In a challenging media ecosystem in which newsrooms struggle to stay afloat, many are turning to games to attract readers – and convert them into paying subscribers.
The New York Times is a notable leader in this field. A publisher of crosswords since 1942, the paper launched its dedicated app for games in 2009. Among its offerings today are a mini crossword, word games such as Wordle (which it bought in 2022 after the game became a global sensation), Spelling Bee, Connections and Strands, and the pattern-finding game Tiles.
The Times’ Games app was downloaded 10 million times in 2023, and its offerings played more than eight billion times. In December 2023, the Times attracted more visitors to its games app than any other part of the site, including news.
“The success of games does not happen by chance,” said Jonathan Knight, the New York Times’ head of games. “Games are part of this strategy to have a diversity of products that appeal to different people's lifestyles, habits and passions.”
The Washington Post similarly offers dozens of games, including mahjongg and solitaire. In The New Yorker, readers can play Name Drop, a quiz that challenges readers to identify a notable person.
Many other publications, from the Tampa Bay Times to The Dallas Morning News, also offer a variety of online games, ranging from the most classic to more niche, like its summer-themed version of Crystal Collapse. The U.K.-based The New European offers many number, word and logic puzzles.
The psychology behind games
What makes a game “good?” Several elements are essential, say experts.
First, a game must be unique so as to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded field. Prioritize quality over quantity, and have them add value for your audience.
“Give users something that makes them feel smart and informed. They came to a news site for a reason,” said João Pedro Pereira, newsletters & digital projects editor at the Portuguese outlet, Público.
Knight agreed that games must be well-designed to attract users: “We have real people that are crafting, editing, testing, and curating these puzzles for release and quality. You can feel that there are real people behind the puzzles, and that is why this made us very special.”
Games should be challenging, too – but not overly so. This will engage users for longer, without turning them away completely.
The games offered by outlets can be examined through the "Hooked Model" which, developed by Nir Eyal, an author on consumer psychology, helps explain how games can engage users and become daily rituals.
The model lays out a process that reinforces the personal value users associate with a product. Following the four-step model can facilitate the engagement of users. For games to succeed, they should focus on our desire for discovery, and seek to leverage the release of dopamine in users. This neurotransmitter can promote anticipation and curiosity, thereby keeping people better engaged.
Attract players to news content
Newsrooms offer games to help drive traffic to their sites. To ensure the success of this push, media outlets must develop a business strategy to bridge their games to their content.
“We have found that when users are engaged in both news and games on a weekly basis, they have the highest subscription retention profile of any behavior we have seen,” explained Knight, adding that ultimately the games make it possible to finance the newsroom. “The profits that we make are inside a mission, which is to ensure journalist independence, ensure that journalists can continue to do their great work.”
Newsrooms can make available different types of subscriptions, ranging from the simple to bundle offerings.
Alternatively, outlets can make their games freely available and rely on advertising to generate revenue off of them. The Washington Post goes this route, for example. The New Yorker similarly offers free access, while regularly encouraging users to create an account or subscribe to its newsletters. The New European combines access to games with its news content and reporting archives.
“Journalism is a combination of giving people what they want so that they also read what the editor thinks they need to be informed. It was always this balance,” said Dmitri Williams, a professor of communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism who researches technology, games and society. “You buy traffic with games. The more traffic you get, the better you are.”
Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash.
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