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Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
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roscoe
04/17/09

In reply to Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
i am not too fond of this idea. i feel that the interwebz is creating a larger and larger gap of disconnect in people. i mean, look at facebook, myspace, messenger etc - a new form of communication without real interaction with the person. broadcast news via games? people will be far more disconnected to what the issue really is (poverty, war, human rights) and perhaps just be enjoying the game.
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dd528
04/18/09

@roscoe: It cuts both ways though, doesn't it? I mean activism on a global scale is far more possible now than it ever has been, and that's largely down to the internet. People who've never met each other can work together, or even use the internet as a tool for arranging to meet each other. It's far more possible now to educate yourself about all kinds of things, not least important issues of current affairs pretty much everywhere on the planet. And as freedom to disseminate information increases, so do the opportunities for people whose voices would otherwise go unheard to put their point of view across.
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roscoe
04/19/09

@dd528: of course. two sides of the same coin.
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potatojenkins
04/17/09

In reply to Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
I hate game journalism. It's the worst, most pedestrian "journalism" there is.

Proof?

Look at any preview, news, review, or anything from any game journalist. Look at how often they make puns about the subject matter. In one paragraph.
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potatojenkins
04/17/09

@potatojenkins:

Err.. next time, I'll read the article. What I said had nothing to do with it!
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AJ Glasser
04/18/09

@potatojenkins: You're forgiven :D
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yeah write
04/17/09

In reply to Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
As a print journalist at a healthy and thriving business oriented publication, I think journalists are their own worst enemy when it comes to the death of the print industry. Yes, a lot of the big dailies have died or are ailing, but the industry as a whole is not dying, it is changing.

Better online support and user/reader interactivity is key, but I'm not sure "games" like this are the way to go. If it's just raw, unbiased information you want to get out, do it in small blurbs and easily digestible chunks--that's what the internet is all about. As a previous commenter said, I don't think this could be done without a bias, and even if it can, it would make a terribly boring game. I'd rather just read an article. Not to mention the development time these things take--it's not news anymore by the time they are finished. This is only going to work for larger, ongoing stories.

There will always be a place for journalism. It's going to look different (more local news and info, less broad, nation-wide coverage), but it's not going to die. I write stories every day that readers can't get any where else. While games can teach us things and make us feel certain ways, I'm not sure I want them delivering our news.
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Kobun
04/17/09

@yeah write: I agree. I think a big failing of many print publications is that they try to modernize themselves by adopting on-line blogs and other such lightweight, easily reproduced. It's bad enough the actual news content generated from newspapers sinks with each new column and editorial -- adding blogs just adds fuel to the fire. People can just as easily get entertainment reviews from on-line sources, but legitimate, in depth coverage and local news will not be serviced by some random blog postings. Newspapers should not be the domain of opinion pieces, at least such that the influx of columnists bump actual newsworthy articles.
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Kenny: Mmmmm, I love colons!
04/17/09

In reply to Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
Darfur really looks like that? A bit of a stereotypical representation don't you think?

Looks like Starvin' Marvin's home town.
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roscoe
04/17/09

@Kenny: i suppose it looks more like this:

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Miksho
04/17/09

@Kenny: ...No, it really does look like that.
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BubbleF**kingBuddy
04/17/09

In reply to Games As Journalism: A Quick Fix For A Dying Medium?
That's almost impossible to do without presenting a biased outcome.
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