The video game industry - an essay by Matt Errington
Introduction into the industry, integration and development of the video game industry
The gaming industry works in almost the
exact same way as the film industry, in terms of investment and distribution,
however, the gaming industry lacks the same type of super effective
integration seen in Hollywood. Instead of a large quantity of works going
through a single entity - which handles the distribution and Exhibition via the
integration of multiple firms - many game developers instead either self
publish or attract the services of known publishers like EA and Ubisoft. EA for
example usually buys out popular developers, giving them the funds and
equipment to new create Ips and sequels, as well as handling the distribution
and exhibition. Though, this means that the developers will loose a lot of
creative freedom as they will be forced to make Ips that don’t reflect their
abilities, or curb their original Ips to appeal more towards the mainstream
audience, as to increase sales. This usually leads to EA accidentally killing
popular series by turning them into bland first person shooters that nobody wants to see again and again (see:
Battlefield, Dead Space, Medal of Honor, Burnout, Mass Effect, Sims)* This is
because, as seen in young and rubicums’s 4cs, the so called “Mainstream”
audience is so vast and profitable when exploited, due to the spend, spend, spend/staying up-to-date attitude. An example of EA using horizontal integration can be found in the instance of game engines. Simply put, a game engine is the program the game was created in. Companies like DICE initially created their engine 'Frostbite 1.0" for the original 'Battlefield: Bad company' game in 2008, and later they released updated versions as they created more advance games. Due to owning multiple series and developers, EA is able to grant many of its firms the ability to use game engines created by popular developers, instead of making them waste time and money creating their own engine. This is why the Frostbite engine, though made by DICE, is used in games developed by Viceral, BioWare and companies. This also goes for Crytech's Cryengine - originally just a technology demo - which is not only used for their games, but used by other developers to make theirs. In the Frostbite 3 Engine showcase below, one of the developers mentions not only how the engine helps them create environments like that would have previously been impossible, but that the engine is being used on future titles by other developers, specifically the new 'Star Wars: Battle front' game; another ip EA has recently acquired.
This video demonstrates the power of the latest version of the Frostbite Engine
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Idea development & research techniques
When talking about how the producer of an independent company defines their target audience, first we have to take into account which genre will be chosen. First person shooters/Action games are by far the most common and most profitable, due to their user friendly appearance, simplicity and impressive action scenes that get people talking; just like action movies. For our example I’m going to be talking about a group of developers that make up “From Software”, a Japanese company that creates JRPG s(Japanese role playing games). In the initial stages of development, before choosing the genre, art style and pace, they had to define their audience and see what was viable. To do this, they had to perform secondary research into the industry as a whole - finding out about specific genres, learning about the codes and conventions that are already established, as well as what people like about them. That last part is usually put down to qualitative research i.e. Focus groups, questionnaires, interviews, viewer demos of work In development etc. - this feedback comes directly from potential customers and is as fresh and as up-do-date as possible, which is why it is vital in the development plan. Finally, they would have to find out what they can do to make their game stand out within the genre. By looking at other examples or other RPGs from that time: like 'The Witcher', 'Dragon Age' and the Elder Scrolls series, a genre that was made very popular due to the 'Lord of the rings' trilogy being immensely popular at that time. Looking specifically at their receptions, they can see whether what people liked and disliked about it in order to help them learn from the mistakes of others. For example, they probably would have noticed critically acclaimed series like the Elder scrolls, and will have taken the reviews into account. The producers can then decide to mix and match all these positive aspects into a game, or just stick to copying an ip that did well. For example, we have a plethora of first person shooters that all seem very much the same. This is because over the past 20+ years of fps games being popular, they have evolved – leaning from their mistakes and the failures of other games, they have set the president for what makes a fps game good, which is why most of them now look the same, because deep down, gimmicks aside – they are. Let’s have a quick look into the evolution of the fps genre |
First person shooters - a defining genre
The term FPS or First Person Shooter means that the game takes place from the point of view of the character, as well as this, it must also allow the player to fire some kind of gun. These games usually feature large scale combat between in built enemies (PvE) or other players from across the world, or through local co-op (PvP). One of the first and most successful fps games to hit the shelves was 'Id software's' cult classic “Doom” (1993). It is considered one of the most significant and influential titles in the video game industry, for having ushered in the popularity of the first-person shooter genre. Being an fps, Doom is experienced through the eyes of the main character, unlike other games of the time, which often took the top down approach. It's popularity brought forth countless Doom clones, and for every good one there were 10 bad ones. Due to consoles becoming more and more powerful over the years, as well as the industry becoming more popular, developers were able to push the limit of graphical capabilities, level scale an game length. This brought about the age of 3D animation in gaming, leaving behind the 32bit predecessors like Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. In 1998 valve software created the vastly popular first installment in the “HλLF-LIFE” series, which is still very popular today, despite the latest installment being 8 years ago. Unlike previous fps games, it delved deep into storyline, casing you in the role of STEM scientist Gordon Freeman as he tried to escape for a science facility after he accidentally caused a catastrophic event. It was the first of it's kind to offer the player any sort of storyline that wasn't just "go forward" or "escape". As time progressed, the fps genre became vastly popular among the mainstream viewers, after popular series like "Call of Duty", "Battlefield" and "Crysis". These popular series gave kids and adults alike the ability to entertain themselves during free time, and is now widely accepted in popular culture as assessable to all ages. When DICE was creating the Battlefield series, the war genre was immensely popular due to the success of movies like "Saving Private Ryan" and games like "Medal of honor". As is more recently with the RPG and Medieval/Period genre in film/television and in the gaming industry, something that greatly influenced the production of the Souls series.
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Audience Profiling
Getting back to 'From Software' and the production of 'Dark Souls', the producers at From Software would have had to create an audience profile once their research into the production was complete. Here are the things they would have had to take into account when creating the profile:
Getting back to 'From Software' and the production of 'Dark Souls', the producers at From Software would have had to create an audience profile once their research into the production was complete. Here are the things they would have had to take into account when creating the profile:
Demographics
The demographics are a way of profiling the audience into different sections as to aide the marketing and game development. There are many different ways of rounding up different types of people into sections that reflect what they're most likely to find appealing, techniques like 'GRASS' (Gender, Race, Age, Sexuality, Social Economic Status) are very efficient in dealing with the general consensus of understanding the views of certain members of the public. As an example, Let's create a demographic profile for Dark Souls. If you are unfamiliar with the game, watch this brief gameplay footage to better your understanding of what follows: Gender - By researching this particular series, I have come across many different points as to why it's primary audience is aimed at appeasing males. One such example comes in the form of gender representation, of which seems only to cater towards a heterosexual sexuality which is the default preference for the male sex. This may have been chosen due to the overall audience the developers aim of appeasing, those of a particular preference. The game itself is very niche, it doesn't aim of appeasing the mainstream audience who lack the patience to beat its grueling difficulty. The dark and desolate atmosphere present in both the advertisements and game play. This selection of content has been chosen because it exaggerates the danger aspect, which appeals more towards teenage to adult male games. It also leaves room for discussion, as there are story-related implications.
Race - Northern Europeans seem to be the main race represented in this game, other than made up races of course, they all speak in an English accent and follow the same traditions and folk law as the warriors of yonder. Fighting with long-swords, Steel armour, tales of dragons/drakes and various religions are the typical codes used to represent the northern European race 1000s of years ago. This doesn't necessarily mean the game is only aimed at that particular race, as within the create a character menu the player is able to choose a character of a different ethnic background - although the choice is very limited. Facial features, skin colour and body sizes are interchangeable somewhat, making sure that the majority of people are represented. Age - Given that the age rating this game is 15, it is pretty obvious that younger viewers would not have been considered when planning for their primary audience. I would put the primary audience for this game between 18 - 30. This is not only down to the consistent violence shown on screen, but it is mainly down to the patience required to muscle through it. Patience I don't believe many teenagers possess, especially when they're are countless similar games which almost require no thinking at all to progress through. Sexuality - As mentioned within the gender section, the representation of genders also effects the sexuality portrayed. With women being portrayed in a more sexual way than men - through skimpy clothing for the most part, it is obvious that the producers didn't aim to appease the LGB community as the game is clearly made to reinforce the typical male gender stereotypes (Strong, fearless and brave warriors). It is these aspects that attract the male audience over the females, who statistically prefer less violent games, though this need not apply to everybody. The game has not received any noticeable criticism from disgruntled feminists who would condemn it as misogynistic, which is probably because it is a somewhat niche game. Social Economic Status - The Social economic status of this game can be verified by noticing a number of aspect, for example it's retail price at launch. The original retail price of Dark Souls was £30, which is roughly £10 cheaper than most triple A titles made by the likes of EA and Ubisoft. This puts the game in around the D1-C2, which is typical of video game buyers as it is an expensive hobby, therefore a somewhat steady source of income in necessary for the customer to afford all the equipment needed to carry out. Here are some other thinks producers have to take into account when determining their audience: Geo-demographics – What nations/nationalities will it be aimed at? From Software is a Japanese company and this is a JRPG game, however, its aim was to enter the western market by dressing up like traditional western RPG games like The Witcher and The Elder Scrolls series, while having slight Japanese influences along the way. This makes it seem very much like a WRPG (Western Role Playing Game), but it's minimalistic story-line and exotic use of mine-en-scene that is seemingly lacking in the western RPG scene. All this put together makes it stand out from the other generic western role playing games, as well as making those to acquire the game in the west feel a connection with the settings and themes portrayed, of which may reflect their country's own history. Psychographics – What is the mind-set of the target audience? Are they passive, mainstream or are they active, aspiring. This is where Maslow's hierarchy of needs fits in, as well as Young and Rubicums 4cs – Cross Cultural Consumer Characterization. Let's start by defining what type of person the game is aimed at. We can do this by viewing the document found below: linked rffgggfgfgf4rrr fffoun
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Development
"Prepare to die (again and again and again...)" This tagline resembles a lot about the game in question. First of all it makes it abundantly clear that this particular game isn't your average mainstream, relax and play sofa-shooter, but a niche, hard-core and competitive experience that is clearly aimed at a specific audience. It also presents a challenge and implies that you may not be as good at games as you think. The font is very reminiscent of medieval scriptures, and engravings, these connotations are specific to the dark ages - of which so is the word 'Dark' in the title. The line of knights waiting to enter the 'surgery room', which is inhabited by a dragon, represents the game-play strategy of 'die over and over again until you get good'. It also previews the multiple different kinds of armor sets and weapons that can be found in-game. The volubility of the woman sat besides them represents the player and gives off the impression that both, you're next, and , you're not as worthy as the other more armored guys in line. This selection of content is aimed specifically at their demographics, which include people who enjoy other similar titles, which is why things like exotic armor, swordplay and violence carry over into this game. Their research into the genre had showed them that the most pressing thing that was lacking in most games was difficulty and the aspect of an active audience. Which is why in Dark Souls, the play is not only forced to get good through trial and error, but to actually read NPCs actions, emotions and motives in order to understand how to progress. While other games tell the player where to go and what to do, the freedom displayed in this game is unmatched and can be played multiple times in order to fully understand it, and even then it is very ambiguous and let to the player's imagination, which is why it is discussed constant on gaming forums and amounts peers. They had already learned most of what there is to know about then genre after creating their supposed prequel 'Demon Souls' in 2008, and because of this they already had a noticeable following. In order to appease their loyal fans, they used a large amount of great aspects for it in Dark souls, like the collection of souls as currency, which is dropped upon death, and the theme of darkness. The content of the game was constructed In a similar way to the Witcher games - they're both third person, they both have various NPC's with rough, English accents and they both have a classical, symphonic score which sometimes resemble the music or around the period set. These are the codes of this specific genre, though, Dark Souls has some noticeable ones. Like the lighting codes which introduce the use of darkness to shift the focus more towards the character, building quite a lot of tension for surprise attacks. Bonfires are a very prominent visual code that doubles as a excellent game mechanic, as they're a safe resting point and a symbol of hope and light in an otherwise dark world. A convention it follows is the use of free roam, which means that the player is able to freely venture across the open world without being forced to follow a straight line for the whole game. This aspect was done correctly in Dark souls, with sections being blocked off, enticing the player to explore more, as well as giving them the freedom to play the game in any order they choose. "This is not the story of the brave shepherd boy who leaves his village to save the world but rather the story of a beleaguered warrior limping his way through a shadow world of leviathans, wild-eyed witches and devastating setbacks en route to an undeclared prize." - Simon Parkin (The Telegraph) 2011 Due to From Software just being developers, they required the help of publisher Namco to distribute their game, which is why they didn't make budget plans for television advertisements, rather, they marketed their products at gaming conventions like E3, and through their website: www.darksoulsii.com/us , because this is where their main audience mainly resides. In their most recent E3 appearance in 2014, From Software showcased their newest title "Dark Souls 2", after the undoubtable underground success of the original. Here they were not only about to allow attendees to participate in a playable demo/beta, but they were also able to stream the entire event online. This also allowed them to track the game's popularity. Despite the game's dark and desolate setting, the community it spawned seem build relationships with the stranger characters. The character shown is a popular NPC (Solair), pouring a bottle of Sunny D all over his face. It's a joke aimed poking fun at the game's animation when the player drinks a regeneration liquid called Estus, the similarities being uncanny. Its things like this that encourage discussion.
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Within the document, we find Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and on you can see multiple sections which progress from basic human needs, to reaching enlightenment. I would place video games as a whole within the 'Self-actualization needs' section, as video games and hobbies in general are a way of entertaining oneself, and are an unnecessary part of human survival. Each section represents people's attitudes towards buying products, as not everybody only buys what is necessary. From Software would have noticed the needs of their audience, therefore they would not have marketed their game as necessary for survival, but as another way for the customer to self-actualize and enjoy their hobby.
As well as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as have the 4cs - Cross, Cultural, Consumer, Characterization, which states that there are 7 different types of people in the world. Of these 7, Dark souls would fall under both the mainstream - due to video gaming being incredibly popular within the media and social circles - and the aspirer, due to the harsh difficulty which poses as a worthy challenge for gamers, and the niche 'hipster-esque' bragging rights fans of the game will display. All of which boost their self esteem and image among their peers. The reformer may also be represented due to the game's vast amount of lore, knowledge and lack of instruction, which allow the player to freely roam the landscapes without being held back by a linear story-line.
As well as Maslow's hierarchy of needs, as have the 4cs - Cross, Cultural, Consumer, Characterization, which states that there are 7 different types of people in the world. Of these 7, Dark souls would fall under both the mainstream - due to video gaming being incredibly popular within the media and social circles - and the aspirer, due to the harsh difficulty which poses as a worthy challenge for gamers, and the niche 'hipster-esque' bragging rights fans of the game will display. All of which boost their self esteem and image among their peers. The reformer may also be represented due to the game's vast amount of lore, knowledge and lack of instruction, which allow the player to freely roam the landscapes without being held back by a linear story-line.
In modern games many developers try to prevent gender discrimination as much as possible, because people will complain about any imbalances in character's gender, for example:
If a developer prevents female players from using the heaviest equipment, despite it making perfect sense in the real world, this will create an unfair advantage in the game, as well as making the female games feel left out. Because of this, games have to portray women in an unrealistic way to avoid this kind on imbalance. This is just one example, the tables often turn against males as well. In some situations, female protagonists are portrayed as strong and independent, while having a weak male character to play off on - in the game Dead Space for example the leading female character's importance seems more so than necessarily deserved due to the addition of a weak, unstable male character called Nolan Stross. (Seek 5:35 in video below) Moving on to racial representations. The treatment of certain races has always been a touchy subject in all forms of media, but it has only recently blown up into a large scale debate regarding representation in gaming. Personally, I do disagree with the poor treatment of races in same games, but I see no problem in modern games. I do however have a problem with the exaggerated, liberal mentality that is supported by third wave feminism - which is often responsible for causing a fuss over the smallest of details, for example - The creators of the battlefield series were forced to add in a black character into the game because the cast were mainly white, while games consisting of an entirely black cast, were left as is. Same goes for female characters. When a particular race is not represented, it is apparently some kind of travesty, rather than the director's choice. Games that are made for the very purpose of promoting a political agenda that goes against the inclusion of multiple races have been known to cause controversy. For example, the game pictured to the top right of the screen is called "Ethnic cleansing" and was created by an american political group called National Alliance. Their white nationalistic and anit-semetic beliefs are the main basis behind the game - a playable insight into their political beliefs and mindset. The game features rather crude graphics and story-line, and appears to be nothing other than a platform for neo-Nazis to live out their hate-filled race war fantasies. The game had a less well known sequel "White law", which came with a promise of an entire line of racist games. The group was disbanded in 2013. |
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Audience theory
The hypodermic needle model or Magic bullet theory implied that mass media can be used to greatly effect the public. Whether it be by influencing voting behaviors, helping to build monopolies, or changing public opinion. For example, The mass media in the 40s and 50s were perceived as a powerful influence on behavior change. This was due to the rise of so called "persuasion media" like advertising and propaganda, among other things. The core idea behind this theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response. The idea that audiences unconsciously soak up information has been around for decades. New assessments have found however, that the Magic Bullet Theory was not accurate came out of election studies in "The People's Choice," by Lazarsfeld, Berelson and Gaudet, 1944 -1968. Because of this, after decades of use the magic bullet theory was replaced by a variety of other, more modern, more instrumental models, like the diffusion of innovations theory and the two step of flow theory. Diffusion of innovation theory - Put briefly The Diffusion of innovations theory seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread through cultures. It gathers information like national GDP, HDI (Human development index) and level of media infrastructure and communications, among other things to gauge the rate at which the general public accept such ideas . The book "Diffusion of Innovations (1962)" by Everett Rogers was the first book about the subject and explains in great detail the techniques used, as well as the advantages it offers. When video games are distributed, most effort is put into marketing towards the western audience, as according is this particular theory, it holds the fastest rate at witch technology spreads - due to the mainstream culture and mindset of these countries. Two - step flow theory - The two-step flow theory or Multistep flow model implies that most people form their opinions under the influence of so-called opinion leaders - people who are at the head of the debate. This could come from a political leader, or someone of importance whose opinion matters. These representatives have the power or persuasion over those who follow them, and this can be used to the advantage of the opinion leader in some cases. Passive or active consumption - This is the idea that when a piece of media is shown to an audience, two groups are present. Those who passively watch, unconsciously absorbing messages, and those who detect these messages and observe the finer encoded details. Active audiences may discuss their differing interpretations of the media they've been exposed to - whether it be a video game, or a film. Dark souls is very heavy on it's deeper meaning, and is typical of Miyazaki. To passive players, it may just seem like a fun but difficult game, with a story that they don't understand. But to those who delve deep enough, find that it is an genitally different game to what it appears at first glance. Uses and Gratifications theory - This is an approach to understanding why people actively seek out specific media, and how they do so to satisfy their specific needs. The uses and gratifications theory is an interesting approach to understanding mass communication that is audience-centered. The key word is actively - this is not about how audiences absorb media, but how they seek it out and what they do with it. Understanding how people acquire media and what they do with it helps producers market their work in places where it sells. It links in with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, when asking why people search out media. Reception theory - In short, the reception theory places the viewer in context, taking into account all of the various factors that might influence how she or he will read and create meaning from the text. All the information encoded into the text influences different people in different ways.The viewer's response can be categorized in three possible outcomes: - Dominant (Positive) + - Negotiated (Neutral) +/- - Oppositional (Negative) - |
Audience response
The audience response can be determined in a number of ways, not just sales figures. Due to the game's ambiguity with the storyline, as well as an abundance of lore, it has become a popular talking point among active viwers within gaming forums like Gamespot, Reddit, Kotaku, IGN and From Software's website. Almost all of whom gave the game very positive reviews like the one in the video shown above. Their use of difficulty also boosted the game's status, having people create guides on how to kill different bosses, as well as set the game as a difficulty benchmark and a go-to game for hard-core players. The audience response following Stuart Hall's reception theory was positive for both primary and secondary audience, which was enough to warrant a sequel. The hypodermic needle model would have had the audience feeling full of exactly what the producers intended, and from the reception, that is somewhat true for this game. Being full of loose information, the producers wanted the audience to use their heads to figure things out, they did this by encoding symbols like Bonfires and Castles, adding connotations . Many players absorbed the subtle messages along the way and were able to understand and progress through the game, as well as pick up sometimes unintentional messages which lead them astray. The active audience had decode the text, just as the developers had hoped, and the ambiguity of these messages sparked the discussion that helped keep the game alive years after the initial release Within the sequel, many audience qualms were addressed, as well as the introduction of fan series in the way of recognizing player's relationship with characters and building upon that. Uses and gratifications theory used by the developers was to market though press events and via the internet, because they know their audience are the type of gather their information from these places (Discussion forums, review/blogging sites and the official website). Other places that the game was marketed at include the E3 gaming convention, and at a From Software conference.
The audience response can be determined in a number of ways, not just sales figures. Due to the game's ambiguity with the storyline, as well as an abundance of lore, it has become a popular talking point among active viwers within gaming forums like Gamespot, Reddit, Kotaku, IGN and From Software's website. Almost all of whom gave the game very positive reviews like the one in the video shown above. Their use of difficulty also boosted the game's status, having people create guides on how to kill different bosses, as well as set the game as a difficulty benchmark and a go-to game for hard-core players. The audience response following Stuart Hall's reception theory was positive for both primary and secondary audience, which was enough to warrant a sequel. The hypodermic needle model would have had the audience feeling full of exactly what the producers intended, and from the reception, that is somewhat true for this game. Being full of loose information, the producers wanted the audience to use their heads to figure things out, they did this by encoding symbols like Bonfires and Castles, adding connotations . Many players absorbed the subtle messages along the way and were able to understand and progress through the game, as well as pick up sometimes unintentional messages which lead them astray. The active audience had decode the text, just as the developers had hoped, and the ambiguity of these messages sparked the discussion that helped keep the game alive years after the initial release Within the sequel, many audience qualms were addressed, as well as the introduction of fan series in the way of recognizing player's relationship with characters and building upon that. Uses and gratifications theory used by the developers was to market though press events and via the internet, because they know their audience are the type of gather their information from these places (Discussion forums, review/blogging sites and the official website). Other places that the game was marketed at include the E3 gaming convention, and at a From Software conference.
Within this document I have covered the following topics:
· Understanding of how media producers define audiences for their products (LO1)
· Understanding of how media producers create products for specific audiences (LO2)
· Understanding of how media audiences respond to media products (LO3)
· Ability to develop responses to media products (LO4).