Playful approaches to news engagement. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ferrer-Conill, Raul; Foxman, Maxwell; Jones, Janet; Sihvonen, Tanja; Siitonen, Marko
• 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: 457
• Page End: 469
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Engagement -- games -- gamification -- institutional logics -- journalism -- ludic -- news -- newsgames -- playful; Mass media -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; Telecommunication -- Periodicals; Mass media and technology -- Periodicals; 621.3897
• DOI: 10.1177/1354856520923964
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-8565

Abstract

From crossword puzzles and quizzes to more complex gamification strategies and serious newsgames, legacy media has long explored ways to deploy playful approaches to deliver their content and engage with the audience. We examine how news and games fit together when news organizations, game creators and news audiences welcome gameful forms of communication and participation. Moreover, we reflect on the theoretical and empirical significance of merging news with games as a way to reformulate normative assumptions, production practices and consumption patterns. As a result, the boundaries between journalism and game's logics start to erode, and they begin to find new ways of converging.