Written by Jih-Hsuan Tammy Lin and Dai-Yun Wu.
Edited by Chee-Hann Wu.
Image credit: screenshot of Daily Life in the Emergency Room by The Reporter.
This article offers a brief introduction to the research published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, with a slight revision to enhance readability for Taiwan Insight. To read the full article, please see here.
To enhance information sharing and engage audiences, journalism consistently adopts new media formats, including photography, colour imagery, web videos, infographics, data visualisations, timelines, and narrative-driven storytelling. Digital games have become another tool to raise awareness and generate advocacy, with journalistic practices embedding information within game mechanics to encourage audience interaction with the issues presented. Newsgames, a subgenre of serious games, use digital gameplay to convey news stories, offering players deeper context and insight into the issues behind these stories and the workings of related processes or systems that are often developed in response to real-world events and serve as a supplement to traditional news coverage. Players’ active participation in newsgames sets them apart from other media innovations, as they offer a more impactful experience than traditional, non-interactive news formats.
While newsgames hold promise, they have also sparked controversy, particularly when addressing sensitive topics like humanitarian crises. One prominent example is the BBC’s Syrian Journey, a text-based adventure game that simulated the experiences of Syrian refugees escaping to Europe. The game garnered significant attention and incited heated debate on its portrayal of humanitarian tragedy through the form of games. It also faced criticism from some media outlets who argued that it trivialised the suffering of those affected by the conflict. The BBC defended Syrian Journey, highlighting its role in raising awareness and providing a platform for people to learn about the challenges faced by Syrian refugees.
This debate exemplifies the broader discussion surrounding newsgames: do they serve as effective tools for disseminating knowledge and raising awareness, or do they risk oversimplifying complex issues for the sake of entertainment?
Unpacking the Essential Elements of Newsgames
In this study, we identified two key factors that influence the reception of newsgames: graphic realism and geographic proximity. Graphic realism refers to the level of visual detail and realism used to depict events in the game that can significantly impact player engagement. Realistic visuals may evoke stronger emotional responses and enhance players’ perception of authenticity. Geographic Proximity is the geographical distance between the player and the events depicted in the game, which can play a role in their level of interest and emotional connection. People tend to be more engaged with news that is geographically closer to them, as it may feel more relevant to their own lives.
A total of 161 Taiwanese university students participated in this experiment. Our research explored the impact of graphic realism and geographic proximity in newsgames across multiple dimensions, including how gameplay influenced players’ likelihood of seeking further information and reading related news, the knowledge they gained, emotional responses, and willingness to support the cause by sharing the game or donating, considering factors like appreciation, enjoyment, and suspense.
We employed and modded a newsgame, Daily Life in the Emergency Room, which was published as an in-depth report by a Taiwanese news organization, The Reporters, in December 2015. The purpose of the newsgame is to raise the audience’s awareness of the various challenging situations that doctors face every day in an emergency room and which need to be addressed and improved. A “read related news” button is provided in the results section.
In this action game, players take on the role of a doctor and must treat patients according to their emergency priority. Players click on the corresponding colours to quickly treat patients and solve all other problems by quickly clicking on the objects, patients, or situations. The game also features patients lying on beds that require regular attention. If the doctors cannot treat these patients in time, they will have to deal with arguments and violence (two events) from these patients. In addition, the doctors must eat, drink, and use the bathroom according to the game’s requirements. Towards the end of the game, an emergency event (originally a factory explosion, here earthquakes from Taiwan or Ecuador) occurs, quickly flooding the emergency room with patients. At this point, the pace increases dramatically so that players have only seconds to live, and the game ends. At the end, the game assigns various rankings based on player performance, such as “Resident” or “Intern”.
This game adopts the endless action style to deal with various situations, allowing players to experience doctors’ actual situations. A player is afforded five “lives” for their doctor. If the players give the wrong treatment or forget to attend to a long-term patient, they lose one life. The loss of five lives ends the gameplay. We keep all events constant so that each player confronts one argument, one incident of patient violence and one instance of the doctor fainting.
Our research shows that certain design elements act as “spice” to original news stories, enhancing the emotional and persuasive impact of news stories beyond mere information delivery. Realism and proximity influence players’ emotions, arousal, and willingness to help, although they do not significantly increase knowledge retention or motivation to read related news. Specifically, when addressing a specific social issue that requires audience concern and encourages action, graphic realism in news games elicits negative emotions and higher arousal in players. In contrast to realism, geographic proximity had no effect on players’ emotions and arousal. This may indicate that newsgames are an effective tool for audiences to experience distant suffering.
The results provide us the opportunity to further define newsgames. Newsgames are games designed to deliver actual events and issues through player engagement and to generate awareness of the issues effectively. Players engage in meaningful play that elicits greater emotions and arousal, suspense, and appreciation, which leads to a greater intention for prosocial behaviour.
The Future of Newsgames: Innovation in Journalism
Understanding how players respond to newsgames is crucial for designing impactful experiences. Theories from entertainment psychology can shed light on the underlying mechanisms at play. For example, the concept of appreciation, a form of eudaimonic entertainment experience, suggests that engaging in meaningful activities can lead to feelings of intrinsic reward and personal growth. When applied to newsgames, appreciation could explain why players who find the game meaningful are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviours. Additionally, the element of suspense, often experienced as heightened arousal and anticipation, has been linked to increased prosocial behaviour in newsgame contexts. The combination of these emotional responses can contribute to a more impactful and motivating player experience.
As technology continues to advance, newsgames hold immense potential for journalistic innovation. By carefully incorporating elements of realism, strategically leveraging geographic proximity, and designing engaging gameplay mechanics, journalists can create compelling and impactful experiences for their audiences. Further research is needed to explore the full potential of newsgames across diverse topics and to develop design principles that maximise their impact. The evolution of newsgames promises to reshape how we consume news and engage with critical issues in the years to come.
Jih-Hsuan Tammy Lin is an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and a member of the Taiwan Institute for Governance and Communication Research at National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Her research interests focus on examining psychological mechanisms in virtual reality, digital games, and social media and the role of interactivity in media effect studies. She is also interested in using virtual reality for health promotion.
Dai-Yun Wu is a PhD candidate of the College of Communication at National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Her current research interests include entertainment media, games for change, media interactivity, and virtual reality.
This article was published as part of a special issue on ‘Gaming Taiwan’.
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