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NY Times now publishing Persuasive's newsgames
The New York Times has begun publishing Persuasive's newsgames on the opinion page of their website. Currently, a title called Food Import Folly can be found under the Times Select heading.As Persuasive founder Ian Bogost note, this move by the New York Times is unprecedented. "I think it represents another important shift in videogames as a medium ... The fact that the Times is often considered the national newspaper of record makes this moment even more notable, and gratifying," he said.Indeed, exposure to serious games on the face of such a prestigious and prominent publication marks a bold step for games as an interactive medium. Can games be used as editorial much in the way political cartoons convey their message in a noninteractive manner? Bogost recently discussed such a topic at this year's Living Game Worlds conference.In Food Import Folly, players "protect the United States from contaminants found in foreign food imports." Previous newsgames by the developer had been published by Addicting Games and Shockwave under the series name The Arcade Wire.
Oil God spills on to internet
Persuasive Games has released Oil God, the second of two projects billed as "newsgames" -- the first being Airport Security. Ian Bogost, the game's creator, suggests Oil God "explores the relationship between gas prices, geopolitics, and oil profits" by challenging players to double consumer gas costs by unleashing wars and natural disasters -- oh, and alien invasions -- upon the game's fictional world.In reality, Oil God is a crude experience, pumped with superficial cynicism and fails to deliver "news" about the real world oil biz. Bogost and Persuasive are on to something, but they need to dig deeper.[Via Water Cooler Games]
