Planetside 2 (MMOFPS)

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

What is Planetside 2?

it is a online multiplayer game which is free to play

What genre does the game belong to?

 the genre of the game is a survival horror 

Planetside 2 developer/publisher:

Sony Online Entertainment

When was it launched?

 20th november 2012

How does the gameplay work?

What are the six different player classes in the game?

What is the story or narrative to the game?

Business model

Now look at the section on the Planetside 2 business model.

How much does Planetside 2 cost to play?

 it is free but you can pay for more in game gear

What does a subscription offer to players?
 more equipment and gear

What can the in-game currency be used to buy?
 more equipment and guns

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:
Justice, honour

The Vanu Sovereignty:
strength, intelligence, seeking the truth

The New Conglomerates:
payback, freedom

Watch the recruitment videos again for Planetside 2:

The Terran Republic recruitment video

The Vanu Sovereignty recruitment video

The New Conglomerates recruitment video

Planetside 2: Target audience

Write a possible target audience demographic for Planetside 2 in general:
Gender/age/social class/education/employment/location etc.

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
mainstreamers, explorers

The Vanu Sovereignty
resigned, reformers

The New Conglomerates
reformers, aspirers, succeeders

Explain why those psychographic groups would fit that particular faction.

Candy Crush SAGA

How much money is Candy Crush Saga estimated to make each day from its users?

An estimated £550,000 per day is earned from the game in the US.

How does it make this money?

Candy crush make money by in game purchases e.g power ups.

How many people are estimated to have installed Candy Crush?

Where do people play?

 500 million people have installed Candy crush and play to from and at work.

When was the game released?

the game was released: 

April 2012: Candy Crush released on Facebook

November 2012: Released for iOS devices

December 2012: Launches on Android devices

February 2013: Most popular game on Facebook

September 2013: Launches on South Korean Kakao messaging service

November 2013: Reaches 500 million downloads worldwide

December 2013: Dreamworld expansion released

Source: Appdata

When did it reach 500 million downloads?

it hit 500 million downloads on the 15th of November 2013

Who is the typical Candy Crush gamer?

  woman aged 25-45 

What percentage of gamers have spent money on Candy Crush, buying in-app purchases etc.?

4% of Candy crush gamers buy in game purchase 67% say the game has had an impact on their lifes

What percentage say they are addicted to the game?

32% of players ignore friends and family

30% say they are addicted to the game

25% of players have spent money on Candy Crush

20% admit playing Candy Crush "often"

10% have argued over time spent playing

Source: Ask Your Target Market

What is your own experience of playing Candy Crush? Have you played it? 

 the game looks interesting although i have never played it and hopefully never have to as i usually hate tablet and phone games. one of the games that ticks me off but is competitive is Flappy Bird which was removed from app stores but users are still able to get online from websites.

Game - 7 ( VENGEANCE )

Task 1

Some of the many people that may play the game would be people over the age of 18 and would be working. the platforms that the game can be played on would be Ps3, Ps4, Xbox 360, Xbox one. The title of the game would be Vengeance.

Task 2

to market the game I would use gameplay and special effects to show the best parts of the game and features involved. I would also have posters of the game characters and use billboards to show the game to people driving home / to work. I would make sure that all adverts go up 2 months before the game will come out on consoles. This gameplay would appeal to people in the psychographic groups of strugglers and reformers.  

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?

Institution

Task 1: developers and publishers

Research the following game developers/publishers:

Rockstar Games

Background: Founded in 1998 based in New York City

Owner/founder: Terry Donovan

Most successful games: GTA (grand theft auto)

Interesting fact about the institution: On GTA V, Rockstar games spent a sum of 300 million dollars and received it all back only on pre-sales. 

EA (Electronic Arts)

Background: Founded in 1982 based in Redwood city

Owner/founder: Trip Hawkins

Most successful games: The Sims

Interesting fact about the institution: Their most successful game (The Sims) is the worlds most successful pc game ever and they have been awarded 5 different Guinness world records.

Zynga

Background: Founded in 2007 and based in San Francisco

Owner/founder: Mark Pincus

Most successful games: Farmville

Interesting fact about the institution: Zynga is named after the found (Mark Pincus') dog.

Nintendo

Background: Founded in 1889 based in Kyoto Japan

Owner/founder: Fusajiro Yamauchi (founder) & Saturu Iwata (Global President)

Most successful games: Mario

Interesting fact about the institution: 4 of the top 10 selling games is Produced and Developed by Nintendo.

Sony Computer Entertainment

Background: Founded 1993 and based in Tokyo Japan

Owner/founder: Andrew House

Most successful games: Tekken

Interesting fact about the institution: The playstation was the result of a failed collaboration between Sony and Nintendo  

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

What brands have W+K Amsterdam advertised?                                                                                    Heineken

In your opinion, what is the most creative campaign on their website?                                                   I believe their most creative campaign is their new Coca Cola campaign, which is about connecting four people from rural areas in the world (including Palestine) in the world cup.

What videogame campaigns have they created?                                                                                    Fifa

What additional information can you find out about the FIFA14 advertising campaign?                            The rapper Drake promoted fifa14 and his album at the same time during FIFA14 advertising campaign                         

Rokkan

How long has the Rokkan advertising agency been around for?                                                               Since 2000

Where is Rokkan based?                                                                                                                      New Jersey

What brands have Rokkan advertised?                                                                                                  Canon Cinema EOS

Why was Rokkan's campaign for the videogame 'Dishonored' so successful?                                             They took a unique idea and title and made it to one of the most talked about games in the world

Who was the publisher for 'Dishonored'?                                                                                                Bethesda softworks

Task 3: Regulatory bodies

PEGI

Visit the PEGI website and have a look around. 

Now click on the FAQ section of the website and answer the following questions:

What is PEGI and where is PEGI based?                                                                                                 Pan European Game Information is a European video game content rating system.

How does PEGI rate games?                                                                                                                Self Regulated                                                                                                                                Eight content descriptors                                                                                                                    5 age categories                                                                                                                                  The descriptors advice the suitability and content of a game for one of the 5 age categories. 

What are the age classifications used by PEGI?                                                                                      3+ 7+ 12+ 15+ 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?                                                                            PEGI online regulates regulates the content and suitability for games made and put online.

ASA

Visit the Advertising Standards Authority website and have a look around. 

Now click on the About section of the ASA website and answer the following questions:

What is the ASA's mission?                                                                                                                   ASA's mission is to ensure that advertising in all media is legal, honest, decent and truthful, to the benefit of consumers, business and society.

What are the ASA's values?                                                                                                                  

Our values

Our shared values are to be:

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 we’re wrong

An excellent team, inspiring excellence in each other

Our external stakeholders will also find us:

Independent in administering the Advertising Codes

Evidence-based, targeted and consistent

Reflective of society, not a social engineer

Now click on the Rulings section of the website. This is where the ASA reports on recent complaints and whether they upheld the complaint or rejected it.

Choose one of the complaints and write the following:

The company that was advertising:                                                                                                      Paramount Pictures UK

Why someone complained:                                                                                                                    He/She thought that this game would be too scary and distressing for kids and it was put before a game on a children's website

Whether the complaint was upheld and why:                                                                                          Upheld

The ASA considered the overall tone and the content of the ad, including in particular the scene of two young girls with a ghostly appearance and no eyes speaking in demonic voices, was likely to cause harm and distress to children.

Independent Case study - GTA 5

Print 
This is an example of print advert that was used to help promote GTA 5. There are three different billboards with the game on it; they all have a different picture of the main character in the game. This is a good idea as hundreds of people will go past and hopefully they’ll be persuaded to purchase the game. They used three main central pictures for all of them, the main title was also added and the release date is there for people to see therefore they are all key conventions. The colours that were used is a key convention as it represents the video game. “Memorable missions, amusing side objectives and an almost impossibly immersive world to explore, make for the best Grand Theft Auto since Vice City and San Andreas.”  This review shows that GTA 5 have been improved since the other GTA in the past. “Clearly the best GTA game i have ever played. The world's large, massive and amazing. So many features to explore. The Online features makes the game even more amazing. Rockstar Games's best release ever. I appreciate all their hardwork in making a superb game like this Thank you Rockstar Games!”  This is another review for the game and it is a positive one, this shows that it is a good game. “. . . GTA V has little room for women except to portray them as strippers, prostitutes, long-suffering wives, humorless girlfriends and goofy, new-age feminists we’re meant to laugh at.”  That is a very bad review because it shows that the game isn’t really suitable for young children, but really they are the ones playing this games. If they learn these things from a young age then they are likely to try in and prostitution isn’t good.


GTA 5 is featured in this magazine front cover because they were trying to promote the game to their targeted audience, this is successful as they could read about the game and maybe even see good reviews. The central image they used is two men holding big guns. This implies that the game is something like that and if people see this they will want to play it. 







Broadcast

GTA 5 did use a trailer to promote the game, to be honest it worked because when I saw it I was persuaded to buy the game. This is a very effective way to promote a game because all the young generation (which is their target audience) are always on YouTube watching something and by them putting a trailer on YouTube it is an easy and  free way for everyone to see it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUKNCpSiSMI&safe=active ) This is a link to one of the launch party for the game before it came out. This is a brilliant way to promote a game because they are discussing everything about the game and the viewers will see. They also play the game in the launch party, show game clips and this is making the viewers want to play as well. 


E-Media


On the official page they put things like different competitions such as to win the game, to win a t-shirt and even hats. This makes people even more interested because if they saw the trailer and liked it they’ll be interested to join the competitions and obviously everyone isn’t going to win so they gain a lot of fans. On the website a smart thing they done before the game came out was added a countdown to when the game’s being released, this is showing people how long they have to gather money to buy the game. They have options to share their posts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, if anyone shares it all their friends will see and that it a great way to promote a game.  GTA 5 does have a YouTube channel. On their channel they have uploaded a whole load of GTA 5 clips, but they have also uploaded other games they have made…This is a great promotion technique because anyone who have subscribed to them will see all their posts. This stuff helps promote the game because after seeing a game you might like it and want the game. Without this way of promotion they would have had to spend a lot of money promoted, but through YouTube they can also earn money promoting. The Facebook wall for this game has over 20 million likes. The company have used Twitter in many different ways for promotion for example getting celebs to post competitions and the game, the official page done this as well and they are gaining a lot more fans from this. They even use hash tags and this could turn into a trend and even more people on Twitter will see it and might be persuaded.