The Informative Speech of Newsgames
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GÓMEZ, S. y CABEZA, J. The informative speech of newsgames CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 ISSN 0719-3661 Versión electrónica: ISSN 0719-367x http://www.cuadernos.info doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.593 Recibido: 06-02-2014 / Aceptado: 03-22-2015 The informative speech of newsgames: the “Bárcenas case” on games developed for mobile devices1 El discurso informativo de los newsgames: el caso Bárcenas en los juegos para dispositivos móviles O discurso informativo dos Newsgames: O caso Barcenas nos jogos para dispositivos móveis SALVADOR GÓMEZ GARCÍA, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, España ([email protected]) JOSÉ CABEZA SAN DEOGRACIAS, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, España ([email protected]) ABSTRACT RESUMEN RESUMO The purpose of this research is to analyze El propósito de esta investigación es O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar o the impact of a political corruption analizar el impacto de un escándalo de impacto de um escândalo de corrupção scandal in Spain (the Bárcenas case) corrupción política en España (el caso política em Espanha (no caso Bárcenas) in the production of games developed Bárcenas) en la producción de juegos na produção de jogos para dispositivos for mobile devices across all major desarrollados para dispositivos móviles móveis durante esse ano através das platforms for content distribution. The a través de las principales plataformas prin cipais plataformas de distribuição data were obtained with questionnaires de distribución de contenidos. Los datos de conteúdo. A coleta de dados foi to developers, content coding sheets and se obtuvieron mediante cuestionarios a realizada a partir de questio nários para the feedback given by the users of the los desarrolladores, fichas de codificación os desenvolvedores, fichas de codificação games. The results indicate a growing de los contenidos y la recepción de estas tanto dos conteúdos, como da recepção influence of viral aspects, their role aplicaciones por parte de los usua rios. desses aplicativos por usuários. Os of strengthening of opinion and the Los resultados indican la creciente resultados indicam a crescente influ growing role of these platforms as influencia de los aspectos virales frente ência de aspectos virais contra informati distributors of information contents. a los informativos, su rol de reforzamiento vos, reforçando o seu papel de opinião e o de la opinión y el creciente papel de estas papel crescente destas plataformas como plataformas como distribuidores de distribuidores de conteúdo de notícias. contenidos informativos. Keywords: Newsgames, Bárcenas affair, Palabras clave: Newsgames, caso Bárce- Palavras-chave: Newsgames, caso online journalism, serious games, active nas, periodismo online, serious games, Bárcenas, jornalismo online, jogos sérios, audiences. infotainment, audiencias activas. infotainment, audiências ativas. •How to cite: Gómez, S.CUADERNOS.INFO y Cabeza, J. (2016). Nº 38 El / JUNEdiscurso 2016 /informativo ISSN 0719-3661 de los / E-VERSION:newsgames: WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO el caso Bárcenas en / ISSNlos juegos0719-367X para dispositivos móviles. Cuadernos.info, (38), 137-148. doi: 10.7764/cdi.38.593 137 GÓMEZ, S. y CABEZA, J. The informative speech of newsgames INTRODUCTION: INFOTAINMENT AND consolidation of mobile technology in Spain both NEWSGAMES ON MOBILE DEVICES as a source of information for everyday life (Aranda One of the Spanish political news with greater & SánchezNavarro, 2011) as for recreational uses impact on the Spanish and international media during (Feijóo, GómezBarroso, Aguado & Ramos, 2012); 2013 was the socalled ‘Bárcenas case’. This is the name and, secondly, to its uniqueness in the field of Spanish given to the lawsuit opened against Luis Bárcenas, newsgames. No other political figure or news in the former treasurer of the Partido Popular (PP) because of Spanish arena has generated such a large number of his relationship with the Gürtel plot, an alleged network applications the platforms of distribution for mobile of political corruption linked to said party and whose content. The Bárcenas case starred 23 games for these instruction had begun in 2009. On January 16, 2013 the devices in 2013, surpassing by far any other character fact that Luis Bárcenas owned various hidden accounts or news of the Spanish politics during that year1. in Switzerland, by a quantity of approximate 22 million The above define the three main objectives of this of euros, was made public. Two days later, the Spanish research. First, to establish the origin of these games newspaper El Mundo published in its front page, that and their creator’s motivations to check, as exposed “Bárcenas paid illegal bonuses for years to part of the by Aayesha (2012), the role of ideology in the creation dome of the PP”. In addition, it said that Luis Bárcenas, of content in a genre such as newsgames (journalistic as former treasurer of the PP, could have managed a videogames). This have been defined as games “for system of donations not controlled by the Accounts informational purposes, which are usually linked to Court that allowed an illegal financing of some activities current news” (Gómez & Navarro, 2013, p. 38) or “with of the Party (El Mundo, 2013). On January 31, another the intend to participate in the public debate” (Sicart, Spanish newspaper, El País, published the socalled 2008, p. 27). On the other hand, we conduct an analysis “Bárcenas papers”. This allegedly showed the PP’s non of the representation of the Bárcenas case through the declared accounting and the payments to political implicit message of the games available in the two main figures of first order, Ministers in office and to the own platforms of distribution of mobile content (Apple Store Prime Minister of Spain and of the PP, Mariano Rajoy, and Play Store) for tablets and smartphones. Finally, it that had won the general elections held on November aims to identify (to the extent permitted by the data) the 20, 2011, by absolute majority (El País, 2013). ways of reception of such content by users, in an attempt All these information on the Bárcenas case appeared to approach the construction of their social discourse. in a context of economic crisis and social unrest to other political scandals that place, in January 2013, the corruption as the fourth cause of concern of Spaniards MATERIAL AND METHODS after unemployment, the economy and political parties, This research combines qualitative and quantitative according to the barometer of the Sociological Research techniques applied to the newsgames of the Bárcenas Center (CIS). In February, corruption has reached the case located in the Apple Store and the Play Store. The second position and stood between a second and third applied methodology responds to the need to address place (along with economic problems) throughout 2013. the different elements that could have a significant effect Only unemployment worried more the Spanish during on the construction of meaning of the final product. this time (CIS, 2013). These elements have been identified as “the agent that The aim of this work is to identify, beyond the open creates such content –whether they are politicians, judicial processes and the political communication citizens, opinion leaders, etc.–, the content itself – strategies of the different parties, which messages about form and substance– and the impact on the audience” the Bárcenas case have been offered to the Spanish (Berrocal, Redondo & Campos, 2013, p. 75). society through some simple entertainment, free and First, we proceeded to the selection of the sample, of rapid expansion, such as mobile games (Frasca, i.e., the games that make direct reference to Luis 2013, pp. 260261). The choice of the object of study Bárcenas and were capable of transmitting some kind of responds on the one hand, to the penetration and discourse. We did a search using keywords and logical CUADERNOS.INFO Nº 38 / JUNE 2016 / ISSN 0719-3661 / E-VERSION: WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO / ISSN 0719-367X 138 GÓMEZ, S. y CABEZA, J. The informative speech of newsgames search engines (Bárcenas, Rajoy, Spain and politics) in distribution platforms. The questionnaire had questions the platforms of distribution of content. From there we regarding the number of people involved in the project, did a snowball sampling through suggestions made by the development infrastructure, its production times, the platforms from the first results (Baltar & Brunet, the groundings for a game of that nature and, finally, 2012). Thus, we obtained the set of applications related specific questions on the informative speech adapted to the Bárcenas case published during 2013, although to this interactive media. Sixteen of the 23 developers 100% of the content is located between February and answered the questionnaire. September. The final sample comprises 23 results. We Secondly, we proceeded to the content analysis ruled out some games linked to the Spanish political of the sample, based on the relationship between reality that did not offer a particular prominence of the simulation and the political caricature of newsgames, Bárcenas case, but pointed to the problems of political to underline its editorialist character and persuasive corruption in Spain, such as Mariano Ninja (JanduSoft, potential. The further development of this process 2012) or the application Corruptos de España (Corrupts comes from the study Newsgames: Journalism at play, of Spain) (Icisdev, 2013 ). We also dismissed the which develops a classification in which the category analysis of three apps related to the Bárcenas case for current event information games highlights. This not being games: Los papeles de Bárcenas (Bárcenas is a subgenre characterized by its relationship to papers) (Chorra Soft, 2013), an application that reveals the present, the speed of its production, its broad the entire contents of the accounting books employed dissemination through the Internet and the use by the treasurer that had been disseminated by the of programs that create such content that allow media; Mi contabilidad en B (My hidden accounting) speediness and quality for the final product (Bogost, (juanm8, 2013), a rudimentary application which Ferrari & Scweizer, 2010, p.