STAR TREK

June 2011: Announcement and a teaser trailer at E3, the first announcement lines up the hype for the up and coming information.

June 2012: A year later a website and twitter hashtag were released and updates on Facebook previewed Gameplay footage posted online game producer Brian Miller expressed that these features gives the audience a lot of pre-release information which will make it more exciting.

March 2013: Official advert released! Promotional boxers were able to be pre-ordered in stores, it was further promoted on TV and radio adverts. This steps up a whole new level of excitement as the release is coming closer.

April 2013: The game was reviewed in game magazines and at the gadget show event was able to be played so that the fans knew what they were in for leading up to new gameplay footage on YouTube.

December 2012: Trailer posted on paramount website along with a release date.

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I believe their objective was to get the fans hyped so that the word is spread around generating possible more income.

-post the picture-

However IGN critised the game with "terrible animations, boring action, a dumb plot and a ton of bugs.

Case Study 2: Wii Party

CASE STUDY 2: Wii Party

GAME RESEARCH - 

1. When was Wii Party released on the Nintendo Wii?

- Wii Parties first release was in Japan on July 8 2010.

     2.  Which developer/institution created Wii Party?

- Nintendo

     3.  How many copies has the game sold since release

- 7.94 million

BROADCAST -

 Broadcast

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

- In-game footage, a main title with a slogan for example. FIFA 14 - We are FIFA 14. I would also expect to see compatible platforms the game can be played on like XBOX ONE, PS4, XBOX 360 etc. Key conventions such as the cover of the game at the start or end of the advert is important so that you know what you're looking for in shops/online. Currently social media sites are probably the biggest way to spread music videos using things such as hashtags, I would highly expect to see twitter and facebook logos with a certain hashtag. To promote things such as Wii Party they use target audiences in their adverts expressing a variety of different ages, shapes and forms.

2. 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.

- Yes, the Nintendo logo is always seen aswell as 'Wii Party' in the classic Wii text. The logo of Nintendo is always standing out, I think this is good because Nintendo has been a success over the last 60 years with consoles such as Nintendo 64, Gameboys and DS's. Within multiple Wii Party adverts stars such as Jamie Redknapp and Harry Redknapp are seen with their family competing in family 'Wii Party's'. Jamie Redknapp and Harry Redknapp are known pe 

Hurtle Heist

TASK 1

Target Audience Demographics:

Male: 35% - Female: 65%

Average age:

9-38 years old. Our younger generation will be primarily male ‘dominated’ whereas our older generation of users will be female.

ABC1 social class

Platform(s):

Available to purchase on Android, IOS and Windows.

TASK 2

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

- To attract attention to your game you will need to make the marketing campaign interesting to view, therefore creating TV adverts which express the narrative of the game so that people are intrigued to be a part of the experience which we like to call ‘Hurtle Heist’.

I: How will you generate audience interest?

- When people’s attention have been caught they’re most likely interested in the product, so to create a successful product you will have to interact with your audience to find out what they like.

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

A: How will you promote audience action?

Planetside 2

What is Planetside 2?

- PlanetSide 2 is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter published by Sony Online Entertainment

What genre does the game belong to?

- Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter.

Planetside 2 developer/publisher:

- Sony Online Entertainment.

When was it launched?

- November 20 2012

How does the gameplay work?

- You join 1 of 3 “army’s” that you will represent throughout the game, the army’s follow as such:

The Terran Republic

The Vanu Soverignty

The New Conglomerates

You then have access to the free online gameplay.

What are the six different player classes in the game?

- 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 certification

What is the story or narrative to the game?

- The narrative of the game is set approximately 300 years after the discovery of “Auraxis”, however the chronology of the game universe begins a few years before. The Earth has come to the end of a shocking war, the world government united under one banner “The Terran Republic”. 175 years after the leader of The Terran Republic were appointed the world government him and the other leaders were killed therefore a war between The Terran Republic and The New Conglomerates break out. The Conglomerates then attack The Vanu Sovereignty.

Business model

How much does Planetside 2 cost to play?

- The game is free.

What does a subscription offer to players?

- The subscription offers the users of the game to purchase in-game features to boost their attack or defence, I believe this is also how Sony make money of the game.

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

- I believe using the certification system, players will be able to customize how they play using different classes or vehicles. For example, a player can purchase certifications to alter the main function of the Sunderer vehicle, meaning they can unlock the ability to have fellow squad members spawn from the vehicle, or as an alternative, give the vehicle the ability to repair and restock the ammunition of nearby allied vehicles.

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

- Old school gamers are used to completing the game and enjoying the game with just the game however nowadays purchasing additional extras can somewhat ruin the games experience for certain players. Personally, I agree with additional content added onto games however only a small variety of things. I don’t agree with extra health, armour etc.

The three factions

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

The Terran Republic:

- Their colours are red and black. TR forces are distinguished by their use of rapid fire weapons and mini guns, large magazines, and high speed medium tanks and fighters.

The Vanu Sovereignty:

- Vanu employ advanced plasma and taser technology on the battlefield, distinguished by lack of bullet drop, high accuracy and low recoil as well as highly manoeuvrable hovering tanks and empire specific fighters such as the Scythe.

The New Conglomerates:

  - Their colours are blue and gold. Conglomerates use hard hitting gauss weaponry that is devastating at short and medium ranges with a medium reload time, supported by heavily armoured assault troops and durable tanks and fighters that also have the highest damage per shot in the game.

Planetside 2: Target audience

Now write a target audience demographic for each faction from Planetside 2 – it will be similar to the overall target audience but think carefully about changes in age, education or employment:

The Terran Republic

The Vanu Sovereignty

The New Conglomerates

Now use what you have learned about psychographic profiling to choose potential psychographic groups for each of the three factions:

The Terran Republic

The Vanu Sovereignty

The New Conglomerates

Explain why those psychographic groups would fit that particular faction.

Friday Classwork

Task 1: developers and publishers

Research the following game developers/publishers:

Rockstar Games

Background: year formed and location
- 1998 in New York City, United States.

Owner/founder:
- CEO: Terry Donovan. Founders include: Dan Houser, Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman, Jamie King, Sam Houser.

Most successful games:                                                                                                                               - Grand Theft Auto 5 (released in September 2013)

Interesting fact about the institution:                                                                                                         - GTA 5 made its $300million production budget back before the game was even released to the public.

EA (Electronic Arts)

Background: year formed and location:                                                                                                     -  May 28 1982 in Redwood City, California, United States.

Owner/founder:
- CEO: Andrew Wilson. Founder: Trip Hawkins.

Most successful games:
- Battlefield Series, FIFA Series, Titanfall.

Interesting fact about the institution:
- Founder Trip Hawkins incorporated and established the company by investing $200,000 of his own money into EA on May 28 1982, Seven months later Hawkins secured $2million from EA.

Zynga

Background: year formed and location
- July 2007, San Francisco, United States.

Owner/founder:
- CEO: Don Mattrick. Founders: Eric Shiermeyer, Mark Pincus.

Most successful games:
- Farmville

Interesting fact about the institution:
- Through 2009, Zynga made money from lead generation advertising schemes, where by game participants would earn game points by signing up for featured credit cards or video-rental services. Zynga intentionally worked with scam advertisers to make up a third of Zynga’s revenue.

Nintendo

Background: year formed and location
- September 23 1889, Kyoto, Lattwvia.

Owner/founder:                                                                                                                                          - CEO: Satoru Iwata. Founder: Fusajiro Yamuchi

Most successful games:                                                                                                                               - Mario Series

Interesting fact about the institution:                                                                                                         -  Nintendo is worth over $86billion.

Sony Computer Entertainment

Background: year formed and location
- May 7 1946, Toyko, Lattwvia.

Owner/founder:
- CEO: Kazuo Hirai. Founders: Masaru Ibuka, Aki Morita.

Most successful games:
- PS4 most successful console.

Interesting fact about the institution:                                                                                                         - 6 million PS4s have been sold compared to Microsoft’s XBOX ONE has sold around 4 million.

Task 2: Advertising agencies

Look at the following advertising agency websites:

W+K Amsterdam

What do the letters stand for? (Clue: look at the very bottom of the website)

- Wieden and Kennedy Amsterdam

What brands have W+K Amsterdam advertised?

- Nike, EA, ESPN.

In your opinion, what is the most creative campaign on their website?

- Personally, I really like the Brazil World Cup advert where the Brazilian team are goofing about in an airport with a football. This advert is really creative as the public are inferred into the advert.

What videogame campaigns have they created?

- The last 5 FIFA Campaigns.

What additional information can you find out about the FIFA14 advertising campaign?

- They worked on the FIFA 14 advert which included Lionel Messi driving a fan with hundreds if not thousands of people playing FIFA behind him. Big name stars like El Shaarawry, Hernandez and Drake were featured.

Rokkan

How long has the Rokkan advertising agency been around for?

- 14 years.

Where is Rokkan based?

- New York, Chicago and LA.

What brands have Rokkan advertised?

- Aer Lingus, SHARP, Wellpoint (main)

http://rokkan.com/work/

Here is a link to all of their work.

Why was Rokkan's campaign for the videogame 'Dishonored' so successful?

- Rokkan believed the success started when the released a cinematic trailer for the game “Dishonored” and the launch of their first digital efforts with a Dishonored website;

“Which ignited a groundswell of buzz and anticipation throughout the blogosphere and online gaming communities.”

Who was the publisher for 'Dishonored'?

- Bethesda

Task 3: Regulatory bodies

PEGI

What is PEGI and where is PEGI based?

- Pan European Game Information (PEGI). PEGI is based in Europe, Canada and Israel.

How does PEGI rate games?

- PEGI self-regulation is composed by five age categories and eight content descriptors that advise the suitability and content of a game for a certain age range based on the games content

What are the age classifications used by PEGI?

- 3+, 7+, 12+ , 15+ and 18+.

What are the seven aspects that PEGI look for when giving a game a rating (e.g. violence)?

- Content of the game, violence, bad language, fear/horror, sex, drugs, gambling, discrimination and online.

What is PEGI online? What does PEGI online regulate?

- This division of PEGI was formed in 2007. It's an addition to the PEGI system for online games and aims to give young people in Europe improved protection against unsuitable online gaming content and to educate parents on how to ensure safe online play.

ASA

What is the ASA's mission?

-The mission of ASA is to ensure that advertising in all media is legal, decent, honest and truthful, to the benefit of consumers, business and society. They aim to achieve their mission by getting better at regulating ads in all media.

What are the ASA's values?

- The ASA values include information such as consistent and proportionate, reliable and ethical, fair and respectful to all, accessible and helpful, intelligent and thorough, but also timely and proportionate, open and accountable; acting with integrity and never being afraid to admit when they’re wrong.

FIFA 14 Marketing Campaign

                                                  FIFA 14 MARKETING CAMPAIGN

PRINT:

1.Find a FIFA14 print advert and describe how it promotes the game.

2. On the front cover we're able to see Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale. Personally i believe they used these two players as Messi himself is said to be the worlds best player and Bale is the most expensive transfer in football at a staggering £86million from Tottenham to Real Madrid...I believe that these two are enrolled within the front cover to show the fans that with FIFA you're getting the best of the best.

3. Whilst looking through a website called "Metacritic" i established that "Realism in football games reaches its maximum" therefore showing me that FIFA 14 is the best one yet as it is described as everythinh that buyer could of wished for however, as well as good feedback i saw some positive but negative feedback. "Although lacking a bit in terms of innovation when compared with previous iterations, FIFA 14 remains a well balanced, pro found and addictive soccer experience that will be enjoyed by rookies and veterans". This shows me that the game is good in some parts but lacks in some areas.  I then went on to see an angry rage review from a FIFA fan which quotes  "Worst FIFA ever!! I never felt so angry
playing a football game in my life..Fifa is going backwards with this new game." 

It seems like FIFA is unfortunately not loved by every fan!

4. I think that magazine reviews are effective in promoting the game to FIFA's target audience (3-45). Most people that inquiry purchasing the game may refer to reviews to analyse what everybody else thinks of the game to see whether it is worth buying or not. Most gaming magazines can be targeted at these audiences aswell.

5. I think e-media is the way to broadcast/promote items in the future...Twitter and Facebook are gaining thousands of users daily and with uses of hashtags like #FIFA14 people can become more aware of what is going on however, billboards and leaflets in busy cities such as London can be highly useful as there is multiple different shops that you can purchase from and just like hashtags you can become more aware, I think e-media is still the better choice.

BROADCAST

1. The TV Advert. Big name footballer stars (the best of the best) are seen competiting against normal members of the public, even big name star Drake made an appearance. The use of big stars in casual clothes playing against regular people emphasizes the use of the slogan "We are FIFA 14" showing us that we're all the same. I personally think EA thought about this in deep success.

2. My theory is that Messi is the main star of the advert therefore he is seen driving the van to express that he is "leading the pack".

3. Towards the end of the video they make sure that we understand the game. We're told what platforms, release date and where we can refer to if we need more information, If i am correct througout the whole advert the official EA website is seen at the bottom of the screen.

4. The use of famous footballers, celebrities and regular people makes us feel like we're one of them
or that they are one of us, it is as if they're reaching out to different types of people (genders, ages and ethnicities)

5. The youtube trailer is strict just in-game footage with animations to express in-game features. They want to make it interesting to watch.


E-media

1. There is multiple different options to chose from which persuades the audience to be intrigued to carry on browsing.

2. Around 21 million.

4. Bale - A video of him shooting showing that he has been throughly involved.
Messi - Posted the TV advert.
Reus - He posted a picture of his FUT card.

5. #FIFA14

6. On Wednesday the FUT TOTS cards were released therefore they were reveiling names.