Games tackle the villainy of propaganda

gamesindustry.biz:

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox

It's been more than three years since the initial release of the outstanding satire Not For Broadcast, by publisher TinyBuild. Now, the FMV game is receiving a DLC pack, called Live and Spooky, as well as the release of a VR version. Both are set to arrive at the end of March.

Not For Broadcast is one of those rare achievements – a game that manages to pose difficult political questions while making its players laugh. Set in a 1980s British TV newsroom during the alternate timeline rule of an extremist government, it's a plate-spinning game in which players must edit and censor news clips, with a view to growing ratings and manipulating the world outside.

Players can create a narrative that supports the populist policies of the government, effectively acting as a propaganda tool. They can spin content in such a way that alters the meaning and context of interviews.

The early access release was warmly received by critics after its launch in early 2020, but developer NotGames' ongoing release plan was badly affected by the outbreak of COVID. As an FMV game, its cast of actors were unable to work remotely, and could not return to filming new episodes until after lockdown. Still, three years on – and in the context of revelations about Fox News' blatant disinformation campaign following the last U.S. presidential election – the new updates feel timely.

This is also a time when we're seeing more games that tackle disinformation, often in much the same way as Not For Broadcast: through satire and the practice of media manipulation. Last year, Tilt Games released Cat Park, the latest in its series of games about social media manipulation. Cat Park