Newsgames are in essence video games, requiring active participation by its users. Without their active input, the story could not be driven forward. Depending on the game mechanics, users may even have to focus and make the “right” decision in order to unfold the narrative.
The example I´ve chose is “ The Uber game”, in the game, you play Uber Driver, a luckless human being who has kids to feed and a $1,000 mortgage payment coming up in a week, so you’re hitting the streets hoping to make enough money in fares to keep yourself in the green.From there, you must choose the right options to maximize your earnings, from choosing to buy a car charger and a data plan to working longer hours to hit bonus quests for extra cash.
The Uber Game has been turned into an educational resource, a non-profit helping young people with their personal finance, created a worksheet for pupils to reflect on their experience after playing the game. At the end of the game, your profits are measured against your costs, and presumably if you hit that $1,000 profit you can make your mortgage payment. The game is a text-based adventure, closer to a visual novel than an actual game.
