Features vs. Stock Formats
The decision to make a playful or gamelike product often originates from the content itself. This was the case with The New York Times’ “Dialect Quiz” published in the winter of 2013.11 According to Times graphics editor Wilson Andrews, a data set on pronunciation helped shape the quiz. “I think what we did that really made it so successful is used some really solid actual academic research that really pinpointed people. And people were shocked and surprised and excited about how accurate the quiz was.” Other playful projects which focus on specific data or events include WNYC’s snowfall map,12 NPR’s Tetris-like election coverage,13 Slate’s fiscal cliff interactive,14 and The Guardian’s “Could You Be a Medallist?” Olympic racing game.15
Features like these can bring attention to specific news events in unique and engaging ways, particularly when executed well. Jason Rzepka, former senior vice president of public affairs and brand communications at MTV, noted that “the value of just having that attention that you wouldn’t have had otherwise is as important—or more important—than how many people actually played the game.”
Content-driven design can also supplement coverage of major news events. The New York Times appropriated a “Spot the Ball” game from British newspapers for its 2014 World Cup presentation.16 Andrews commented, “It’s really a good example of capturing something that has a lot of news value at the moment and making it really accessible to anyone while still being able to tell a story.” While only one part of its World Cup coverage, the game potentially exposed the Times to more playful audiences.
Features are not without drawbacks, especially since they require investments of time, funds, and skills. That’s why many media companies use programs and code developed previously; or some are conceived by retained developers with specialized knowledge and expertise. In addition, audiences should be able to play features repeatedly. An attractive and well-made product can have a long shelf life, like the Times’ “Gauging Your Distraction,” a driving-while-texting game;17 or The Miami Herald and WLRN’s “Tallanasty” quiz.18 According to Herald and WLRN public insight analyst and web producer Stefania Ferro, its Florida quiz was so popular that the outlets reused it in subsequent political coverage so they could provide a unique window into the state’s perplexing legal and political system.
On the other side of the spectrum are a variety of game templates and stock formats, which often require simple user and journalistic input. BuzzFeed’s enormously popular news quiz is built into the company’s content management system (CMS) so multiple departments within the organization can use it. As a consequence, writers can publish quizzes without needing technical skills.
These stock formats, whether designed in-house or with third-party software, are meant to accommodate multiple stories and content. They demand less initial time and effort from designers and can be released quickly. As is the case with BuzzFeed’s quizzes, they’re tweaked over time based upon user play and feedback. The goal is to optimize the format to maximize audience response.
Although stock formats cost little to assemble and deploy, publishers who want to build them may need to seat design-oriented developers in the newsroom. Furthermore, the success of stock formats depends upon an organization’s great awareness of its users. Metrics on audience participation become imperative. Stock formats are discarded or shelved if they don’t receive early positive response. “You look at it, you share it or not, and then you go on to the next one. I think we’re just thinking of them [games] as articles for now,” said BuzzFeed game developer Michael Hansen. Ideally, a good format will seamlessly integrate into news production and can be a low-cost alternative to more time- and skill-intensive features.
What qualifies as gamelike, playful, or fun runs the gamut across news institutions. While a few may employ specialized developers, most hire staff (not specifically trained in game design) to be multi-tasked members of their multimedia and development teams. The New York Times’ “Times Haiku”19 and The Washington Post’s “The Depth of the Problem”20 infographic reflect the diversity of playfully designed products from both editorial and development sides of the newsroom.