Innovating in journalism with newsgames: An exploratory study in Portugal

Abstract

Journalism strives to keep up with the new paradigm shift that characterizes Industry 4.0. It finds in innovation possibilities to respond to the various and constant digital changes that impact journalistic practices and to find new business models. Journalistic innovation is mostly associated with the development of apps and new formats for content, using visual representation in the press and binaural sound in radio. In Portugal, the adaptation of the business models of news companies occurs slowly, and the first newsgames projects appear sporadically. They can be defined as the creation of news games from real events to transmit complex news information in a more attractive and engaging way to audiences fragmented between platforms. In news gamification, the response to the various challenges is not limited to restructuring events into games in order to enhance participation, due to the emergence of ethical and deontological issues. Based on a questionnaire survey of ten media professionals involved in the creation of newsgames projects in Portugal, this study identifies and explores the main challenges and perceptions to evaluate this form of innovation in the industry.