Task 4 Analysis of a Game Genre

Game Genre:
RPG (Roleplaying Game) -
A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.

Structure:

The structure of the RPG game genre for these 3 Specific titles shows that each game is completely open to explore around the world and do as you will whilst on the heroes journey. what is unique about the structure is that you don't have linear corridors that you have to go through all the time like in a FPS.

Interaction:

The unique interaction in RPG games shows that when talking to other A.I there are a lot of options that can be chosen and can effect your journey throughout the interactive world of the games. also the interaction with objects in the games worlds show that RPG games make it so that a lot of items and weapons can be picked up and used whereas other game genre don't allow you this freedom.

Gameplay:

The gameplay of these RPG games allows the player mostly to go through missions and explore freely whilst reaching there objectives and also to be able to discover new missions and weapons whilst on these journeys. you can also move very fluently throughout the map whilst discovering new locations and because the map is designed very well for these RPG games so it makes it easy to get around unlike other game genres

Themes:

The unique themes of these three RPG titles are different but similar. the three major themes are post apocalyptic, space and medieval but they all revolve around war and this is what makes there themes similar. War is a general theme for RPG games this is why they are so entertaining and fun to explore, war has always been present in RPG's like these three games and this is why it makes it so similar themed because war is present even though they are set in completely different places it still brings them together.

Analyse Genre Characteristics:

The RPG genre will take a different approach to product technology than say an action game would as it has to be able to create huge open worlds with a lot in them for the player to explore and collect and if there are any changes made throughout this process then a lot has to be taken back and changed whereas action would take a route of making detail in maps but not putting in interactive items which would reduce cost and time to make and would leave little room to make a mistake.
the distribution methods that an RPG genre would have taken for these three games was first through announcement then trailers and then the release and to sell the games they would have been sold through stores both online and in the physical world. games like these would have also been sold through digital formats that are not on discs.
these types of genres codes and conventions for these particular title would fall under the hardcore genre because there games would be featured on pc, Xbox and Ps3 due to there size and detail and what they have to fit into RPG to classify these games under that genre.

Analyse Narrative Structures:

for an RPG genre these three games would have been built to fit into the classification. the games picked are designed so that during missions you are sent through quite linear areas with few open to explore locations on the way. the characters story for each of these games is very open for you in regards to choosing his fate so with Skyrim you can choose many different paths like the thieves or companions or even choose which side of a war in which you are on by choosing the Stormcloack Rebellion or the Imperials and with another game like fallout where you choose the legion a good faction that are kind of like a police force or the California republic that are a justice faction. the RPG element allow the player character to be very wide with his selection of how he wants to complete and live out the game in the way he chooses to.

Analyse Representation of Character:

The RPG game that I have chosen all have a player going on a heroes journey but along the way is side tracked by evil and good intent and choosing whether to join evil or good is entirely up to you but the character in RPG games are unique to there genre as they allow you to become a person you cant be in real life so if you want to be evil then you can but if you want to save humanity then that is your chose this is a very special privilege that is given to you in RPG games. Another great thing about RPG games is that you can completely exclude yourself from any path by not talking to anyone and doing what you want to do, but it will make it very hard to learn the game and start new missions so RPG games would advise you to follows characters and learn stories as you progress through there worlds.

Devise Audience Profile:

For an RPG genre the rating for these games that I have chosen are ranging from 16 to 18 years of age and for this is a fair analysis for the three games that I have chosen and I think that being RPG games that this is an overall rating that should be considered for all RPG games as they tend to show a decent amount of violence and language in there games.

Conclusion:

The positive effects of the RPG genre in these games that I have chosen to use have very similar traits to all of them even though they are completely different styles and places. I also think that in my analysis of this game genre I found that games under the RPG genre are designed to be a certain way and function in similar ways to any game that is created through an RPG design. also the RPG has the positives effect to allow the player to do what they want when they want to and not be stuck by mission objectives and invisible walls. the negatives of an RPG genre is that missions designed for this specific genre do not have the freedom you want them to have sometimes and characters that are interactive a repetitive and boring once encountered 3 or 4 times over. finally RPG games are very good at allowing you to have freedom in your world to explore and do with what you will as you play through them.

Game Choices:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth instalment in The Elder Scrolls action role-playing video game series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Skyrim was released on November 11, 2011, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The gameplay of the elder scrolls 5 Skyrim can vary throughout the campaign. by this I mean that the game can be chosen to be played stealthy which means with dagger and crouching or fast paced running in with sword in hand and slaughtering everything that moves. as for the structure of the game the environment is well built and the colliding system works very well for the size and the shape of the world and the objects within. the game work well in the sense that you are well glued to the ground meaning that there is no crazy floating off the floor when running and climbing. it means that the game is very well designed and detailed. interaction with the enemy A.I. or just A.I. is very well built when going into battle the collision system in the game makes it so that you cant melee an enemy from fifty feet away but makes you get up close and very realistic.


The game has been advertised through television and billboards. the way this is well done is that they didn't throw all the cards on the table straight away. meaning that they teased at the games story and what may happen when you are thrown into the world. when reaching closer they slowly started to give away more gameplay and cinematic to the games narrative and what can be done through out the world. the game was released on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC giving the game a broad audience able to play.


The narrative structures of Skyrim make it so that anything is possible at any point during the game. by this I mean that the game can be played however you want maybe you want to create yourself in the wilderness or just follow the game main story-line either way skies the limit with Skyrim. with the exception that some places are quite linear and make you go in only the direction of the mission, the rest of the game can be wondered and discovered in any way you like.


The character of Skyrim is designed to look how you want from the games engine through the pre-sets at the beginning of the game from there you can customize the character with a broad range of customisations. you can make your character negative in the way that you can kill all the friendly characters in the game or be the good guy and help them out by destroying the enemies. your character can also interact with most friendly A.I. in the game going from conversations to one phrase they can still be spoken to.


The game is violent and has a lot of death and destruction. as for gore and blood there is a bit but not as much as games such as gears of war of dead space. the PEGI rating for the game is 15 which is very reasonable and I would agree since there isn't that much bad language and the violence is mediocre.


My conclusion on The Elder Scrolls v: Skyrim is that the game is very well made and fun to play for many hours it is an enjoyable game with lots to do and see. I would recommend it for many different types of people to play for it has a good humor to it and is very broad and creative, and since the game can be approached from many different angles it keeps it interesting and new for a long time to come.

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Star Wars The Old Republic - 

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based in the Star Wars universe. Developed by BioWare Austin and a supplemental team at BioWare Edmonton, the game was first announced on October 21, 2008, at an invitation-only press event. The video game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on December 20, 2011 in North America and part of Europe. Early access to the game began one week before release, on December 13, 2011, for those who had pre-ordered the game online; access opened in "waves" based on pre-order date.

Fallout: New Vegas - 

Fallout: New Vegas is an action role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published in October 2010 by Bethesda Softworks for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Downloadable content and expanded re-editions followed in 2010-2012. The game is based in a post-apocalyptic, open world environment around the area of Nevada, California, and Arizona. The player takes control of the character known as the Courier, who is hired by a delivery service to take an unknown package across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas Strip but is intercepted, shot in the head, and left for dead by a mysterious man who steals the package. After being found by a friendly local robot, Victor, and healed by a man named Doc Mitchell, the Courier is thrust back into the desert to seek revenge and recover the stolen package. By doing this, the player becomes caught between various factions competing for control over the desert and its most valuable asset, the Hoover Dam; ultimately coming to shape the future of its inhabitants.

The structure of fallout New Vegas starts off very open and free to explore the game has boundaries and places that cannot be traversed. You can travel easily and without bugs like being stuck on objects and surfaces and is this makes it quite smooth and enjoyable instead of being stuck on a cliff edge or platform and not being able to get down.

Task 3 Creating products For Audiences

Last Of Us
Genre - 
the genre of last of us is a horror survival instincts game. and is also an adventure game because you have to travel alot
Content - 
the content is very dark and gritty, and is also very realistic in the way that it is very intense. the game also has quite a very grundgy font.
Narrative conventions - 
sneaking slow forboding.
Common codes - 
3rd person like resident evil and the uncharted series.
camera control
character control
selection of tools and equipment
subtitled keys
mutiplayer
atmospheric music/soundtrack
fleshtones/ dirty
Dim torches

Just Dance
Genre - 
simulator
Group/social
rhythm
party game
lively
modern
exercise
Content - 
Japanese fashion and pop
Construction - 
Bright background in your face
font jazzed up
explosion of energy
Narative conventions - 
Cluttered interactive
very little interaction
but control
Common codes -
bright

Task 2 Audience Response To Products

Hypodermic Needle Model

This suggests that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. the model is rooted in the 1930's behaviourism and is largely obsolete today.  It suggests that the media injects its messages straight into the passive audience. This passive audience is immediately affected by these messages. The public essentially cannot escape from the media's influence.
An example of this Hypodermic needle model is in 1938 where a news broadcast went out to tell people that it is basically the war of the worlds. and because people were so influenced by this information they went outside and caused mass panic, even though no of which was true and was only to test people vulnerability to the information that is supposedly injected into them through the forms of the media.




inoculation Model

Inoculation Theory was developed by social psychologist William J. McGuire in 1961 to explain more about how attitudes and beliefs change, and more importantly, how to keep original attitudes and beliefs consistent in the face of persuasion attempts. Inoculation Theory continues to be studied today by communication, social psychology, and social science researchers. The theory has been assessed in varied context, including politics (Pfau et al., 1990), health campaigns (Pfau & VanBockern, 1994), and marketing (Compton & Pfau, 2004), among others.

Two Step Model
The two-step flow of communication or Multistep Flow Model, says that most people form their opinions under the influence of opinion leaders, who in turn are influenced by the mass media. So according to this model, ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population.
Also known as the Multistep Flow Model is a theory based on a 1940s study on social influence that states that media effects are indirectly established through the personal influence of opinion leaders. The majority of people receive much of their information and are influenced by the media second-hand, through the personal influence of opinion leaders
Uses Of Gratification

Uses and gratifications theory (UGT) is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. UGT is an audience-centered approach to understanding mass communication. Diverging from other media effect theories that question "what does media do to people?” UGT focuses on "what do people do with media?

Unlike other theories concerning media consumption, UGT gives the consumer power to discern what media they consume, with the assumption that the consumer has a clear intent and use. This contradicts previous theories such as mass society theory, that states that people are helpless victims of mass media produced by large companies; and individual differences perspective, which states that intelligence and self-esteem largely drive an individual's media choice.

Given these differing theories, UGT is unique in its assumptions:

• The audience is active and its media use is goal oriented
• The initiative in linking need gratification to a specific medium choice rests with the audience member
• The media compete with other resources for need satisfaction
• People have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests, and motives to be able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that use.
• Value judgments of media content can only be assessed by the audience.

Reception Theory

Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasizes the reader's reception of a literary text. It is more generally called audience reception in the analysis of communications models.

Audience reception theory has come to be widely used as a way of characterizing the wave of audience research which occurred within communications and cultural studies during the 1980s and 1990s. On the whole, this work has adopted a "culturalist" perspective, has tended to use qualitative (and often ethnographic) methods of research and has tended to be concerned, one way or another, with exploring the active choices, uses and interpretations made of media materials, by their consumers.


Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypodermic_needle_model
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inoculation_theory
http://www.nature.com/labinvest/journal/v86/n5/fig_tab/3700411f1.html
http://community.calrec.com/the-war-of-the-worlds-hoax-radio-broadcast/

Task 1 Defining Audiences For Products

Quantitative Research: - Quantitative Research is research that is not any one specific question. It is the collection of fast data through no relevant or meaningful questions. This type of research is just for a numbers basis. Quantitative is research based off of percentages and statistics. E.g. 42% of men like this game. The research is about getting to know why they like the game it is just so that they can get a set of numbers or percentages for their research.

Qualitative Research: - Qualitative research is the research to found out an in depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons why they have this behavioural pattern. So it is about getting to know the people that they are asking the questions to, to be able to gather more information for their research. Qualitative research is the investigation of the why and how not just the what, where and when. so if I was to ask. Why do you always buy this brand and how do you determine this is the best brand for you.

Audience profiling: - Audience Profiling finding out the profile of your audience beforehand so that you can put across your message to the right people in the most effective way to produce the best result. It might include details like age, sex, educational qualification, work experience, financial background, field of work, interests, mood, orientation, bias, food habits, religious background, physique, health condition etc. there are different types of audience profiling so that the people can be categorized into these sections and these are.

- Mainstreamers: these people seek the security of others to fit in.

- Aspirers: these people seek a certain status oriented to image and appearance.

- Succeeders: the people who look to seek control of anything and everything.

- Resigned: the people who seek survival, these are people more interested in the past and tradition of culture.

- Explorers: the people who seek discovery who always look for adventure and difference.

- Strugglers: these people have few resources beyond that of a physical skills.

- Reformers: the people that have the freedom of restrictions and personal growth. they select products of quality and have attended higher education.

Demographic Classifications -

A common and traditional method of audience profiling is known as demographics. This defines the adult population largely by the work that they do.

It breaks the population down into 6 groups, and labels them by using a letter code to describe the income and status of the members of each group.   

Audience Profiling - Psycho graphics -

This is a way of describing an audience by looking at their behaviour and personality traits. Psychographics labels a particular type of person and makes an assessment about their viewing and spending habits.

The advertising agency Young and Rubican invented a successful psychographic profile known as their 4C’s Marketing Model stand

Cross Cultural Consumer Characterization.

They put the audience into groups with labels that suggest their position in society.