Press release

Here is an example of a press release.  Use this to design your own written press release for your video game creations!

Homework: due Tuesday 13th May

Choose one of your games and discuss who the target audience is. You should develop your answer by writing about the gamer profile, e.g. casual, hardcore. Also discuss any theories you can apply, such as two-step flow, Hypodermic Needle as well as the temperament, desensitisation and social learning theories. 

Case studies: audience

It is important for you to be able to explain who the video games’ audiences are. You will need to be able to discuss who is playing the games, why they play games and the effects that can be caused. You should be able to explain audience theories, such as uses and gratifications theory, two-step flow and the Hypodermic Needle model. You will also need to show you understand that there are good effects as well as bad, and be able to quote effects theories such as the temperament theory, desensitisation theory and social learning theory.

You will be using the same two games to present your case study.

My examples are going to be Roman Realms and Company of Heroes.

It is up to you how you present your case study. You may like to produce a mind map or written information.

Roman Realms

Company of Heroes

Who:  Hardcore gamers – males

    

Why:   Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratifications theory

    Entertainment – escape, relax

    Relationships – online multiplayer, competitions, tournaments

    Identity – members of the armed forces

    Information – learn about World War II

Effects:   Active or passive audience – likely active – Hypodermic does not apply

    Two-step flow – opinions of others, reviews may persuade them to play

 

Bad:  Temperament theory applies – violence/war

    Desensitisation theory applies – more played, less likely to effect

    Social learning theory applies – model behaviour on actions of characters

Good :  Problem solving, reflexes, reaction time, coordination, cognitive development

Your task

Choose two contrasting games.

Create a mind map / written information / other format.

Make notes on:

    WHO are the audience? Gamer profiles, ages, gender

    WHY are they playing? Uses and gratifications theory

    EFFECTS? Temperament, desensitisation, social       learning, good effects as well as bad

Homework due 6th May

The best marketing campaigns for video games include these three ingredients:
* interesting or innovative ways to get the attention of the target audience
* use all three media platforms (magazines/billboards, tv adverts/radio adverts and web-based: website, social networking)
* get the audience involved or hooked into a story.

For games you have researched this week, or previously in lessons, find out how their marketing campaigns covered each of the 3 areas above and take key notes for your revision.

Case studies: representation

It is important for you to be able to explain how video-game advertising may represent a particular gender, e.g. male and female characters. There may be other issues such as sexuality, disability and race and how these are presented to us. You should also consider whether the representation is of stereotypical characters and thus predictable.

WHO/WHERE/HOW/WHAT is being represented?

You will be using the same two games to present your case study.

My examples are going to be Roman Realms and Company of Heroes.

It is up to you how you present your case study. You may like to produce a mind map or written information.

Roman Realms

Company of Heroes

Who:  Allies v Axis (Americans v Germans)

  Able Company of the 29th Infantry Division's 116th Infantry, or Fox   Company of the 101st Airborne Division's 506th PIR

    

What:   World War II – Battle of Normandy and Allied liberation of France

Where:   Different parts of the region of Normandy, France – represented   by particular battles

How:  Allies are good – Axis are bad – seen from Allied point of view.   Dark and gloomy as you would expect battle areas to look.   Bombed buildings, blood and warfare.

Stereotypes:  Soldiers shown to be brave as would be expected.

Misrepresentation:   Biased towards Allies. Could be misrepresentation of Axis dependent   on audience.

    Gender bias towards men – but unlikely to be women involved in   warfare in WWII.

  Possible racial issues – no ethnic minorities represented. 

    Historical accuracy may be in question.

    May be an offensive depiction of war to some people

Choose two contrasting games (these could be the same as your last 2 games)

Create a mind map / written information / other format.

Make notes on:

    WHO is being represented?

    WHERE is being represented? 

    WHAT is being represented?

    HOW is being represented?  

  Misrepresentation?

  Gender, sex, violence, race, disability, offensive?

Are female gamers under-represented?

What do you think?

Video games and violent behaviour

Watch these two clips about the debate surrounding video games and violence - where do you stand on the debate? How do these ideas link to our audience theories?

Case studies: Narrative and Genre

It is important for you to be able to explain how narrative theories and genre conventions can be applied to video games.

You should pick two contrasting games, i.e. puzzle and first-person shooter, and stick with these choices for all the case studies.

My examples are going to be Roman Realms and Company of Heroes.

It is up to you how you present your case study. You may like to produce a mind map or written information.

Roman Realms - mind map example

Company of Heroes - fact file example

Game Name:   Company of Heroes

Genre:   Real time – Strategy

Narrative Theory:

  Todorov – can apply all five stages 

  Propp – Hero (Allies), Villain (Axis)

Gameplay:  Single player / multiplayer online. Take control of   map points; collect resources such as manpower,   munitions and fuel. Objective to complete mission.   Player in   control of narrative.

Storyline:   Set during WWII, command of two military units –   Battle of Normandy

Platform:   Windows PC / Mac OS X

Your task:

Choose two contrasting games.

Create a mind map / written information / other format.

Make notes on:

    Genre

    Narrative theories (Todorov/Propp)

    Platform

    Storyline

    Gameplay

Homework: Compare and contrast the narrative structures and genres of the two games you have chosen for your Case studies.

Web vocab

Revise your web media vocab by playing these games!

Analysing print adverts

Watch this video clip and take notes about the key factors to consider when analysing print adverts...

Now find another example from your homework or online and analyse the impact, using the headings below:

• Layout

• Use of colours

• Text

• Images – how are they positioned, camera angles and framing

• Lighting

• Mise en scene 

• Representation - age, gender, race, class, ethnicity? 

• Target audience - who are they? How are they targeted?

• Institution - who published the game? 

Theories of narrative and character

Tsyvetan Todorov says that there are five stages to every narrative (story):

•Stage 1 – The Equilibrium – Life is just as usual

•Stage 2 – The Disruption – A problem happens

•Stage 3 – The Recognition – Think about how to resolve the problem

•Stage 4 – The Repair – Go ahead and resolve the problem

•Stage 5 – The Restoration– Life returns to normal

Vladimir Propp says the same types of character appear in all stories:

•The Hero – This is the main character whom the audience will recognise as the key person in the story. This character is usually good.

•The Helper – The main character usually has a companion who helps the main character, gives advice and supports the main character in the story.

•The Villain – This character is the opposite to the Hero and is there to create the disruption (Todorov) in the story. This character is usually bad.

•The False Hero – This character pretends to support the main character in the story, and generally the audience will know this. However, the main character does not. Could also be the Villain.

•The Donor – This character is similar to the role the Helper plays in a story. The character will give the main character something which helps him repair (Todorov) the problem in the story.

•The Dispatcher – This character could be the Princess’ Father (setting the Hero a task) or even a False Hero (sending the Hero on a wild goose chase

•The Princess – This character can be the reward for the Hero (see Princess’ Father) or the person whom the Hero and False Hero are in competition for.

•The Princess' Father – This character could be a combination of characters depending on the story being told. Generally this character will set a task for the Hero, with the reward being the Princess. But they could also be the Villain if they didn’t want to give the reward.

Choose a video game of your choice to apply these theories to...

Video game genres

Ø FPS (First-Person Shooter) - game interaction is by first-person perspective, armed with a weapon. E.g. Battlefield, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor.

Ø RPG (Role-Playing Game) - the player takes on the role of a character in a fictional story and has actions to complete in order to pass or fail the game.  E.g. Final Fantasy series, Fallout series, Dungeons and Dragons.
 - Sub-genre of RPG - MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Roe-Playing Games) - players interact online in a common world with real players as well as non-player characters (NPCs).

Ø Simulation -  the player is in control of 'real-time' simulation of 'real' activities - i.e. building a city,m flying and aeroplane.  E.g. The Sims, Flight Simulator, SimCity, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Theme Park, Railroad Tycoon, The Simpsons games.

Ø Strategy - the player uses logic, skill and decisions to complete a game to its end. E.g. Civilisation, Age of Empires, Diplomacy.

Ø Racing - very similar to simulation-type game, the player may be driving a racing car and entering competitions.  E.g. F1, Nascar, Need for Speed.

Ø Puzzle - the player has to interact with a puzzle to find a solution.  E.g. Tetris, Bejeweled, Mahjongg, Solitaire.

Ø Platform - involves controlling a character which has to perhaps jump or run between platforms, avoiding obstacles while following a pathway to meet an objective.  E.g. Sonic, Super Mario, Rayman, Little Big Planet, Crash Bandicoot.

Ø Sports - can be similar to simulation games, in that the player will control a player or team involved in various sports.  E.g. FIFA, Championship Manager, Pro Evolution Soccer, The Ashes, Grand Slam Tennis.

Ø Trivia - usually involves knowing facts and having knowledge on a particular topic.  May be competing against other people or just the computer.  E.g. SongPop, Who Wants to be a Millionare?, Logo Quiz.

Ø Rhythm/Exercise - games where the player can actually physically interact with action - they can play virtual sports, dance and get fit.  E.g. Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Dance Central.

Ø Music - allows the player to interact with a controller in the form of a musical instrument which simulates the actual instrument, and play along with songs.  E.g. Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Just Dance, SingStar.

Ø Education - the player will be able to learn by interacting with various types of game.  These could be school subjects or language courses.  E.g. Big Brain Academy, Cooking Mama.

Make your own games...

Follow this link to have a go at making your own games...

Imagine that you were going to launch this game on the market and prepare a 45 second pitch, explaining:

* Who you are - what is your company name?

* The game genre and why you have chosen it

* Who your target audience would be...

* The gameplay (how to play)

* The institution that would launch your game and why...

Richard Dyer's star theory

Richard Dyer’s theory proposes that:

Ø Celebrities are constructed and artificial

Ø They are constructed by the music industry – why?

Ø X Factor is a great example of how a celebrity can be constructed.

Ø Can you name any other programmes which develop celebrities?

Another way for a celebrity to generate income is to endorse a video game.

They can lead to a successful franchise, e.g. Tiger Woods PGA Tour, which

has been released every year since 1998.

OR

They can fail completely, e.g. David Beckham Soccer which was released in 2001. Rage, the developer and publisher, signed Beckham on a three-year contract for a vast amount of money. However, being up against Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA was suicide. The game received awful reviews, it bombed and Rage spiralled into debt and eventually went bankrupt.

Failed Celebrity Endorsements

Pokémon – One Direction 

  Pokémon Black and Pokémon White were the second main-series games to hit the Nintendo DS and brought a lot of innovations to the well-established series. Sadly, the inclusion of Simon Cowell’s collection of teen heartbreakers One Direction in the advertising campaign was not one that existing fans of the series would have wanted. Pokémon is a well-structured RPG game packaged as a kids’ game. As a result, it can be played very simply by youngsters who are fans of the TV series, but can also offer a more in-depth gaming experience for older gamers. It is the latter of these two groups who will always come under scrutiny for playing this ‘kids’ game’ and these adverts will do nothing to help them. Before seeing these ads they were never ashamed to admit they were still a Pokémon player. That has now changed.

http://planetivy.com/gaming/3641/celebrity-endorsed-video-games-that-should-have-avoided-the-fame-game/

Take a look at this website:

http://m.t3.com/features/worst-celebrity-endorsed-games-ever

It features what T3 consider to be the worst celebrity-endorsed games ever.

Choose two of the games and decide whether you agree with T3 and why.

Another way for celebrities to make money is to have their songs included on this type of game.

Some bands even have their own dedicated editions!

Metallica

Van Halen

The Beatles

AC/DC

Why do people like to play this type of game?

Who would you choose for a new game in this style?

Put together a pitch for your celebrity-endorsed video game.

You will then pitch to a partner and they will give your idea a rating out of 10.

Analysing trailers

Trailers aim to build up audience expectation and interest to add to the hype surrounding the video game. Watch the trailers below and build up a detailed analysis, following these questions:

 * Which genre is this game? (Role play, adventure, puzzle, racing, rhythm/exercise, 1st person shooter).

* What camera shots are used? Think about movement, angle and distance. What effect does this create?

 * How is sound used? Diegetic sound = sound created in the scene. Non-diegetic sound = sound laid on top in post-production. What effect does the choice of sound create?

* How does the editing change to suit the pace of the action?

* How is colour used? Think about lighting and the overall colours used - for what effect?

Now choose one of the games and research the print (magazine/billboards), broadcast (tv adverts, celebrity endorsement) and web based (social networking, website) for the game.
Who is their audience?
How have they targeted their audience? (Why would they want to purchase and play the game?)
How have they created their 'brand'?
Which gaming institution makes the game?