Journalists have long used newspapers, radio, television, magazines and, more recently, the internet to entertain and inform the public on the stories that matter most. But what if there's a richer, more compelling and interactive way to share and address real world issues?
A University of South Australia academic is exploring how video games are being developed in journalism as a more interactive way to engage younger audiences and tell impactful stories.
Dr Ben Stubbs, a senior lecturer in journalism and creative writing at UniSA, has created a news game - Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue - to explore one of South Australia's most important health issues: ambulance ramping.
The game was led by UniSA's Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) and developed by computer science and media and literature students from around the world as part of a virtual internship.
Ramping Rush: Ambulance Rescue is a free and online single-player game that aims to demonstrate the impact of ramping - an issue that has given rise to countless media reports in recent years as the state's hospital system strains under pressure. Ramping occurs when ambulances are made to queue outside overcrowded hospital emergency departments, leaving patients with a prolonged wait upon arrival.
In the game, the player steps into the shoes of a busy paramedic, racing against time to rescue patients while dealing with long hospital waits and ramping delays.
The aim is for the player to make snap decisions and save as many lives as possible before getting stuck in traffic or being held up at clogged emergency departments. However, the player soon learns that it's impossible to save the patients and 'win' the game as the ramping situation is too dire.
By demonstrating the challenges of ramping through a gaming scenario, the team hopes to capture the attention of younger audiences, particularly school students, who are less likely to engage in traditional media.
Dr Stubbs, an experienced journalist who has written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald, says the video game was created to engage younger audiences with important and current community issues.
"Interactive news games are another way for people to think about real world issues in a fun and engaging way," he says.
"We know that people have been moving away from traditional news for a long time now and how people are consuming news is constantly changing.
"Video games are just another way to think about the potential of alternative journalism when traditional forms might only reach certain audiences."
Last year saw the biggest increase in the number of Australians playing video games, from 67% (17 million) in 2021 to 81% (21 million) in 2023. Nearly 95% of Australian households have a device for playing video games while 91% of parents play with their children to connect as a family.
Meanwhile, the journalism landscape has experienced significant change in recent decades, with traditional reporting formats like newspapers in decline. In Australia only 18% of people still read newspapers, with online news now attracting the majority of audiences.
"Shifting attitudes towards news consumption is driving demand for new outlets such as games," Dr Stubbs says.
"News video games are not entirely new to journalism. For example, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, a game was created to help people understand the complexities of modern warfare.
"Similarly, ABC created The Amazon Race' in 2019 to showcase the realities of working in a pressure-cooker environment such as Amazon's Melbourne warehouse."
UniSA has recently added a module all about news games to the Innovations in Visual Journalism course which will be part of the online Bachelor of Journalism program in 2025.
"I think there's great potential with news games," Dr Stubbs says. "In our research we found games on everything from the Syrian civil war, remembrance around the Madrid train bombings, identifying fake news, games on the realities of living with a low income, managing a sweatshop factory, pirate fishing, distracted driving and managing COVID misinformation.
"Creating new and timely additions to the video news portfolio is an important step in remaining connected to the next generation."
Ambulance Rush: Ramping Rescue is available to play on itch.io.
