Here is a message from our friend Ian Bogost about a new project he is engaged in on Journalism and Videogames. Tune in!

Greetings,

I'm writing because I thought you might be interested in a new research project on Journalism and Videogames, which I've been pursuing with a small cabal of devoted students since late summer. Here's a brief explanation of the questions we're asking:

What lies at the intersection of videogames and journalism? This research project, made possible by funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, seeks to understand the ways videogames can be used in the field of journalism, providing examples, theoretical approaches, speculative ideas, and practical advice about the past, present, and future of games and journalism.

There's still much to do before we come to any firm findings, but we've begun to publish our in-progress work on a new blog hosted at Georgia Tech:

http://jag.lcc.gatech.edu/blog/

Some of the questions we're asking include:

* How can games and simulations reveal their designers' methods and assumptions? Can games help make traditional journalism become more transparent?
* How can games facilitate discourse between citizens? What kinds of discourse? Can such a discourse lead to productive reflection or action?
* What role do traditional newspaper games (such as the crossword puzzle) play in news media? Do they serve any journalistic goals?

As things progress, we're also planning to publish more formal, lengthy arguments in a kind of online magazine on this website. More on that when the time comes.

I invite you to follow what we're working on there and join in the conversation.

Best,
Ian Bogost