Gamified Identification: Gamification and Identification in Indigenous Australian Interactive Documentaries

Abstract

This article introduces a theory of gamified identification: rhetorical identification facilitated by the use of gaming technology in digital stories. To illuminate a theory of gamified identification, this article evaluates two interactive online documentaries by the mainstream broadcaster, SBS: <i>My Grandmother's Lingo</i> and <i>K'gari</i>. Both use rhetorical techniques and gaming technology to immerse audiences in their communications. Through the prism of Indigenous rhetorics and digital rhetorics, this article asks, how does gamification in digital rhetoric assist identification? This article concludes that a theory of gamified identification can provide a method to analyse how digital games facilitate rhetorical listening between rhetors and their audiences. Gamified identification has four common foundations that scholars can use as points of analysis: audiences participate in the creation of the narrative; the digital design process involves stakeholders; ownership of the digital space of communication is moderated so that audiences have freedom of choice; and the texts not only provide a call-to-action, but provide audiences with the means to advocate for change.