Trail and teaser

• How long before release did the GTA V campaign begin?

2 years before the release.

• How did the institution want existing GTA fans to react to the early trailers?

Rockstar created a hype about the trailer early, as they identified that fans will actively try and find information about the game, which therefore leads to promotion through word of mouth

• How did the steady release of trailers build excitement and hype about the game?

By giving very little away about the game, the audience become more excited. The first trailer was a tease and didn't give much information about the narrative, yet the release of the second trailer was heavily plot driven, This created synergy between the two trailers, allowing viewers to get a jist about the concept/narrative of the game.

• How was the launch used to generate news coverage?

The midnight launch had promised additional prizes such as, merchandises for those that pre-ordered their game. Also it was a way of the target audience interacting about there love for the game together whilst queing up for the game at midnight.

• What effect did the strict embargo have on the audience?

A strict embargo on the games release meant that excitement reached extraordinary levels as release day loomed, additionally- the embargo had been broken with amazon delivering the game a day early to a small number of fans. This removed the strict embargo and lead to a loss of some mystique surrounding the game. 

• In your opinion, why was the campaign for GTA V so successful

GTA V  was successful due to the pre-release strategy marketed over 2years. The use of a slow drip feed of information and a clear idea about fan bases needs into depth meant that the game led to a success. The use of cross platform approaches through the use of marketing also meant that they had reached out to a wider audience range.

•  Pick out the five most significant aspects of the Star Trek campaign from the list above and explain why they were important in creating a buzz about the game.

-One of the most significant aspect of the campaign was by the long amount of time taken to campaign it

-Also the E3 announcement is an effective way

-The use of a trailer posted on paramount website

-preview in game magazines
-game play footage on you-tube

• Watch the following YouTube trailers and explain why they might appeal to an audience:

- The star trek trailer appeals to those who are into action as it has lots of action figures to appeal to that target audience

-  The next trailer tells us a release date in which the game will come out 

- The full trailer is longer and it gives more information about the product

•  How many views did these trailers receive in total?

•  Why did the Star Trek video game publisher develop the marketing campaign over such a long time?

•  What other examples can you find online from the Star Trek marketing campaign? Print? Reviews? Broadcast? E-media? Do you feel the campaign as a whole was successful?

New Independant Case-Study

Name of game: Grand Theft Auto

Release date: 2013

Institutions behind the game (game studio/publisher): Playstation 3, X-box 360

Amount sold: 32.5 million copies sold

Print

• What print adverts were used to advertise the game? Find examples and post them on your blog.

The print adverts such as billboards and stands inside of the shops.

• What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the example you have chosen? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour?

The name of the product is bold and stands out more which goes along with the central images. Also in the photo above we notice how the name of the game is in the middle.

• Find three reviews for your game that were originally published in video-game magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review.

"Nobody makes an open world quite like Rockstar. Others may be bigger, moodier, or crazier, but between Rockstar's obsessive attention to detail and its anarchic approach to gameplay, something emerges that's deeply memorable and filled with a constant sense of discovery." this is a review on the offical xbox website it is positive as is most of the reviews

"Gorgeous graphics. Fun to play. Engaging storyline. Open-world mayhem. Lets you switch between the three major characters on the fly. Fantastic music." this is also a positive review which tells us how to consumer feels when playing the game which may influence others into buying it

"And all of this is open to you from the very start of the game – there’s no waiting for bridges to be made passable or areas to be freed from lockdown. Any location can be visited in any order and in any vehicle, right from the minute you first set eyes on sun-drenched San Andreas." this is from another magazine website where the review compliemnts the game, we can see there is a consistant success rate based on the reviews alone.

• Did your game feature on any videogame magazine front covers? Find examples and explain why a front cover feature is so successful in promoting a game to its target audience.

This magazine wasnt realised in the uk, yet it was published abroad which tells you how the game is viral.

Broadcast

• Did your chosen game use a TV advert to promote the game? Embed it from YouTube if it did and explain how it fits the key conventions of a TV advert.

This meets the key conventions as it has a voice over which informs us about the name of the game, it also has an engaging background music so we are on out toes whilst watching it rather than lacking interest.

• Can you find any other broadcast features on the game - interviews, launch party events, video reviews, clips of the gameplay on YouTube etc. Write about how they effectively promote the game to its target audience.

The video above shows an interview about grand theft auto, it gives an insight of what target auidence gta is for, from what we consume its for young men and teenagers as the majority seen to fit into this category 


E-media

The offical game website

• Visit your chosen game's official website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of its target audience?
• Are there any creative or interesting aspects to the game's official website?
• Does the game have a YouTube channel?
• Can you find any examples of user-generated content on YouTube that players have created and uploaded from the game? Embed any examples on your blog.
• How does user-generated content such as gameplay videos help to promote the game?
• How many 'likes' has your chosen game's Facebook wall had?
• Choose five of the posts on the Facebook page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the game's target audience.
• What is your chosen game's Twitter hashtag?
• How did the campaign use Twitter to promote the game?
• Can you find any other creative uses of e-media to promote the game? This might include hashtags, competitions, Instagram, user-generated campaigns or anything else that is designed to draw attention to the game.

Pre- and post-release

• What was the game's release date?
• What is the earliest reference you can find to the game before the release date? Was it announced at a gaming conference (such as E3)? How did the publisher get a potential audience excited about the forthcoming game?
• How did the institution promote the game after it was released? 
• Does the game have any way of making the publisher additional income post-release (such as in-game purchases)?
• 
  
• 
  
• Other
• 
  
• Who do you think is the target audience for this game? Make up a potential target audience demographic and explain why you think it fits the game. What psychographic groups would be attracted to this game?
• What else can you find from the marketing and promotion of your chosen game? A launch event? Stories appearing in newspapers? Celebrity endorsement? Scandal or controversy?
• How does the campaign make an emotional connection with the audience? What is the audience appeal of the advertising campaign?
• Can you find any images of how the game was promoted in-store - displays, point-of-sale promotions, window displays etc.?
• Write down anything else of interest at the end of your case study blogpost
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Game 9 - Rhythm Mode

Name of Game: Rhythm Mode

The platform our game will play on is, PlayStation(3,4) , Xbox(360). The game is both targeted for boys and girls within the age group 8+, we also would like to engage the family to play the game. We believe that it is more of a family orientated game.

A: How will you create marketing materials that attract audience attention to the game?

In terms of Broadcast we want to promote our game on children's channels and family channels such as; Nickelodeon's, Disney Channel - where children will be able to be aware of the game. Similarly, families should also be aware of the game therefore we want to promote it on ITV, Channel 5. All these adverts will be done Pre-Watershed so we can reach out to out audience properly. Therefore we want to promote it from 4-8 pm.

In terms of e-media, were going to have a fan-base that promotes out game; eg like pages on Facebook and twitter hash-tags; #rhythmmode. We're also going to have our own website to make our consumers aware of our game.

Furthermore, in terms of Print we want to make Billboards and posters on buses because this is seen by the majority of the audience. We want to make our game to to be frequently around London Public Transport.

I: How will you generate audience interest?

We will generate interest by making our game in a colour scheme that will appeal to a wide range of people so we choose the colour baby blue. This is a simple colour to connote that our game is not complex so it will engage an older audience more. 

Also in our adverts we will have both genders, and different ethnicities so this can reflect that any ethnic minority can play it too. We want to reach out to lots of cultures and races because our game is easy too play.

D: How will you stimulate audience desire to buy the game?

By stimulating the audience to buy the game we can use celebrity endorsements to attract to the audiences fans, we want to use celebrities that appeal to a very wide range audience therefore we want to chose successful pop singers such as, Katy Perry.

A: How will you promote audience action?


By promoting the audience action we want to gives out leaflets to inform consumers about the game we will also want to give the audience an overview of what our game is about. Because our game promotion doesn't have representations of any other culture it helps promote more people to buy the game. The game 

Planetside 2

Use the Planetside 2 Wikipedia entry to answer the following questions:

• What is Planetside 2?

 PlanetSide 2 is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter published by Sony Online Entertainment and released on November 20, 2012.

• What genre does the game belong to?

sci-fi

• Planetside 2 developer/publisher:

Sony online entertainment

• When was it launched?

November 20, 2012. 

• How does the game-play work?

with the pc, you 

• What are the six different player classes in the game?

There are six unique player classes in PlanetSide 2. Each class has several unique weapons and special abilities. For each class new weapons, upgrades, and abilities can be acquired using in-game certification points. In addition, each class can earn ribbons and medals which reward additional certifications. The classes are as follows:

• The Infiltrator is a sniper class with special abilities of cloaking and hacking, and can use sniper rifles, scout rifles and submachine guns to deliver a devastating effect.
• The Light Assault class is a scout who uses carbines, submachine guns and shotguns. The Light Assault's special ability is Jump Jets, which allow them to fly through the air for a short period of time.
• The Combat Medic is a healing class. Their weapons include assault rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. The Combat Medic's special abilities allows them to heal and resurrect other players.
• The Engineer class has the special ability of repairing vehicles, turrets, and MAX Units. The engineer also has the ability to build anti-infantry and anti-vehicle turrets. The Engineer's weapons include carbines, shotguns submachine guns and battle rifles.
• The Heavy Assault class has light machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, batte rifles, and also Rocket Launchers, which are effective at destroying enemy vehicles. They also have the special ability of shields to help them endure heavy fire.
• The MAX class has a mobile armored suit that allows them to take significant damage before dying. However, due to the suit they are also the slowest class. They have access to anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, and anti-air weapons. Max units cost resources to use.

• What is the story or narrative to the game?

PlanetSide 2 is a science fiction massively multiplayer online first-person shooter set approximately 300 years after the discovery of Auraxis, although the chronology of the game universe starts a few years before. After the Earth has nearly come to ruin following a devastating war, the world's governments came to a consensus and united under one banner: the world-wide Terran Republic (TR). Some time later a wormhole, one which scientists fail to explain, appears and then disappears without a trace. 

Business model

Now look at the section on the Planet-side 2 business model.

• How much does Planet-side 2 cost to play?

• What does a subscription offer to players?

• What can the in-game currency be used to buy?

• Why do some players dislike games in which users can buy additional weapons or health?

The three factions

Summarise the three factions that players can join in the game:

The Terran Republic:

The Vanu Sovereignty:

The New Conglomerates:

Print 

Wii Party casestudy

General research

• When was Wii Party released on the Nintendo Wii?

July 8th 2010

• Which developer/institution created Wii Party?

Nd cube. Nintendo SPD

• How many copies has the game sold since release?

230,000 units 

Broadcast

• What are the key conventions of a videogame TV advert? What would you expect to see in most videogame TV adverts?

homely scenes is the atmosphere of which the game is played at

• How many of the key conventions you have listed above appear in the Wii Party TV adverts? List them with specific details from the Wii Party TV adverts.

The key conventions the advert is the use of music appearing along with a voice over.

• What is the typical setting for Wii Party TV adverts? Why is that setting used?

The typical setting for the wii party is either an apartment or a family home.

• How might the setting appeal to families?

This appeal to families because it represents all family members as a nuclear family; seeing as the 'perfect family'

• What celebrities do the adverts feature?

the use of JLS gives a sense of promotion to the fans

• What do you notice about the celebrities' costume and make-up?

They're all wearing casual clothing which goes along with the theme of it being a homely setting that attracts to everyone.

• Why do you think those particular celebrities were chosen?

because it appeals to different audience members of the fans of the celebrity 

• What do the celebrities suggest about the Wii Party target audience?

They suggest that the target audience want to have a game to play with their family so they can interact and spend time with one another

• What else can you learn about the Wii Party target audience from the TV adverts? Suggest a demographic profile: gender, age, social class etc.

The target audience's age varies from 5-55, therefore it appeals to both young and old people because its basic and fun for everyone to contribute.

• What audience pleasures do the Wii Party TV adverts offer to viewers? Refer to Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory when answering this question.

The audience pleasures the game offers the viewers is a source of entertainment, and being able to interact with other creating a common interest within the families; this goes along with what theorists such as Blumler and Katz created.

• What examples of branding can you find in the Wii Party TV adverts - either for the game itself or Nintendo Wii?

The wii party is only made for the nintendo wii therefore it promotes the console, and encourages more people to buy it 

• Do you think the TV adverts were effective for promoting the Wii Party game?

Yes because it allows you to reach out to a broader audience and make people who are not on any sort of social media aware of the game, and what sort of game is out in the market for them to appeal to it more.

Print

• Find a Wii Party review from a magazine or newspaper. What does the review suggest about the target audience for the game?

"Wii Party U may be seen by many as another mini-game compendium churned out to appeal to families but there is more to it than meets the eye", this suggests that there is more to the video than expected

• Is the review positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from the review to support this view.

the review is positive about the game as it highlights the key features, eg the game is made for families. Also it gives us a hint to what may be in the game

• Do you think magazine reviews are effective in promoting the game to Wii Party's target audience?

I do think they are effective, as if a consumer wants to invest in a game they would look at reviews and if they find a negative one the may rethink buying the game

E-media

• Visit the Wii Party website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a Wii Party fan?

It has the ability for other to interact by clicking on to different categories.

• What do you notice about the people in the scrolling central image featured on the website?

The image is of different ethnicities to attract lots of ethnic minorities

• How many times can you find the words 'friends' or 'family' used on the official website? Why do you think the website emphasises this aspect of the game?

There is repetition of these words to highlight that the page is for these people

• What is the colour scheme for the website? What does this suggest about the target audience?
• Look at the 'Video Gallery' on the official website. What do the 'Invitation' videos suggest about the Wii Party target audience?
• How many 'likes' has the Wii Party/Wii Party U Facebook wall had?
• How does the Wii Party Facebook wall cross-promote other Nintendo games? Find three examples and explain why they appeal to the Wii Party target audience.
• Wii Party does not have such a strong presence on other social networking sites. Why do you think this is?
• Which platform do you think is strongest in promoting Wii Party to its target audience - broadcast, print or e-media? Why?

SIMS casestudy

Print

1. What print adverts were used to advertise the game? Find examples and post them on your blog.

1. What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the example you have chosen? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour?

The colour scheme of the print is purple to highlight wealth and fortune which will appeal to sim consumers because they will also feel superior, however some may argue that purple is more feminine so they added a blue title of 'sims' to balance it out- as blue is seen as masculine colour. The images are on both sides so the texts is highlighted more than the picture

1. Find three reviews for your game that were originally published in video game magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review.

Metascore- " Create lifelike Sims with a unique personality and take them anywhere in the neighborhood. The powerful Create-a-Sim tool allows you to create Sims that are more realistic than ever." this review is seen as positive because it tells us the best bits about the game and doesn't mention any faults

Danger- " For a game that gives you a fake life all of these are good things." this is a blunt reply as it mentions a fault that can be been with playing the game then contradicts it with something good in the end.

Cynamite-"Sims 3 is the perfect example for a brilliant, fun game that works without any violence." this is also a positive review because overall there weren't many bad reviews, it talks about bad things that it doesn't include which overall makes the game look better

1. Did your game feature on any video game magazine front covers? Find examples and explain why a front cover feature is so successful in promoting a game to its target audience.

The game doesn't feature on any particular magazine however it has its own magazine in which people can gain information from and refer too if they need help in the game. 

Broadcast

1. Did your chosen game use a TV advert to promote the game? Embed it from YouTube if it did.

1. Is there a game trailer on YouTube? Embed it on your blog and explain why it is effective in promoting the game to its target audience.

1. Can you find any other broadcast features on the game - interviews, launch party events, video reviews, clips of the game-play on YouTube etc. Write about how they effectively promote the game to its target audience.

They effectively promoted the game as they  promoted it through social media and made events in which you can play the game. Also on youtube it has trailers in which it shows you how to play the game.

E-media

1. Visit your chosen game's official website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of its target audience?

doesn't have a website for the specific video-game.

1. Does the game have a YouTube channel?

Life of simmer is the you-tube channel which gives an insight of how to play the game and also gives you tips on how to live the life of a 'simmer'

1. Can you find any examples of user-generated content on YouTube that players have created and uploaded from the game? Embed any examples on your blog.

because it allows others to see it, which brings more popularity to it.

1. How many 'likes' has your chosen game's Facebook wall had?
2. Choose five of the posts on the Facebook page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the game's target audience.
3. What is your chosen game's Twitter hashtag?
4. How did the campaign use Twitter to promote the game?
5. Can you find any other creative uses of e-media to promote the game? This might include hashtags, competitions, Instagram, user-generated campaigns or anything else that is designed to draw attention to the game.

Other

1. What else can you find from the marketing and promotion of your chosen game? A launch event? Stories appearing in newspapers? Celebrity endorsement? Scandal or controversy?
2. Write down anything else of interest at the end of your case study blogpost.