Types of Gameplay in Newsgames. Case of Persuasive Messages about COVID-19

Julio Merchán-Romero,Angel Torres-Toukoumidis

doi:10.3390/journalmedia2040044

Julio Merchán-Romero, Angel Torres-Toukoumidis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia2040044

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Abstract

Currently, independent video games have been presented as an alternative to approach the development of a ludic typology called newsgames in which, distancing themselves from the interests of the entertainment industry, a series of games related to the pandemic are presented. From here, we seek to examine the gameplay elements and persuasive messages of 17 “indie games” in the context of COVID-19, categorizing them according to types of newsgames and determining any patterns present among them. The results manifest a tendency towards tabloid newsgames, which are characterized by dealing with sensational, direct, and immediate information using humor and exaggeration to convey messages, which, in this case, focuses on biosafety measures such as hand washing, the use of alcohol for sanitation, and social distancing. On the part of the gameplay elements, a linear narrative is maintained, but it is mainly a sum of achievements to reach the game’s objectives. In short, independent newsgames are formalized as an instrument of diversification in media realities that allow for the presenting of information in an alternative way without depending on editorial lines within a crisis context, as has been the case during the pandemic.

Highlights

The approach of this research is qualitative-inductive, starting from specific reasoning about indie games connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, to lead to patterns about the narrative elements they harbor in their gameplay
The video games that belong to this category are: COVID Courier, COVID-19 Shoot the virus dead!, 感染 COVID-19, and Covid-lifestyle
The 17 newsgames analyzed in this research and that correspond to the pandemic theme show that 35%—6/17—are tabloid games

Summary

Introduction

We have witnessed the advance of different information and communication technologies, which have shown a constant evolution in the digital world, allowing for greater access to multiple fields of information and contributing to different areas such as education or leisure. According to Requena and McMullin (2015), technological knowledge innovations and experiences favor the development of inclusion; in this way, virtuality comes to play a leading role in the scene of resources that benefit the acquisition of knowledge and reduce the lock-in kind of thinking that has caused the current pandemic (Ferreira and Borges 2020). Knowing the positive impact that video games contain, their applicability towards specific contexts produces current debates, such as how the pandemic has been addressed in video games and what this tells us about the importance of video games in media, allowing us to formalize the following question: what is the importance of video games within the media? Knowing the positive impact that video games contain, their applicability towards specific contexts produces current debates, such as how the pandemic has been addressed in video games and what this tells us about the importance of video games in media, allowing us to formalize the following question: what is the importance of video games within the media? To

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