Are newsrooms ready for games?

Andrew Devigal, multimedia editor for The NYTimes.com, explained the evolution of the newsroom structure through the last couple of years on this internet operation. One of the most interesting things was how new roles have been created and how the Multimedia section has been converted into a transversal endeavor instead of a separate department (see picture) that served the Graphics, Photo and Design areas. In another presentation by the Las Vegas Sun at the ONA meeting, similar new roles where presented.  These are some of the new job descriptions: Database Developer, Software Developer, Flash Journalist, Design Technologist, and so forth. 


These examples of changes in newsrooms toward more transversal environment seem correct in order to adapt themselves to the dynamic media landscape. Especially with the web, the media outlets had to adapt to a 24-hour cycle that breaks the logic of a few editions around the clock. Today it is more common to see websites that unfold news stories in a progressive fashion, as more elements come to the newsroom. Moreover, pieces that were treated more independently before are now part of the same effort. For example, since the Multimedia department now is working much closer to the Photo and Video department, as soon as the photographers release new material the Flash Journalist can update their news packages.

These cases present good milestones in the industry since they symbolize at least two advances. The first one is that news products cannot be created anymore in closed silos, so transversal structures are vital changes. The other one is acknowledging the complexity of the endeavor; for example, creating an infographic for most news organizations involves just a copy-and-paste from the print graphic to the web. With people taking roles like the ones listed above, it is a sign of understanding that an online piece is much more than its visuals. Programmers, database developers, ux designers, and many others are all vital for the creation and exploration of new challenges in the digital medium.

But these roles inside these new structures might create issues because of their strong technological roots. Although the Multimedia department of the NYTimes.com is much broader than it used to be, the roles inside this area seem too specific and technology attached. It's separation of duties might be too strong and might discourage inside team collaboration.  For example, the Flash Journalists is defined as someone that fills out a form that automatically generates the XML files and structure for a Flash slideshow, and the Developers are the ones that create the Flash slideshow templates. I don't know how much creative work really exists between these roles, but from what I can deduce it is not much. I believe there is much more potential if the journalists learned a bit more about beinga programmer, and if the programmers learn are a bit more about being journalist, so they can really work together as a team and not as a line-of-production.

Let's go back to the question on the introduction of this post: are newsrooms ready for game development? From what I have seen I don't believe so. Newsrooms are still struggling with convergence and multimedia (video, audio, interactive applications, and so forth), adding some new skill sets to the workflow. Although there have been important advances, such as the organizational changes that have destroyed some of the structural silos, the personal silos are the ones that might sabotage further advances. If the people that have taken any of the new roles mentioned on this post cannot talk to each other, the creativity and exploration of new ideas will be crippled, and mental silos will be created in replacement of the structural silos.

As for the creation of stories in general, and infographics and games in specific, all the people involved need to assume their specific roles and perform their skills, but at the same time they need to be able to see the bigger picture. In this case, a much more complex news story, with more elements, but with essentially the same goal: making citizens more informed. News professionals should be able to do with the infographics and games the same as many already do with photographs: they are not just images that are on the side of the text, they are part of a grander narrative: the news story.

Games and Interactive Infographics are not elements that can be created out of the workflow and logic of news. In whatever shape that games take for news organizations, there is something all will have in common: their connection to our desire to know more about our world.

I believe that only when all the structural and mental barriers disappear, the media companies will be ready for the successful creation of new products such as interactive infographics and games, as with any other new element that might be added to the media mix in the future. Before that, games will be just a visitor in a newsroom.