Feb 19 – 23, 2024
Meeting with Dave:
After designing several prototypes, we revisited the transformational framework to address some uncertainties, specifically the end stage of our participants. Our focus was clear:
- Not to legislate.
- Not to inspire the next generation of journalists.
- Not to base our work on personal opinions. Journalists should report what they deem important.
- Not to overly emphasize the role of journalists, akin to the second point.
- Not to always portray institutions as the antagonist.
Our most significant takeaway was the importance of using real-life events as references and designing the game based on the expertise we have. We decided to schedule another meeting with Brad King, armed with a list of potential questions. For the halves presentation, we unanimously agreed that including an expert, a narrative, and the connection between this story and our overarching goal was essential.
Meeting with Brad King:
We approached Brad King with three fundamental questions:
- What strategy governs the release of information?
- What compromises or negotiations do journalists and institutions make?
- Why do CIA and institutional entities make certain decisions, and what common topics are negotiated?
We understood the motivations of both sides through their answers:
- Institutions aim to ensure societal stability by focusing on transparency/public support, internal goals (unknown to the public), law enforcement, ethics, and maintaining a trustful relationship with journalists.
- Journalists strive to generate significant impacts by sharing information, prioritizing personal safety, public access to information/social impact, credibility, ethics (professionalism), and building trust with institutions.
Furthermore, we learned that journalists could report freely but might face legal consequences later. If institutions wish to prevent or delay publication, they must engage directly with journalists. This knowledge laid the foundation for our next prototype. We also heard an anecdote about Brad’s mentor, Paul, who solved the Unabomber case before the FBI but saw the Unabomber arrested two days before Paul’s story was published. Brad also shared links to the Pentagon Papers case, illustrating the complex relationship between journalists and institutions.
The New Prototype: Our story for the new prototype discusses the intermediary role journalists play between institutions (the information sources) and citizens. Recognizing that citizens lack direct access to information, journalists serve as the conduit. Hence, it’s crucial for citizens to understand the process journalists undergo to gather information. The player’s transformation journey is outlined as follows:
- Initial State: Players are unfamiliar with freedom of information, its relevance, or the potential for rights violations.
- Action: Players role-play as professions closely related to information release, engage with diverse perspectives, and navigate high-stakes decisions and their impacts.
- End State: Players appreciate the challenges journalists face, understand the information release process, and question governmental transparency.
Instructor Meeting:
We presented our slides to the instructors, receiving positive feedback on the structure and suggestions for improvement, such as reordering the slides to highlight our goals and methodology upfront and paying attention to color alignment. Gameplay suggestions included using case studies to guide the audience through, clarifying transformative decisions, and limiting choices to a few per story and role. References to Larps and Fiasco were also recommended.
For our assessment plan, we considered questions like the amount one would donate to journalists, perceptions of journalists’ emotions and actions, and feelings towards informational rights.
Thursday: finalized a gameplay and preparing our presentation.
Friday: presented our presentation to our client
See our half presentation slides here:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/185F4juPbGvg7mFip6GJ8LzJHyMwHQplUrdzyjR2ajac/edit?usp=sharing