Wii Party

WII PARTY
General research
When was Wii Party released on the Nintendo Wii?
It was released on the  25th October 2013.

Which developer/institution created Wii Party?
 The publisher was Nintendo.

How many copies has the game sold since release?
They sold 12.24 million copies worldwide.

Broadcast

What are the key conventions of a video game TV advert?
gameplay from the game itself.
What would you expect to see in most video game TV adverts?
you would be likely to see a logo, celebrities involvement or voice over, the games slogan, the institution/platform/developer, some type of audio, game play, text on screen and clips of the audience.

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.
 A celebrity - the Redknapps. The slogan, the name of the game, an age rating, game-play and the institution/platform/developer information.

What is the typical setting for Wii Party TV adverts? Why is that setting used? In someone's home/living room and the reason why this setting is used is because Wii games are known for being family friendly games and games that are played by a group of people whether its a group of friends or family and so this creates the perfect family/friendly environment for the game to take place.

How might the setting appeal to families? The setting appeals to families as it can be played in the comfort of their own homes and it's usually in the living room and that's a room that doesn't really belong to one specific person but a group of people within the house and so it makes it seem like everyone can be involved in playing it.

What celebrities do the adverts feature?
 The Redknapp family also JLS. And in other Nintendo adverts Ant and Dec feature in it and Girls Aloud.

What do you notice about the celebrities' costume and make-up?
 There's barely any make-up and all the celebrities are dressed casually to show that its for anyone to play there are noo limitations.

Why do you think those particular celebrities were chosen?
 The Redknapp's were chosen in my opinion because they are a well known family and they are two very famous people in the family. I think that JLS were chosen because they are a very well known band


What do the celebrities suggest about the Wii Party target audience?
 It suggests that the target audience are normal people/normal families and anyone can play the game, because from the advert age doesn't seem to be a limited factor for the Wii Party target audience.

What else can you learn about the Wii Party target audience from the TV adverts? Suggest a demographic
profile: gender, age, social class etc.
 I think that the game could be played by a wide range of people and the game isn't targeted at a particular age, gender or social class but rather a family or a group of friends that can play the game together because it is supposed to be a multi-player game. I think that in terms of gender, the front cover of the game has a lot of pink on it which may attract a female audience and look like it is aimed at a female audience however after it was promoted on TV with JLS it made it very clear that boys can enjoy the game just as much as girls.

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. I think that Diversion is used so the audience have this sort of entertainment from the TV advert and escapism. Also personal identity too because as the JLS advert shows you can create yourself in the 'WII party world' and the character in the game can look exactly like you if you chose to have the character to.

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

Do you think the TV adverts were effective for promoting the Wii Party game?
 I think that they were as it makes everyone that watches the advert including me want to get the Wii party came and play it and join into the fun the people in the advert look like they are encountering.

Print
Find a Wii Party review from a magazine or newspaper. What does the review suggest about the target audience for the game?
"Party games lovers should absolutely buy Wii Party. The number of mini-games is just impressive and they are also very ingenious. Of course, there are some dull challenges but for the most part they are fresh and amusing, exactly like the improved Mii's look.
"This one a great one to play with friends and family. Some reviewers think its no good, but I think it's better than Wii Sports"
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 one quote to show this is: "This one a great one to play with friends and family. Some reviewers think its no good, but I think it's better than Wii Sports"
Do you think magazine reviews are effective in promoting the game to Wii Party's target audience? I think they are because they give people who aren't trying to promote the game a real look into the game and if the reviews of the game are good then the person reading the review would believe it more then the companies opinion as of course they are trying to promote the game and wont say anything negative about it.

E-media
Visit the Wii Party website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a Wii Party fan?
 the website informs people all about the different aspects of Wii party, it also shows different people playing the game which attracts more fans as they realise that the game can be played by many different people.
What do you notice about the people in the scrolling central image featured on the website? They are all different, they are from different ethnicities, they are different ages they have different features.

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?
 16 times this emphasises that the game is made for groups of people to play together such as a group of friends or family.

What is the colour scheme for the website? What does this suggest about the target audience?
 the main colour scheme for the website is pink and white this suggests that it may be slightly aimed at more females then males. Nevertheless other colours are used throughout the website and some more masculine colours do appear however I think that slightly more females might be drawn to purchasing the game then males but that doesn't mean that less males play the game.

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? 115 likes
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?