The Media Game

"Using games to tell news stories forces journalists to think and work in radically different ways. But, these rich, non-linear narratives have the potential to push storytelling in new directions and engage audiences more deeply." Skye Doherty

The power of a whim had once again abandoned me, this time in favour of a more 'sociable' weekend back home. Needless to say, I took my seat in E109 with not the slightest clue as to what was in store, apart from a rather vague email from Dr Redman regarding a lady by the name of Skye Doherty.

Now, if there was ever a person who you could say has 'been there and done that', it's Skye Doherty. With little more than 10 years experience in the industry, she has already worked for media groups in Australia, South-east Asia and the UK. It was with this knowledge that I straightened my back, took the cap from my pen, turned to a blank page in my notebook and took notice.

The majority of the presentation was centred around the value and importance of text in today's media landscape. Even after the advent of radio and video, Skye argued that text still remained the main form of information communication between journalists and their viewers, noting that while the way in which this text is delivered varies according to the platform, its benefits remain.

With 20 minutes remaining before the lecture was due to end, Skye concluded her presentation. Eager as many of us were to leave early, Dr Redman called for 'question time' - an obvious attempt to kill time that wasn't lost on any of the yawning students seated throughout the lecture theater. While we sat struggling through the stereotypical "why did you want to be a journalist", one young lady in the front row posed a very interesting question. She asked Ms Doherty about her blog, particularly a post to do with 'newsgames'. A simple 'please elaborate' changed the whole direction of the lecture, for both Skye Doherty and the students to whom she was addressing.

What followed was a crash course on newsgames; from playing as a Pirate, capturing and pillaging cargo ships off the coast of Somalia in Cutthroat Capitalism to controlling a guided missile from above in September 12, Ms Doherty established the idea that just as technology is evolving, so is the way in which journalists convey news to their audience.

Once I got back to my room, I quickly jumped online and did a little research on newsgames, even playing a few myself. The idea itself is still a relatively obscure one, and from my short experiences in playing I feel there's still a long way to go - a fact agreed upon by the various minds behind the concept. University of Central Lancashire's Paul Egglestone highlighted the major 'fault' with the concept when he stated “Deadline and story-driven newsroom culture won’t support this level of creativity.” It's true.

In the mad scramble that is today's media environment, where it's not enough to simply have a story, but to have it first, a newsgame of quality requires time and effort that very few are willing to afford to it. Far from being a buzz kill however, the future is still relatively bright for newsgames - in their own niche; not simply an adjunct to a story, but a tool providing deeper understanding.

“It is very exciting and I genuinely believe it is a revolutionary way of communicating, because anything which gives you a degree of experience has got to be better than something which is sedentary or passive. But equally, it is not always appropriate. You don’t want to turn everything into a game. Either it trivialises it or it is more effort to create a game than just to do it.” John Welsh