Agenda
Journalism thrives on innovation. To stay relevant, we must embrace new technologies, and the metaverse—a virtual reality space for immersive interaction—offers groundbreaking opportunities. The Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) has led this charge since 2021.
Using Augmented Reality (AR), a smartphone-friendly format, CCIJ has expanded its reach beyond typical metaverse users. The "Shield Your Vote" AR game brings an investigation into the 2023 Nigerian Presidential elections to life, engaging users in a gamified fight against disinformation while exploring key election influences.
Gamifying the investigation connects audiences emotionally with the story. Using Voxels and Zapworks Designer, the game simulates the real-world effects of disinformation, voxelized thugs attacking voters, toxic smoke depicting electoral abuses documented in the reporting.
From audience feedback, the game was advanced to Unreal Editor for Fortnite, opening journalism to a wider, nontraditional audience within gaming spaces.
CCIJ’s metaverse is more than a virtual showcase; it’s a platform for storytelling and training that blends factual content, emotional engagement, and accessibility.
Beyond storytelling, the team is building a journalist-centered ecosystem. The Token of Appreciation for Investigative Journalists (TAIJ) is a Web3 digital asset that will reward impactful reporting and strong community among journalists. It is featured in Data Vault Canyon, a narrative level where players recover broken data trails and discover how journalism helps preserve public memory.
This session will share CCIJ’s evolution, show how the metaverse supports sustainable journalism, and explore future experiments with this medium.
