Citizen Journalism and Newsgames

Citizen Journalism is the term used for when members of the public collect and report they're own information. For example, I could be at the scene of a current newsworthy event which I decide to film or take a picture of. I will then go on to upload it on my online blog or YouTube. This is called citizen journalism.

Due to technology, such as the Internet and mobile phones, we are able to capture, upload and share footage with others online within seconds. I suppose one advantage of citizen journalism is that members of the public are able to capture footage that professional journalists can not. This could be due to not being present at the time of the event. However, one disadvantage of it all is that the information reported by the public may be fabricated or not 100% correct and this is because they do not have the same media knowledge as a professional journalist.

This week we looked at news games, which i found quite exciting! I suppose, as well as news games being informative, they also provide some kind of entertainment. Here are a few games i looked at:


GAME 1: Killer Flu

From the title of the game, I'm sure it is quite obvious what news story the game generated from. Yes, SWINE FLU! This game is about the seasonal and pandemic flu and was commisioned by the UK Clinical Virology Network. The game was used to explain how the flu spreads. It requires the person playing the game to take on the role of the flu and try to spread it onto others. This game was designed to inform people on the details of the flu itself.


GAME 2: Splash + Grab

This entertaining game was based on the news story about Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorce. Players must take on the role of Heather Mills and try to earn a larger divorce settlement by splashing water on Paul McCartney whilst avoiding the judge at the same time. Although this news game was far from informative, it is very entertaining!


GAME 3: Credit Crunch Chaos

From the obvious title, this light entertainment game was based on the credit crunch crisis. Players take on the role of Gordon Brown and their aim is to jump on as many £50 notes as possible, then secure them with a British flag. However, David Cameron is standing by, waiting for Gordon Brown to fail. The whole point of this game is to give players the chance to become the Prime Minister and to see if they can handle the economy any better.