Celebrated undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has unveiled an innovative project that merges investigative reporting with interactive gaming, opening a new frontier for storytelling and accountability.
The initiative, Floodlight Gaming, transforms real-life investigations into playable experiences, allowing gamers to step into the role of journalists confronting corruption, human rights abuses, and environmental crimes.
By gamifying investigative work, Anas and his partners aim to reach young, digitally engaged audiences, offering them an immersive way to “play through” the risks, dilemmas, and ethical decisions reporters face in exposing wrongdoing.
“For years, my team and I have risked everything to uncover corruption,” Anas said at the project’s launch. “But sustaining change also means telling the truth in ways that future generations can carry with them. Gaming offers a powerful way to achieve that.”
Floodlight Gaming, founded by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Gabo Foundation, and Anima Interactive, is supported by V-Ventures, SpielFabrique, Global Game Jam, Good Game Generation, and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). The initiative also includes workshops that bring together journalists, human rights advocates, educators, and developers to adapt investigative missions into compelling game formats.
“Hunting the Hunter” Wins Top Award
At the inaugural Floodlight Investigative Journalism Gaming Summit, held in Amsterdam on September 24, Berlin-based Greenwave Games won the top prize for “Hunting the Hunter.”
The game, based on Anas’ landmark investigation into cocoa smuggling along Ghana’s western border, immerses players in uncovering a criminal network that drained Ghana’s economy, cheated farmers, and threatened national security. The team received $5,000 and a spot in SpielFabrique’s Launchpad Program for mentorship and development.
“Hunting the Hunter winning this award is a powerful reminder that storytelling and innovation can join forces to inspire the next generation,” Anas said. “This recognition affirms that the fight against corruption can engage hearts and minds far beyond traditional journalism.”
Developers Bernard Lis and Chris Vogel, who worked closely with Anas during the jam, said direct collaboration with journalists deepened the project’s authenticity. “It made our game so much deeper than it would have been otherwise,” Vogel noted.
Global Collaboration and Other Finalists
The competition’s jury selected five additional finalists, including:
- Dark Money by Polyvale Studios, based on OCCRP’s Laundromat series.
- Echoes: El Salvador by Stijn Verstraete, inspired by reporting from Juan José Martínez d’Aubuisson.
- Rise of Viktor Orbán by Pol Grasland-Mongrain and Dylhan “Zhanko” Phong, based on reporting by Andras Petho.
- Cocoa Capture by Leto du Plessis, Damian Grobler, Matthew Carlton, Kairan Moorlach, and Cale Adamson, also based on Anas’ work.
Organisers praised the submissions for creatively expanding the boundaries of journalism. “In an era of rampant misinformation, our roles as storytellers, developers, and journalists have never been more critical,” said Karla Reyes, founder of Anima Interactive.
Shaping the Future of Journalism
The summit underscored Floodlight Gaming’s ambition to create a new genre of investigative storytelling. Paul Radu, OCCRP co-founder, said: “We launched Floodlight Gaming to give developers exclusive access to top-notch investigative journalism. The games submitted were incredible and truly elevated the reporting.”
For Anas, the project represents not just innovation but legacy: an attempt to pass on the torch of truth-seeking to younger generations. “Above all, I hope it challenges young people everywhere to believe they too can use their creativity and courage to make a difference.”
Source – My News Ghana
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