Curiosity Journalism, or the First Decades of Newsgames. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bogost, Ian
• Other Names: Ferrer-Conill Raul guest-editor.; Foxman Maxwell guest-editor.; Jones Janet guest-editor.; Sihvonen Tanja guest-editor.; Siitonen Marko guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Convergence. Volume 26:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 572
• Page End: 576
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Gamification -- Gonzalo Frasca -- Ian Bogost -- journalism -- newsgames -- serious games -- social media -- video games; Mass media -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; Telecommunication -- Periodicals; Mass media and technology -- Periodicals; 621.3897
• DOI: 10.1177/1354856520918075
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-8565

Abstract

As a veteran developer of newsgames and a coauthor of the book Newsgames: Journalism at Play, I revisit the origins, past promise, and current reality of the form. Like many other interventions in games outside entertainment, newsgames have great promise, but that promise has not yet been realized. Rather than ignoring these lessons, the next generation of scholars, researchers, critics, journalists, and developers should learn the difficult lessons from the past and incorporate them into their future efforts.