Page 109 - Communication Cultural and Media Studies The Key Concepts

GATEKEEPER

game formats have been made into feature films, they are routinely
criticised for lack of narrative development and sensibility. Critical
judgements aside, games are structured around action/space rather
than narrative/time, and around use not story-telling.
Some comparisons between games and other media have proven
more useful. Fuller and Jenkins (1995) argue that the narratives and
game playing of games are analogous to the emergence of early science
fiction writing in the late nineteenth century. Both create imaginary
spaces for intellectual exploration. Jenkins (2000) continues to explore
this idea by arguing that the experimentation and innovation provided
by games are beginning to reveal themselves in cinema. For Jenkins,
the multidirectional plotting of Run Lola Run and the reality/fantasy
binaries of The Matrix demonstrate the influence of newgames media
on older forms of entertainment.
Darley (2000: 25) notes that while games were a progression from
science fiction and Tolkienesque fantasy genres, they are also the
descendants of pinball. Research into video games as games and the
role of ‘gameplaying’ is a recent development (see Banks, 1998). Here,
the emphasis is on the activity involved in video games rather than
simply the content or aesthetics. Continuing research in this area aims
to suggest newways of understanding the interactivity between
individuals and technology.

Further reading: Darley (2000); Jenkins (2000)

GATEKEEPER

A term that refers to key personnel involved in the decision-making
processes of news production. Originally, the role was understood as
being situated between news gatherers (journalists) and the public:
editors kept the gate – opening or closing it for each story as they
decided which information was newsworthy. Recent adaptation of the
term has seen it applied to managers of the media, as well as news wire
services and owners of media channels.
The importance of gatekeeper theory rests on an understanding of
the conditions under which these personnel make their decisions.
While practitioners understand their role as a professional one, analysts
argue that gatekeepers are influenced by a range of practices, and these
in turn influence their decisions. They include personal ideologies and
values, as well as organisational and structural procedures. While the
term is usually applied to media involved in the production of news, it

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