, John Stewart and Stephen Colbert? Howmany people do you know who still get a newspaper delivered to theirhomes? How many people do you know who watch the evening news on TV?These questions and their ilk are keeping many very smart peopleawake at night as they fret about what journalism in the twenty-firstcentury will be.

Journalismand education have much in common, and not just because they are bothin dire straits in this country. While it is the responsibility ofjournalism to inform us about the world around us, it is education’spurview to help us learn about, navigate and succeed in that sameworld. Each discipline is fundamental to a well-informed andproductive citizenry. Further, each requires active and willingconsumers to achieve its goal.

Therehas been a lot of buzz in recent years about online games forlearning. Learning professionals and consumers alike have begun tosee the utility of incorporating games and game mechanics(techniques) into learning programs. Experimental schools thatincorporate games into their curriculum are popping up around thecountry. University programs are coming online that focus on gamedesign and development for both entertainment and education. Thevalue of play as a component of the learning process is beingrecognized in many corners of government and industry.

Ourjournalism colleagues are starting to take notice of games forlearning, and are beginning to wonder whether game mechanics mighthave a place in the news business. Funded by the John S. and James L.Knight Foundation, Ian Bogost and his team at Georgia Tech arelooking at “ways videogames can be used in the field of journalism,providing examples, theoretical approaches, speculative ideas, andpractical advice about the past, present, and future of gamesand journalism.” (https://jag.lcc.gatech.edu/) BBC has releasedseveral games that help young people understand complex topics in thenews. Newsgaming.com, a Uruguayan game company, uses videogames to“analyze, debate, comment and editorialize major internationalnews.” (https://www.newsgaming.com/index.htm).Impact Games, a game development house in Pittsburgh (and the peoplewho brought us “PeaceMaker”), has launched “Play the News,” aweb-based platform that brings interactive gaming elements to theonline news industry with the intent of changing the paradigm of newsconsumption from passive reading to active engagement.(https://impactgames.com/)

I’mpleased to tell you that I will be joining the pursuit of the sweetspot at the intersection of games, education and journalism. Nextmonth, I begin a fellowship at the Reynolds Journalism Institute atthe University of Missouri’s School of Journalism. My work willfocus on 1) using game mechanics within journalism education, and 2)designing games to support journalism’s community of practice,particularly the bourgeoning community of citizen journalists aroundthe world. I will be examining such wide-ranging topics as:

• The role of social networking in the practice of journalism

• Content management – can journalism benefit from the concept of “reusable/repurposable content”?

• Is journalism becoming a new form of personal/interpersonal expression?

• What kind of social economics are embedded in journalism? Explicit and tacit?

• How is workflow changing in this era of new new media? [Bill: yes, I mean new new]

• Is the role of news consumer changing? How?

Iinvite you to join me on this journey. I will be reporting here aboutmy experiences, observations and learnings. As always, I look forwardto your insights and recommendations.