Play the News
Fun and Games in Digital Journalism
Maxwell Foxman
@MaxwellFoxman
mhf2012@columbia.edu
Central Questions
- How are games being used by digital journalists?
- Do games and play affect journalistic practices?
- When should games and play not be used?
- What qualifies as games and play to journalists?
What Qualifies as Games?
Methods
- 40 interviews with practicing journalists, serious game designers, game journalists and educators in Game Labs and Journalism Schools.
- Within the journalistic field: graphic design, development, editorial, business and strategic managers.
- Historical research on games and play.
Findings
Concerns of Crosswords
- Technology
- User Feedback and Iterability
- Incentivization
- Limitations
- The News Bundle
Features vs.
Stock Formats
Features vs. Stock Formats
Playful Products
Points, Badges, Prizes
Quizzes & Questions
Playful Products
Situation-Specific Designs
Newsgames & Gameworlds
Playful Practices
“There’s a relationship that we have with our audience that frankly is different than a lot of other news organizations. I mean, nobody puts a Chicago Tribune bumper sticker on the back of their car, but everyone’s got NPR stickers.”
Brian Boyer on "Harnessing the Love" of the NPR Audience
BuzzFeed
Game Team Products
Playtesting the Public
Games & Business
Playful Challenges
- Culture
- Brand
- Cost (Time, Effort, Skills)
Practical Suggestions
- Think like a Game Designer
- Flexibility
- Formatting
- Iteration
- Playtesting
- Rethinking relationships to stories and audience
Technical Suggestions
- Use skills, staff and talent already existing within the newsroom
- Play with Open Source and Free Software
Conclusions
Questions?
@MaxwellFoxman
mhf2012@columbia.edu