Celebrated undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has launched an innovative initiative that brings investigative reporting into the world of gaming.
The project, Floodlight Gaming, transforms real-life investigations into interactive experiences, allowing players to step into the shoes of journalists confronting corruption, human rights abuses, and environmental crimes.
By engaging young, digitally savvy audiences, the initiative challenges traditional journalism, letting participants “play through” the dilemmas, risks, and ethical decisions reporters face in exposing the truth.
“For years, my team and I have risked everything to uncover corruption,” Anas said. “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 includes workshops that bring together journalists, human rights advocates, educators, and game developers to explore how investigative missions can be adapted into playable formats that both educate and entertain while promoting accountability.
The initiative was established by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Gabo Foundation, and Anima Interactive, with support from V-Ventures, SpielFabrique, Global Game Jam, Good Game Generation, and the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). These partners provided funding, mentorship, and creative support to make the project possible.
“Hunting the Hunter” Wins Top Award
Berlin-based Greenwave Games won the top prize at Floodlight Gaming’s inaugural global investigative journalism game jam for their game, “Hunting the Hunter”. The winner received $5,000 and a spot in SpielFabrique’s Launchpad Program, which provides mentoring and support.
The winning game, based on Anas’ investigation “Hunting the Hunter: Infiltrating the Cocoa Smuggling Underworld of Ghana’s Western Border”, immerses players in the role of an investigative journalist uncovering a smuggling network that sabotaged Ghana’s economy, deprived farmers, and threatened national security.
“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. Above all, I hope it challenges young people everywhere to believe they too can use their creativity and courage to make a difference.”
The inaugural Floodlight Investigative Journalism Gaming Summit, held in Amsterdam on September 24 and live-streamed online, showcased highlights from the game jam finalists and featured discussions between game developers and investigative journalists on storytelling and industry crossover.
“We launched Floodlight Gaming to give game developers worldwide exclusive access to top-notch investigative journalism on organized crime and corruption,” said Floodlight Gaming and OCCRP Co-Founder Paul Radu. “We want to generate a new wave of games that allow developers to create in the public interest. The games submitted were incredible and truly elevated the reporting.”
Other Finalists
The jury selected five finalists from the fictionalized games submitted:
Dark Money by Polyvale Studios, based on OCCRP’s Laundromat series reporting
Echoes: El Salvador by Stijn Verstraete, based on reporting by Juan José Martínez d’Aubuisson
Rise of Viktor Orban 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, based on Anas’ investigations
“In an era of rampant misinformation, our roles as storytellers, developers, and journalists have never been more critical,” said Anima Interactive Founder Karla Reyes. “Video games are one of the most powerful mediums for building empathy, bearing witness, and telling nuanced, complex truths that often do not dominate public discourse. We are grateful to all jam participants and our developer community for being an essential part of the Floodlight Investigative Journalism game jam.”
Developed by Bernard Lis and Chris Vogel, Hunting the Hunter allows players to navigate the challenges of investigating a smuggling ring. The jury called it an “impressive prototype for an open-world game that delivers a great overall experience and strong visuals.”
“I really enjoyed that we were able to ask our questions to the journalist,” said developer Vogel during the event. “It made our game so much deeper than it would have been otherwise.”
Source: Graphic.com.gh
