Play to learn: how the Media Simulation game helps media professionals make better decisions

Editor’s note: This article reports on the product by The Fix Research and Advisory, a consulting agency that is part of The Fix ecosystem.

As attention spans shrink, finding new ways to engage audiences has turned into a real race. One promising solution: games.

Games that make their players better news consumers are becoming more common, but games that serve news creators remain rare. Enter Media Simulation: an innovative tool that trains outlets, NGOs and other media initiatives to make data-driven and evidence-based decisions. This simulation game helps enhance skills, conduct needs assessments, and build stronger teams. It is designed for all levels of experience: from entry-level journalists to senior executives, ranging across all media departments. 

We asked Daniil Bogdanovich, Senior Project Lead at The Fix Research and Advisory, about hallmarks of the game, its content and how it can benefit newsrooms.

“Media Simulation is learning through entertainment. We aim to reinforce practical skills in a format as close to the real workplace as possible. The only more real concept would be to create some real conflict, lock people in a building, and tell them there's a crisis, run, figure it out. But that would be, well, a quite crazy and radical decision”, Bogdanovich says. 

“There are several reasons why we created the game. Firstly, we noticed that young graduates often aren't prepared to handle real-world challenges right after university. They might freeze up or become overly stressed  when faced with these challenges. And it's not the productive kind of stress that motivates, rather the kind that paralyses. This is often due to a lack of skills. We frequently see that newsrooms are not ready to hire people from university or, generally, young professionals without some experience. Consequently, if they have nowhere to gain experience, their chances of being hired decrease. Therefore, it is primarily for us to assist people in learning how to handle obstacles.”

The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (2023) shows that many graduates lack practical skills, leading to high unemployment and underemployment. 

“Secondly, this is a good way to spice up the learning process,” Bogdanovich continues. 

According to a study from a PNAS science journal, students learn more through active classes rather than traditional lectures.

“The game also allows engaging all players in the process and helps them practice skills they may have only heard about in theory. During the simulation, you can hone the knowledge, including budget cuts, crisis management, funding pitches, learning to work as a team, and negotiating with team members.” The simulation can also become a team-building event to enhance team dynamics and increase cohesion.

“We’ve been collaborating with the Stockholm School of Economics for over five years, where our involvement included delivering lectures. Initially, our simulations looked like a very early sketch – picture somewhat akin to a Dungeons and Dragons game, complete with a Dungeon Master describing the scenarios while participants merely visualised them. However, the concept of incorporating this experience into a dedicated software programme always lingered in our discussions, and that is how we implemented this idea”, explains Bogdanovich. 

“We were not aiming to launch a commercially ready product for mass-market sales at that time. Rather, it was an exploratory phase, a hypothesis we were putting to the test. This led us to self-fund the development of a minimum viable product (MVP). We were focused on testing its viability and gauging market reception. For that, we involved potential users within a training programme, who could provide unbiased feedback and openly express any dissatisfaction without second thought”, says Bogdanovich. Representatives from over 50 media played it and provided core feedback during the beta phase. 

Bogdanovich notes that the demand for the game is growing. “We launched it in 2023. So far, it has been increasing exponentially: the first year after launch we conducted one game. Later on, the number grew to two, eventually having two games held and two games planned for this year.” 

Existing Media Simulation’s clients go beyond media outlets and include schools and NGOs. Last year, the team conducted both commercial and a simplified non-commercial simulation for colleagues. As Bogdanovich notes, the most valuable feedback received from participants highlighted that the simulation was both fun and engaging, deepening their understanding of crucial management and editorial processes. Media Simulation has been already tested by students from SEE Riga, who became their first commercial client, and She Media School, as well as media outlets from different countries. 

One of their goals is not only to conduct games, but also to become a link between accessible knowledge and those who need it. Thus, the team has additionally developed a possibility to buy a license of the simulation. “Back in 2023, we received a request from a client interested in obtaining a license to independently host the games. However, the game still needed some enhancements, particularly in the technical part. We didn’t want to release or sell a product that hadn’t yet allowed users to manage all its processes effectively, which meant we needed to address certain rough edges”, shares Bogdanovich.

Prior to the game, each team receives a manual explaining the mechanics of the game’s platform and general information of what awaits in the simulation and how the score system works. 

Additionally, the game includes a narrative background that introduces the history of the organisation that the teams represent. It describes its current situation and what has led to it, allowing players to familiarise with the information that will impact their decision making. Each player also receives a personal card that confidentially details their character and role. 

“We offer both online and offline formats. In offline format, teams are gathered in the classrooms, where they connect to the game network and listen to the moderator's introduction about the roles and the mission in the simulation. Later on, role-players – experienced media managers who challenge teams taking roles from investors to directors – join gameplay through Zoom”, Daniil Bogdanovich told The Fix.

“Typically, we don’t have more than two or three role-play calls per game because it’s a complex process organisation-wise. And generally, with role-players involved, the team is prone to pay more attention to negotiation rather than to detailed document review. However, we aim to foster a balanced experience where teams are encouraged to make data-driven decisions, not solely based on negotiations. This approach ensures well-rounded learning.”

During the game, there is a moderator who is open to offer guidance if needed. 

Each task clearly outlines the steps the team must undertake. For instance, a task might be designed for 25 minutes – 5 minutes to review the documents, 5 minutes to plan interaction with the role player, 10 minutes to negotiate during the call, and the final 5 minutes to choose a response.  

“We've incorporated a break midway through the game. It allows us to align the teams as sometimes one team can be ahead of another one. Additionally, it enables the moderator to deliver centralised feedback, ensuring all participants receive it.”

On average, the game lasts from 4 to 5 hours, depending on teams’ pace. “However, the structure is very flexible and can be adjusted according to the specific request”, Bogdanovich explains. “If participants prefer a less challenging experience, we can exclude the role-playing elements. We can also customise the game so that each team progresses independently at their own pace, removing any competitive elements."

The game also requires careful examination of the documents. “Our goal is to ensure that the challenges aren’t intuitively apparent, requiring participants to review and analyse provided materials to find the best solution. So if you don’t get through all the information thoroughly, you're at risk to underperform.” 

He adds that solutions in the game might be not convenient to every team member, the same as in real workplaces. “For all team members it is essential to find a compromise, solve tasks and learn in this journey.” 

After each game, participants get feedback from role-players and the moderator on their strengths and the areas that can be improved. “We believe that this type of feedback is crucial for the user experience as it would help them to gain confidence for real battles.”

Currently, Media Simulation offers gameplay in three languages – English, Ukrainian, and Russian. However, its interface supports any language that is written from left to right. “At the moment, we focus on areas where we have specific inquiries, but we are open to adapting more languages based on demand.” 

To create a game, TFRA brought in a group of external developers. The team consists of up to ten people. Daniil Bogdanovich explained that all work was carried out using minimal resources, emphasising that their primary focus is not on the technical bells and whistles but rather on the content itself. “We want to provide a unique experience, and ensure the value of the challenges designed.” 

The charge for the game is between €1,000 and €3,500, depending on its complexity.

“The biggest investment lies in preparing the game”, shares Bogdanovich. In addition to that, they adapt scripts to the needs of clients. “We customise the game to meet specific requests and conditions of each client.”

“Three people are dedicated to developing these narratives, and it is also a costly part.”

Harvard Business Simulation served as a primary benchmark for Media Simulation development. Across the European media market, the team hasn’t found any comparable alternatives.  

The main source that assisted in designing the game's content was an on-hand experience. “TFRA team has a rich consulting background, giving us a broad understanding of the typical challenges media face. Although we don’t use actual real-life cases verbatim, we slightly modify them based on the problems our clients have encountered. If we need specific information, we study and dissect the market, tailoring findings and media data”, Bogdanovich specifies.

“The data for our media, although fictional, is still grounded in reality. We don’t pull outlandish figures from thin air, like saying your media earns $100 million when we know that media earnings aren’t even close to even $10 million, often not even $1 million. We make sure that our data is adjusted accordingly to the country and the media context.”

One of the biggest plans for the game, Bogdanovich reveals, is to build a follow-up system with video workshops covering the main challenges players faced during the experience. Customised for each team, these videos will be included in the price and will provide essential information to improve areas that struggled and amplify the knowledge gained.  

If some questions remain, it’ll be possible for participants to order a workshop to tackle those issues. “This is the added value we’d like to provide.”

One more goal for the team is to promote the game. “At the moment the game doesn't bring in much money and we're still investing our own resources. Our current priority is to promote the game so that more people learn about it. We are also willing to include the game in study programmes. At the moment, we are negotiating the game with two American universities”, Bogdanovich outlines.  

In terms of plans for improving the game itself, “moving forward, we plan to introduce more conflicting elements to the characters' personas. For example, while some may focus on producing high-quality content, others might be more concerned with cost-saving measures. One player may consider firing an employee, whereas another might advocate for keeping them. These varied scenarios are typical in our game, but we aim to diversify them and enrich the gameplay experience, bringing in a new dimension to the challenges faced. This will help players learn negotiation and compromise, as interests can often differ.”