Journalism is not just about telling readers about their favorite video games. Journalists check the pulse of the world, telling people what is happening, who is doing it, and why. They work to give people the knowledge they need to participate in society, because knowing is half the battle.

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Games That Let You Play As A Journalist

These iconic video game journalists prove that a notepad and camera can be every bit as effective as a badge and gun when it comes to solving crime.

Video games also explore this essential profession. Titles range from a silly, horror-tinged romp with friends, to biting satire. The challenges of running and reporting the news are explored, as well as the consequences for the greater public. These games show why journalism, and the truth, matter now more than ever.

7

The Headliners

Creepy Co-Op Photojournalism

Systems

Released

January 30, 2025

In The Headliners, teams work together to gather photos for news stories. Many of these stories involve paranormal phenomena, including monsters that look like they were ripped straight out of Half-Life 2.

Teams get bonus rewards for varied photos of different subjects. Once photos are gathered, the crew must head back to the chopper, which is set to transport them back home. The total value of the photos is tallied at the home base, and the photographers get to see their photos proudly framed and displayed on the front pages of newspapers.

6

Dead Rising

Uncovering A Zombie Conspiracy

Action-Adventure

Survival Horror

Released

August 8, 2006

ESRB

m

The first entry in the Dead Rising franchise sees photojournalist Frank West stuck in a shopping mall overrun with zombies. He will have to use every tool at his disposal to fight off the zombie horde, as well as rescue hostages until a helicopter can come and rescue him.

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As a photojournalist, Frank can take pictures of the game’s events, villains, and setting. The main story missions will have him uncovering the conspiracy that led to the zombie outbreak. However, some photo opportunities can only happen when Frank is in the right place at the right time, requiring players to use their sense of opportunity well.

5

Times And Galaxy

AI Journalism

For those who are fans of Futurama‘s sci-fi satire, Times and Galaxy scratches that same itch. Beginner journalists can create their very own robot reporter and go out on assignment to different planets, reporting on topics including spaceship crashes and an intergalactic “cat” show.

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Gameplay is akin to a standard point-and-click adventure game. The robot journalist explores a variety of environments, looking for material to report on and interview subjects to chase down, where unique responses are unlocked based on chosen questions. After thoroughly exploring the settings, the game provides a template for structuring a story for publication.

4

Editor’s Hell

The Perils of Running A Newspaper In An Autocratic Country

Editor’s Hell lets players run a newspaper in the nation of Wabrinsk. The editor has a staff of news writers with varying backgrounds and views on the country. Stories can be assigned to them, and potentially forced on them, if they do not wish to write them willingly.

Newspaper content and headlines can be altered to provide a more pro-establishment, anti-establishment, or neutral stances on Wabrinsk’s leadership. This will impact the paper’s sales in the areas in which the editor chooses to distribute them. The goal is to balance sales and employee satisfaction, while also being mindful of the authoritarian government’s potential retribution.

3

Headliner: NoviNews

The Consequences Of What Goes Into The News

Headliner: NoviNews is part-newspaper simulator and part-visual novel. By day, the user-selected character chooses which stories make the news, with a simple accept or reject mechanic. On the way home, the editor will interact with characters, including a corner store owner and his daughter, the editor’s brother, and a potential romance from the office.

The stories that players choose to publish will impact the game’s world, with several possible outcomes. They could publish ads for a drink that promises revenue for the publication but which may also impact consumers’ health. Advocating for universal healthcare might provide easier access to medication for the store owner’s daughter, but she will not be the same person as a result. If one pushes the paper’s anti-government stance too far, the editor could get their brother “disappeared” into a government work camp.

2

Beyond Good And Evil

A Hunt For The Truth

Released

November 11, 2003

ESRB

T For Teen due to Comic Mischief, Violence

Beyond Good and Evil might just be retired game designer Michel Ancel’s magnum opus. It puts visitors to the planet Hillys in the shoes of Jade, a wildlife photographer who runs a shelter for children with her uncle, a warthog named Pey’j. Hillys is in the middle of an intergalactic war with an invading extraterrestrial force called the DomZ, while the military group the Alpha Sections is pushing back against them.

When a photography assignment turns out to be a test from an underground Rebel group called IRIS, Jade finds out that the good guys and bad guys may actually be one and the same. Jade goes on assignment for IRIS, investigating military facilities to expose the Alpha Section’s conspiracy against the Hillyan populace. She also photographs indigenous wildlife for much-needed credits. Protests begin to crop up and grow throughout the game’s campaign, showing the impact of Jade’s work on the general population.

1

We Become What We Behold

A Short Game About A Self-Perpetuating Cycle

We Become What We Behold is a short, free game on itch.io, but the gameplay does not measure its insightfulness or impact in the product’s store price. It is a simple point-and-click game based on taking pictures of stick figures in their day-to-day lives for televised headlines.

This title shows how much the news impacts viewers’ perceptions of the world. The photographer’s boss is only interested in what will get the most views, which are scenes of anger and aggression depicted between square-headed people and circle-headed people. This causes more squares and circles to start being leery and hostile towards each other, providing more photo opportunities that further push the fearmongering media cycle. The ending is not for the faint of heart either, but the point is clear.

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