Are you ready to channel your inner-chaos? That’s what Not For Broadcast is all about. Well, it does it through allowing you to simulate the news cycle. As we all know, today’s news cycle is more than dramatic, its flat out unsettling and unnerving. It causes us stress and disenchantment. But there’s something about being in control, or guiding such chaos that can be fun.
That’s a difficult concept to explain; but we’ll give it a try.
About Not For Broadcast
Right from the beginning, Not For Broadcast separates itself from the typical game due to being an FMV (Full Motion Video) experience. Its a simulation game published developed by NotGames and published by tinyBuild.
And while my intro made it sound as if the game was current, its actually based in the 1980s, as you can tell by the older looking studio sets.
Not For Broadcast thrusts you back into the 1980s where dystopian news is all the rage. And you’re the boradcast operator for the National Nightly News.
The game uses dark humor, satire, and political commentary to paint a vivid picture of a world where media manipulation is rooted in deeply. Well, that sure sounds a lot like today’s world.
The core gameplay involves managing a live boradcast every evening. Players are responsibile for choosing everything, including camera angles, foul lunguage bleeps, and of course, which stories you air.
Here’s the thing: Your decisions influence the news broadcast, but also, the world. You influence public sentiment through the broadcast.
As the story unfolds, players are faced with increasingly complex moral and ethical dilemmas.
Not For Broadcast is intended as a thought-provoking game that offers a critical deep dive into the effects of mass media on the masses. And you get to feel the power of influence that’s clearly something not to be taken lightly.
Graphics
Not For Broadcast uses realistic visuals since the game is the news. Its a live action video style play. And very distinctive.
The FMV contributes to an immersive atmosphere that makes players feel as though they are truly a part of the news production process.
Players interact with these video segments by making decisions that alter the course of the broadcast, and by extension, the broader implications of the game itself.
The FMV is high quality video that helps tell a compelling story.
The realistic and high quality FMV graphics enhance the immersive effects that players feel during the game. All combined, the game feels very emotional with its narrative depth and engaging characters that tend to transcend the experience.
Audio
In terms of sound, Not For Broadcast uses those fuzzy, old TV sound mechanics. There’s a super creepy vibe throughout as we might expect with anything news related.
Where to Buy
You can find Not For Broadcast on Steam. Not For Broadcast primarily targets PC users.
Conclusion
Not For News is a 1980s mass media game where players control the news cycle. This results in internal struggles with segments, but also has deep implications over the influence of society. While Not For News is based in the 80s, it feels awful relevant in today’s world.