Gran turismo 5

Marketing- Sony computer entertainment marketed and advertised their new product 'Gran Turismo 5' in many innovative ways. Firstly, before the release of Gran Turiso 5 (released on the 24th November 2010) Sony Computer Entertainment released a TV advertising campaign following the fictional marketing character, Kevin Butler, who campaigned that Gran Turismo 'only does everything'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v3aCp899F8&feature=player_detailpage

Then Gran Turismo 5's advertising campaigns got a little more creative, At the October 2010 Australian international motorsports show, Toyota hosted a 24-hour Playstation3 GT5 endurance race, a recreation of the 24H Nurburgring, with a total of 48 drivers split into two teams, racing virtual interpretations of the Toyota FT 86 G Sports concept for a full day and night.
On November 14, 2010 it was revealed that Sony had teamed with Swiss watchmaker Tissot to host the official countdown timer for the launch of Gran Turismo 5. To promote the relationship, Tissot gave away one customized, GT5 edition Tissot, every day up until the release date of the game. This is a great example of synergy between the two firms.

Production- Gran Turismo is exclusive to Playstation, making it a first party game, as it is produced by a seperate company, Polyphony digital, and distributed by Sony, though only on one console. Horizontal integration is used in the production of this game as it is different stages of the production are passed along.

Consumption- The game has a multiplayer feature, meaning he or she can interact and race others around the world via the internet, this is technoligical convergence. This game can be played up to 16 versus online game mode, or 4 player local.

Distribution- GT5 has plenty of downloadable content on it for consumers to keep upto date with. This game can be ordered off the Gran Turismo website, or off online sites such as Amazon, Play.com or Game.com. It can also be purchased from Tesco's or any other big retailer stores. this enables the game to be purchased more widely available, benefitting the producers and distributers more.

Forza

IamMarketing

IamMarketing

One way this video game is marketed is by using in between commercial breaks on the television.  That way, the game is able to get its message across to a much wider and diverse audience.  In the adverts, they use famous cars, for example, Lotus, Ferrari, Maclaren etc.  They also use standard cars like Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot etc.  This range of cars gives the game a much wider range of possibilities - this is the game's killer app.

When considering the range of places to market this game, one of the most popular areas of use is Facebook.  Facebook targets a very wide audience where there would be a very wide age range to market to.  Use of Facebook would enable the consumers to put in their personal preferences like commentary on whether they liked the game or not and use of Facebook would also enable the consumers to talk to one another on whether they enjoyed or liked the game or not.  This would give instant feedback from the consumers.

Production


This video game was developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by MotorSport.  The game uses a wide range of cars from a Honda Civic right up to a prestigious Enzo Ferrari and the Le Mans prototypes such as the Audio 8.  This use of different levels of cars will appeal to a wide range of consumers as there will be a car to suit everyone's taste.  The production also uses customisation and offers colour change which has an artistic appeal.  The video game also had rave reviews in different well known journals.

Distribution 

The distribution of this video game is through many different sources and outlets.  Many are distributed through high street shops like Game, HMV and GameStation but one of the biggest selling distribution networks is when people buy on line.  HMV also provide an on line distribution service that is fast and efficient.  This way of marketing and purchasing the video game is aimed at reaching a much wider audience.

Forza is only available on the Xbox consoles making a niche market and basically Xbox has purchased the sole rights to distribute this game and by cornering the market, they will make vast profits for themselves.  The cost of this video game is £39.99.

Consumption

Forza can be consumed in many different ways, for example, the videos can be played on discs from the consumer's console, or connect to Xbox Live and play interactively with other people on line and this will open up a much wider audience both in this country and worldwide.  To make the game more interesting, downloads can be made of other cars, tracks etc. and this will open up other possiblities of varying the game and making it more appealing to consumers.

 

The Differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360

What are the benefits of the Playstation 3?
The Playstation 3 is compatible with Blue-ray discs, Playstation and Playstation 2 discs, audio cd's and dvd's. It can access the internet and you can get a controller called the 'Playstation Move' which makes game play more interactive, by using a wireless remote to move your characters around, much like the wii remote, as well as gaming headsets so you can talk to players whilst your gaming as well.

What can it do Online?
The playstation allows access to programs such as ITV player, 4oD and iPlayer, also you can watch music videos through the music video websites they offer, Movies and 'Playstation Plus' which allows players to play with exclusive features and games worth at least £200.

Can you create an Avatar?
You can't create your own avatar n the playstation as the games and console have their own characters, which you can edit sometimes in game play, by changing clothing, weapons in some cases ect.

What are the benefits of the Xbox 360?
The Xbox 360 can play dvd's also, as well as compact discs, as well as access the internet and update your hardrive to 250GB. You can now get an add on for the game console, which is the Kinect, where 'you are the controller'. You can also sign up to 'Xbox live' and play games against friends all over the world over the internet, and create your own 'avatar' to keep track of game play achievements so you can gain rewards from xbox.

What can it do Online?
The Xbox allows you to download games online, play with other players worldwide on your games you have purchased and communicate with people through their own personal forum specially set up for the Xbox live players.

Case Study: Institutions and Audiences - Videogames - NBA 2K10

This is one of the NBA 2K10 commercials for online and television. It has two of the NBA's best all-stars playing NBA 2K10 and shows them being competitive. This will make the audience want to play the game to see how good they are.

Marketing
When marketing this product they have thought about what kind of audience is likely to buy their game. As it is a sports game, it is highly likely that sports fans and basketball fans are their main target audience. In this case, '2K Sports' mainly did their television adverts on sports channels such as 'ESPN'. The adverts would be shown in between programmes but more specifically just before and straight after sports coverage of any basketball games. There would also be small adverts at the side of sports websites advertising the game to sports fans.

Production

'Take-Two Interactive' owns the company 'Visual Concept Entertainment' along with '2K Sports', which are the company that makes 'NBA 2K10'. 'Visual Concepts' are the developers of the game so they design all the game play, start-up menus, characters, etc. 'Take-Two' then decided to create their own publishing label called '2K Sports'. The publisher/publishing label designs all the packaging and advertising for the game but as '2K Sports' was created by 'Take-Two', this means they don't have to borrow funding from the publisher and they get to keep the money, making more profit. 'Take-Two' create 3rd party games as they are an independent company that make games for many consoles such as 'Xbox, 'Xbox 360', 'Playstaion 2, Playstation 3, 'Wii', etc.

Distribution
'NBA 2K10' was released all over the world in places like North America, Europe, Japan and Australia with 2 million units being sold. 'NBA 2K10' was licensed to be sold in major store retailers, like 'Game' and 'HMV'. They also licensed it to major online retailers, like 'Amazon.co.uk' and 'Play.com'. As well as stores they made it available to be purchased off their own website itself.

Consumption
The major aspect of '2K10' that changed from '2K9' is that they have introduced a new career mode called 'My Player' and also a new feature called 'NBA Today'. The 'My Player' career mode allows the consumer to make their own player to then put through training to try and get them into the NBA and complete a season in an NBA team. It allows them to change basically everything from how they look, to their shoes, to their muscle mass, to how they shoot the ball. It lets the consumer feel apart of the game and get attached to their player as if it were them in real-life. The 'NBA Today' feature allows the consumer to check out the latest news and scores on the NBA, provided that they are connected to the internet. Once they are online it is all updated automatically so it just appears ready for the consumer to view. This is a good feature for basketball fans as it makes it easily accessible for them.

Mario Kart

Marketing


Mario karts series started in 1992 and is aimed at anyone over the age of 4 both females and males.
There are several characters within the game including protagonists and antagonists of both sex so that its easier for the target audience to relate to them. Mario karts has improved over several years as the graphics are more detailed and the game is able to do more things than it used to for example you can now play up to 4 players at the same time on a wii game allowing the range of audience to increase from just one single child player to a whole family playing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLrAZlxS7F0 . Mario Karts advertises their game in as many ways as possible to attract the target audience world wide. They're unique selling points are the celebs that advertise the game on television i.e girls aloud on the DS versionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tKLWPOZ2Cs also the new features each series contains i.e more characters, different powers, different music and a larger variety of settings.


Production
Mario Karts was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii console.The game was released worldwide throughout April 2008 and every copy of the game is packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory, which is designed to hold the Wii Remote to allow s more fun and conventional steering.Players choose a character of up to 24 characters and from 36 vehicles,  the available types of karts and motorbikes depends on a character's weight and their performance on the tracks. Each vehicle has seven different characteristics: speed, weight, acceleration, handling, drift, off-road, and mini-turbo a specific software is used to create all of these features. 


Distribution
The producers of mario karts have given the right to thousands of shops worldwide to sell their games. specific shops in the U.K that have that right are Toys R us , Game, Argos, Disney store and many more including the wii shop itself and online.


Consumption

Nintendo Wii is easily attached to your T.V and connects within seconds, the Mario kart game consists of  several different controls from remote to wheel this is to suit the target audiences preferences and make it more interesting. The wii doesn't only use just wii remotes but also game cube remotes allowing people to make the most of their game consoles and their software used to play the game. Mario Karts is a racing game where people can verse others at the same time including a max of 4 players at the same time this results to the screen splitting into 4 sections creating tension and competition between the players. 

Mario Kart- case study

http://www.mariokart.com/wii/launch/

Marketing
Mario Kart is a fairly new game and the marketing done to promote the game is mainly from adverts on the TV, posters thats are found in game stores, the internet when maybe thinking of buying the wii console by its self, magazines etc.
The mario kart game has its own website which players are able to get onto to where you can find out about game details,characters new things to download.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5PE_EqLfxM

The way the game is advertised on the Tv has included a popular pop group playing the game which will promote the game well.

production
The game mario kart was deisgned for up to 4 players. As this game is on the wii you need the wii remote controls to be able to play the game. There is also a steering wheel thats been designed so you are able to put the wii remote into the wheel and are able to play the game usuing an actual steering wheel.
To play the actual game there is no specific eqipment that is needed for just the mario kart game just the controller than comes with the wii console.
The game mario kart has been improved and improved over time, for example the character mario has been around since before the wii console was actually created with games such as super mario.

Guitar Hero- World Tour

Activision- guitar hero

Marketing

The marketing for the game guitar hero is basically a representation and a summary of the game. Guitar hero is marketed through the traditional use of adverts on TV and adverts in newspapers, magazines and billboards round major towns. E.g. London.

Guitar hero has its official website http://worldtour.guitarhero.com/uk/ in which downloads of songs for the game are available, top news of the game is shown, customizations and play modes for the game is shown and many other features to guitar hero is represented. It also has a page dedicated to media so the fans can get wallpapers and pictures of the games. Quotes from fans are also used to show their opinion on the game and to inform new-comers of their experiences.

Activision also has a company website in which it promotes guitar hero. As soon as you arrive on the guitar hero page on the activision website a video which has been uploaded starts to play and it informs the audience of the game and the knowledge and history behind it. Brian bright the project director for guitar hero explains the purpose and the creation of the game. The website also provides written information on the game and the different controllers and extra’s that are available.

Production

The consumer either decides to play single or in a group and they then choose the instrument in which a guitar, drums kit, singer and bass guitar is on offer. The consumer(s) then choose a song which they want to play and they then follow the instructions on the screen. If you’re playing the guitar for example the fret comes up on the screen followed by coloured notes which is a representation of the guitar notes which you have to play. The consumer presses the notes at the correct time and this is then sent to the Wii and is submitted to the players score and progression at the end. Brain Bright quoted from the video on the activision website how they improved Guitar Hero World Tour compared to Guitar hero. They incorporated a tap sensitive strip allows the consumer to tap instead of strum the guitar. This makes it easier to play the game and get high scores. He also explained how they worked with famous people such as Chad smith and the Chilli Peppers to produce the drum kit. Their main aim for the drum kit was to make it feel more realistic so they elevated the symbols from the snare and the tom to make it feel more like your hitting the symbols and more realistic for the consumer.

They also gave the drum heads a tactile feel so to improve the response time.

All of the instruments and controllers are wireless which allows easier set up and playing of the game.

Distribution

Guitar Hero World Tour is distributed in many shops across the world such as HMV, Argos, GAME and other video game retailers. The price of the game varies between £99.99 to £120.99. You can also pre-order from the Guitar Hero World tour website. Other websites are also available to buy the game are Amazon, Walmart, eBay, game stop and Redoctane. The game can be played on Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PS2.

Consumption

The game can be consumed by plugging the Wii, Xbox 360, Ps3 or PS2 into the tv and using the remotes and instruments to control the game. You can play individually or as a team or go online and compete in battles with other people across the world.

Black Ops - Case Study

Production

The game was developed by Treyarch, a subdivision of Activision, for all the major consoles and by n-Space for the DS version. The game runs on the IW engine, which has been featured in all of the major call of duty games since call of duty 4, it also supports 3-D imaging and is the first call of duty game to do so.
Motion capture, similar to that used in Avatar, was used to fully capture the facial expressions of the actors to make the game more realistic, which was also achieved as Treyarch consulted special forces veterans from both sides, the MACV-SOG and the Spetsnaz representing the US and Russia, respectively. Due to the classified nature of the Cold War's black ops, Treyarch was quite free in creating a narrative, that was entirely fictional but also allowed it to be believable.
Treyarch have updated the game frequently fixing any bugs and improving things that the community have highlighted, the biggest update was probably to the spawn system and improving to prevent players from spawning in the same area or near enemies. They also keep developing new DLC to be released frequently in the form of map packs.

Distribution


The game is distributed by Activision using DVDs to supply the game for the major consoles, the Nintendo game card for the DS version and various online stores such as Steam. The DLC is distributed via the consoles native store, the XBOX Live Marketplace and the Playstation Store, for the consoles respectively and via Steam for the PC.

Consumption

The main form of consumption for players of black ops is the online multiplayer which throws together between 8 and 16 players, depending on game mode, from all over the world in a contest to see who wins. The multiplayer is very deep with 50 levels to be reached and 15 prestiges, where you give up everything and start from level 1 again, and hundreds of different ways to customise your weapon. There is also a singleplayer mode for those without access to the internet, and Zombies, which is a co-op wave defense mode, for both online and offline play.

Marketing


The marketing strategy for black ops started off as a viral campaign when USB drives containing audio and text files were sent to gaming new publications and high profile call of duty fans which lead to a teaser site for an unknown game, but was found to be related to Treyarch as time passed. A similar thing was done with the poster that was received by people who pre-ordered the game in the states which linked them to a website that was under-construction and had various clues that people solved to learn more about the game. The first trailer shown was shown during the NBA finals and many other trailers aired during sports games, to be received by the widest possible audience. The game was also advertised through social networking as it has a facebook page that contained new information about the game it also utilised sites such as youtube to put adverts on. The map packs have helped to keep black ops in the public eye with trailers demonstrating the new maps and attracting new customers at the same time.

Fifa 11 case study

Production

Made by EA sports
Developed by EA Canada
Designed by David Rutter (PS3 and Xbox) and Ian Jarvis and Andrew (PC)

Released on the dates for all consoles except the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS:
- 28th September (North America)
- 30 September (Australia)
- 1 October (Europe)   

More licensed leagues to choose from (31) from 24 different countries as well as 41 national teams to play as.

From other Fifa games they've improved:
- Career mode = player can either be playing on the pitch, be the manager, or both (provides a variety of options in which suit a players needs)
- "2 button" control system (simpler for users)
- Pro passing = use of control pad, more accurate passes in game play
- Goalkeeper intelligence = be the goalkeeper
- Improved celebrations
-360 degree dribbling (enables player to have more control of what the players on the pitch do)

Distribution

Optical disk for all gaming consoles except mobile platforms (download - excluding PSP) and Nintendo DS (game card)

Marketing

Commentators in game play (Martin Tyler and Andy Gray) - two high status commentators may attract older genaration (30-50 year old males)
Proffessional footballers on cover (Kaka and Wayne Rooney) - two high status footballers who the younger generation (5-20 year old males) aspire to be like and the game is allowing them to gain control of footballers like these
Updated teams - all transfers made in summer 2010 occur on game
                         - also, after the January 2011 transfer window, the game created an update in order for the transfers to take place. For example, Andy Carroll going to Liverpool and Fernando Torres going to Chelsea
Better graphics - more detailed
Variety of leagues from different countries gives worldwide audience attraction:
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- South Korea
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Russia
- Scotland
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
- USA
- Rest of world group

Just Dance Case Study

Production

They built in a certain amount of leniency into the rhythm and precision detection, but to say that it's smoke and mirrors simply isn't true. They have constructed symmetrical movements using natural body dynamics to identify how well someone is playing even with just one controller. They just looked at the Wii remote as an extension of the players' hands and body.
"At first we used the nunchuk as well, but found that the wire would hit you in the face and that you lost that sense of freedom you want when dancing. The system we use takes into account the way you move, dance and handle the Wii Remote to offer more precision in the detection frames. This is seamless for the player, but it takes a lot of work to enable the proper detection through a single input device."
The game features a DDR-esque scoring system, measuring the player's performance on a wide variety of factors. “If you want to be in time and accurate, you have a much higher chance if you follow both arm movements and keep the rhythm with both your lower and upper body. So essentially, you're better off doing what the dancer is doing... Otherwise you will find the transitions difficult to match."

http://videos.uk.ubi.com/videos/2yg4ftip-justdance2-backstage-part-1-meet-the-production-team.htm

Distribution

- The game is available to the consumers in a variety of ways both through the internet and through stores. By typing in the game title within the internet you get a number of possibilities however popular sites include ‘Amazon’ ‘Play.com’ ‘Tesco’ ‘HMV’ etc. Basically every store which sells video games will most likely sell the just dance wii game. So you can get it both online and in stores.

Marketing

-         3^rd party marketing as just dance is created by ubisoft.

-         Broad target market shown through advert as advert includes various ages and social classes.

-         Point of sale marketing – virtual items such as winning extra content by texting a specific number.

-         Viral marketing – facebook, own website, banner advertising e.g. on MSN.

-         Synergy – using well know pop songs

-         Technological convergence – strike a pose app and fan of the week. Ubisoft are giving copies of Just Dance to lucky revellers and are also giving away festival tickets as prizes through a dedicated Facebook page www.facebook.com/justdanceuk.

-         thefield have launched an experiential festival tour for the Ubisoft Wii game, Just Dance. Consumers are encouraged onto the disco bus by professional dancers and can dance a long to a tune from Just Dance. Observers can also take a seat amongst palm trees in one of our branded deck chairs or bean bags in the Just Dance 'chill out zone'.

-         Just Dance gamemaker Ubisoft recently received multiple MI6 Game Marketing Awards for Just Dance game marketing:

-         Ubisoft's Just Dance has achieved sales of two million units since its release in November, making it the fastest selling new IP by a third-party on the Wii.

-         “The consumer response to Just Dance has been overwhelming,” said John Parkes, EMEA marketing director at Ubisoft. “With Just Dance’s success we’ve seen a renewal of the music video game genre, as this is truly a game that is accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”

Consumption

The game is easily consumed through your TV by connecting the wii with the TV. You can play different types of games. ‘Just Dance’ when you literally just dance with a single player just for fun. You can also play through ‘Dance Battle’ where you can have up to 8 players against each other with different types of playing modes within this for example Simon says or duets. And finally there is a work out mode called ‘Just Sweat’.

Case Study- Fifa 2011

iamMarketing- One way fifa market the game is by adverts on the TV and on websites. they play the TV adverts during the adverts of football matches as this is likely to be the targeted audience. The adverts included big named footballers including Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Inestia. it also included loads of different ages and nationality's and both genders. In the advert they show the game play and show the new key improvements.  

They also had adverts on websites. for example on games websites and also a marketing campaign on facebook. These included advert banners and trailers.  In America Fifa also did an event marketing plan. they had 2 vans with 15 TVs and 15 PS3s where people could come and try the new game play and say what they thought of it. there was competitions and prizes to win like t-shirts. One other way they marketed fifa was by bringing out the demo on xbox 360 and PS3. this had five teams but arsenal could be unlocked by winning five times on fifa superstars on facebook.

Production- Fifa 11 is produced by EA (electronic arts). they used Wayne Rooney to do the motions and movement of the players. they put him in a suit that has many sensors attached to it and these sense the movements and record them onto a computer. They also used a game face feature where they take a picture of a players face face on and side on and this is put onto a computer where it is then placed onto a blank model on the computer.  

Distribution- Fifa is Distributed widley round the countries its sold in. It is mostly sold in shops for exaple HMV, Game and Gamestation. all these shops made it available to pre-order fifa 11 this meant that the consumers were paying for it before it was even out. it is also sold in big supermarkets like tesco and asda who often do deals like buy a top 10 game and get fifa half price. Mobile phones are the only thing which dont sell fifa as a disc but it can be downloaded for £5.
There is also alot of downloadable content for fifa 11 for example fifa 11 ultimate team. This can be downloaded on Xbox 360 and PS3. This came out about a month after fifa came out and on PS3 was £7.99 but the first 7 games are free.

Consumption- Fifa 11 can be consumed in many different ways. for example consumers can just play the game from the disc which itself has many different game plays. it has career mode where they can play as a single player, a player manager or a manager. all of which have 15 seasons. they can also just play single games and they can now play as the goalkeeper. If the consumer has online they can also play team games online or Be-A-Pro online or create there own league for there friends to join in with.

there is also lots of thing that can be ajusted to your fifa by going on the fifa 11 wesite.
for example creating your own game face by using pictures of your self, goal of the week where you can upload your goals to the website where your goal could be picked as goal of the week and downloading music from the internet to your xbox to play in game.

CASE STUDY - Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit Plus

Marketing
   The Wii Fit Plus is promoted in many different ways, over the television, in games stores, big food shopping stores such as 'Tescos' etc and the internet, often advertised using famous people such as Ant and Dec.

   Wii Fit even has its own website; www.wiifit.com, where you can:
- get updates
- goin 'club nintendo' and get rewards and free extended warrantees on nintendo consoles that you own
- buy wiifit/wiifit plus
   We found that the website had tabs at the top of the page where you could look at other nintendo consoles and games avaliable as well as the fact that on each wii fit page there was a different age and gender represented which promotes the product to the consumer due to the fact that anyone can get involved and makes it look like its easy to get the hang of for all ages. you can also follow nintendo on facebook and twitter for updates as well which makes it even more avaliable and closer to the consumer than ever before.
   You can also buy accessories for your wii remote - such as different coloured straps and protective cases which makes it even more personal to the consumer.
   You can now even get your pet involved, which brings the family together even more on this wii game as you can weigh the dog to see whether your pet is overweight or not.



Production:
    Wiifit Plus is produced by Nintendo. The consumer moves the Mii avatar by the Nintendos sensor bar which is placed on top or at the bottom of the consumers television. The sensor bar tracks the consumers body movement and is shown on screen by the actions of the Mii character. Also there are sensors in the Nintendo Balance Board which picks up on even the slightest weight movement and again this is shown through the Mii on screen. For example; By bending and extending your legs the balance board picks up on the consumers weight movement and the Mii jumps. The balance board is also very useful as when doing muscle or yoga workouts as it tracks your weight and by doing this is makes sure you have and are holding the right posture through out the workout.

     

Distribution:

   The Wiifit Plus is available to the consumer in many ways, over the internet and in game stores. Simply by typing 'Wiifit Plus' into google search will come up with many websites for you to buy the game and even the nintendo wii console. 'Amazon' is one of the first online websites that come up after the google search along with the wiifit website itself as well as 'play.com', 'tescodirect' and 'game'. Wiifit plus is available in stores such as 'HMV', 'Game', 'John Lewis' and other stores which openly sell games and games consoles. The fact that the game is available nearly everywhere and at any time makes it even more desirable to the consumer because they can buy it whenever they want in a way that is easiest for them.

Consumption:
   The game is easy to use and easy to play with different games available for all ages to attract an audience and keep them fit. Although games can only really be played one player at a time, you can alternate how many people play by taking turns when taking part in games.The Wii home screen also gives the consumer an oppotunity to create their own 'Mii' which is an avatar you can create to look like yourself. This involves the consumer much more and the consumer uses their Mii when playing the WiiFit Plus this allows them to keep track of their weight and they can set personal goals. It's a fun game that not only is nice to play but helps you to loose weight and the same time and to keep track of your fitness. The person playing has a remote which they use as an action for games which are shown before you start the game and/or the wii board, which you stand on and move about and uses your balance and weight to move characters or objects in games. It makes the game itself very interactive for the consumer and lots of fun.

above is the obstacle course game and below is a yoga position on the wii fit plus.

Easter Homework: Institutions and Audiences – Videogames.

You need to continue building your research around your chosen game case study.

Firstly type up your research on marketing, and then research the following in relation to your chosen game:

Production – how was the game designed and constructed?

Distibution – distribution of the game to the consumer (to stores/online/downloadable content)

Consumption – how is the consumer interacting with and playing the game?

Remember your game must not be from the Rockstar company and should not be in the same style as Red Dead Redemption.

You can do this in pairs; the above sections must be completed over Easter. There will still be more information to add and you will present your case studies in the second week back.

USE TERMINOLOGY FROM THE POWERPOINTS!!!!!!!

Charlie Brooker: Games Wipe

1. What are the genres of games he discusses?
Platformer - e.g. Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario
Shoot-Em-Up - e.g. Space Invaders
           - first person games  e.g. 3d Monster maze, Doom and golden eye.
Simulation - e.g. Flight simulator and The Sims.
Strategy - e.g. Civilization and Command and Conquer
Puzzle game - e.g. Tetris and Portal
RPG ( Role Play Game)
MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game)
Adventure Games - e.g. Hitchhikers Guide To the Galaxy
Casual games - e.g. (Rapidly expanding) Cooking Mama
Beat Em Up Games - e.g. Mortal Combat
Sandbox Games - e.g. Elite and Grand Theft Auto
Rhythm Action Games - e.g. Rock Band and Guitar Hero

2. Which advances does he discuss?

• Graphics are a lot better than they were before.
• There are more advances in the types of console you can play; the Nintendo have made the 'Nintendo Wii' and Xbox has made the 'Kinect' - where you yourself are the controller. The games become more interactive and become more attractive to the consumer to buy the best console out there.

above is the Xbox Kinect, below is the Nintendo Wii

3. What are the differences between the UK and the US?
The difference between the UK and the US is that the US were far more advance in the games industry than the UK, and so whilst here in the UK we were playing Super Mario and Sonic, the US had Beat-Em-Up games and Shoot-Em-Up games which were a lot more disturbing during the time period when they came about and criticized by the news as bad games for teenagers, men and boys to be playing.

4. What criticisms does it make about the games industry and consumer?
As Charlie Brooker interviewed a couple of other celebrities on games they had and have been playing, they came up with many criticisms about today's games. They found that they prefer to give up with some games due to the repetitiveness of what they are playing, such as in 'Gears Of War' where you had to barge through two doors with a monster chasing you and then come across a third, it just feels like a waste of time constantly repeating what you've already done. They also criticised that there aren't good enough game saving points, in most games if you get stuck or die you have to restart the level from the beginning which really frustrates the gamer. In games such as 'Rock Band' and 'Guitar Hero', you have to play through the music you don't really want to, to unlock the levels you do want to play the music you want. When you buy the game, you buy it because it tells you that most things will be available to you, when actually you have to unlock the levels to play the parts of the game you want to. Yet another criticism was that although the games graphics were getting a lot better, more detailed and having HD televisions to play on meant that the footage you were watching was good, the story line of games is going downhill. They make games into films now, rather than telling the story from a book where its more individual and will grab the gamers attention even more with a good story, one quote was that games are now "Charmless". Television and parents of a lot of teenagers seem to think that the games they play really are unsuitable, such as Manhunt and Call Of Duty, due to the violence and how graphic the killings are. Games aren't getting the response that they really want.

Charlie brooker games wipe

What are the genres of the games he discusses?
Charlie brooker comments on a vast range of games, from platformer games such as Donkey Kong, to Strategy games like Halo wars. He also mentions casual games, a fast growing genre, and beat 'em up games.

What advances does he discuss?
Graphics in gaming have become very sophisticated, from the first ever 3 dimensional game where the protagonist is in a maze, to more recent 3 dimensional games such as call of duty modern warfare. Gameplay has also massively improved from 'tennis for two' to 'virtua tennis'.

What are the differences between the US and the UK?
UK distributors were considered 'hobbiests' whereas american producers were capitalists, only producing games for profit. People in the UK also made their own games, whereas the US had massive corporations distributing games.

What criticisms does it make about the games industry and consumers?
Generally games are talked about negatively, especially shoot 'em ups and beat 'em ups as they're excessively violent. Also games sometimes say they do things which they don't. The consumers are stereotyped as violent children or men, who are being conditioned to behave in certain ways the games they play do.

Lewis and Alice

What are the genres of games he discussed?

• Platformer
• Shoot 'Em up
• First person thriller
• Simulation
• Strategy
• Puzzle games
• RPG
• MMORPG
• Adventure
• Casual games
• Beat 'Em up
• Sandbox game
• Rhythem games

Charlie Brooker: Games Wipe

What are the genres of games that are discussed?

Platformer -The character moves from platform to platform to complete the level
Shoot 'em up - The player scrolls across the screen shooting endless amounts of baddies
FPS - The player shoots enemies from a first person perspective
Simulation - The player simulates real life activities
Strategy - The player uses strategies to dominate the world
Puzzle - The player solves puzzles to complete the game
RPG - The player plays as a character completing tasks that level them up
MMORPG - The player plays as a character completing tasks that level them up but can also interact with other people
Casual - Games designed to be appealing to anybody
Adventure -The player completes a story playing as the protagonist, through a series of puzzles and exploration elements
Beat 'em up - The player beats up other characters on the screen
Sandbox - The player is able to explore a virtual world in a non-linear way
Rhythm action - The player is able to keep in time using a unique contoller specified for instrumental games.

Which advantages does he discuss?

Video games are good for escaping real life, as you can do things that you wouldn't be able to normally and can be anyone you want. Video game technology have progressed over the years allowing more in-depth and more exotic experiences. Games allow people to have good experiences and they are believeable enough for people to enjoy them.
What are the differences between US and UK?

The UK was seen as more of a hobbyist culture as people tended to create they're own games and so were seen as nerdier gamers, because of this the UK was seen to have more retro games than the US.

What criticisms does it make about games industry and consumers?

For nerds
Can't enjoy when you cannpot pass certain levels
Story telling is poor
50 Cent game is shit
Too addictive for children