“Welcome to The Republia Times. You are the new editor-in-chief. It is your job to increase loyalty by editing The Republia Times carefully. Pick only stories that highlight the good things about Republia and its government. As a precaution against influence, we are keeping your wife and child in a safe location.”
Join the Ministry of Propaganda with ‘The Republia Times’
‘The Republia Times’ is a clever, lo-fi simulation of running a state-owned newspaper.
‘The Republia Times’ is a clever, lo-fi simulation of running a state-owned newspaper.
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
So begins The Republia Times, a black-and-white simulator that puts you at the helm of a state-owned paper covering bread and circuses for the people of Republia. The gameplay is simple: drag your stories from a news feed to a layout, balancing building loyalty with gaining interest — so you’ll want to leaven those propaganda pieces about worker satisfaction with some bits about the latest celebrity marriage. From what we’ve played so far, it’s not particularly challenging, but the dry wit is quite funny and there’s a bit more going on in Republia than endless layout tweaks. You can play the game here. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to re-place some Google coverage to make sure our children are treated well.
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