Web-Based News Word Game
2026An embeddable word game that turns news anxiety into a low-pressure daily habit.
- Role
- Game Designer, Lead Developer, Assistant PM
- Client
- Simply Sweet Games
- Context
- Centre for Digital Media
- Status
- NDA (shipped, limited details shareable)
The problem
Canadians feel overwhelmed by the volume of news, leading to anxiety and disengagement. Existing word games on news sites act as separate features, not bridges to the news content.
Design decisions
Approach
We built an LLM-powered content pipeline to scan partner news feeds and incorporate them into a web-based word game, developed with Agile Scrum in weekly sprints and iterative prototyping. The game itself is an embeddable web component built with HTML, designed for easy integration into any news site.
Outcome
By week 13, we delivered a fully playable prototype consisting of a series of word puzzles, integration documentation, a content pipeline, user testing insights, and all ready assets. This met the goals we set out to achieve. The result is an ethical, low-anxiety engagement layer that helps news partners increase reader retention and understand language trends without invasive tracking. See more on thecdm.ca.