Web games, ripped from the headlines

The contrast between popular video-game series such as Halo and AddictingGames' self-described "news games" couldn't be plainer: The former take years and tens of millions of dollars to produce, dozens of hours to play and sell for at least $50. News games typically take a couple of weeks, cost less than $10,000 and are free to anyone with an Internet connection and a few minutes to spare.

Such inexpensive, simple online games are becoming increasingly prevalent on a host of websites, some run by media giants such as Yahoo and Disney, others by independent designers.

Most of AddictingGames' content is submitted by individual users, but since it was acquired by Nickelodeon parent Viacom in 2006, the site has produced more original titles aimed at teenagers -- even if the games aren't exactly suitable for the cable channel's kid audience.

A majority are simple puzzle, shooting or sports games. A small but growing number, however, tee off the headlines that generate huge buzz on the Web and Twitter.

"If you want to make fun of something in politics or culture, games are now a great way to do it," says Connally, the VP in charge of AddictingGames.

They're also a great way to generate attention -- and they hope advertising. Eleven of the 19 news games produced by AddictingGames since 2006 have been played more than a million times, with the biggest, in which former President Bush abandons the White House to become a hot dog vendor, played more than 6 million times. The site's first news game, 2006's Cheney's Fury, played off of the former veep's accidental buckshot spray of a buddy during a hunting trip. Since then, the company has produced games based on topics such as the baseball steroids scandal, President Bush's awkward massage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French soccer star Zinedine Zidane's infamous head-butting incident at the 2006 World Cup and the U.S. government's corporate bailouts.

There was even a game about January's landing of a US Airways flight on the Hudson River in New York that led to a surprising question: Would people want to play a game based on an event that was almost a horrific tragedy?

The answer has been yes. Since its launch more than five months ago, Hero on the Hudson has been played 4.6 million times, according to the company.