video games

Tuesday 5th November 2024

Video games

L.O: to explore the history and context of video games.

- video games are a relatively new media form

- video game industry is massive

- now made more accessible so more popular

Decade:                        game:                           features: 

1970s                           doom maze wars          single player games, mainly arcades

1980s                           pac-man                        bigger variety of devices to play on

1990s                           sonic the hedge hog      choice of consoles, more narrative

2000s                           the sims                         better graphics, more story lines

2010s                           mine craft                      more advanced, more generative

3 major changes since the 70s:

- more devices to play on at home not just at arcades

- improvements to graphics, development to technology in general

- the internet, ability to play online

platforms people can play games on are phones, laptops, consoles.

smartphones are popular for people to play games on because its usually free from the app store, and can be played on anywhere at any time. Also cheaper and more accessible.

the gaming audience has become more popular and has grown because of these technological developments.

companies get money from their free games because of in-app purchases, you get so far in a game and then to go any further you need to pay money you can also pay for extra 'boosts' in these games. Adverts in the game also make money.

augmented reality- a world in a game that combines the virtual with the real world, it enhances games by making it seem more realistic.

game:             platform:             personal           information:             entertainment:               social 

                                                   identity:                                                                                interaction:

mine craft        console               

12th November 2024

Do now

1) epic games

2) battle Royale

3) unreal engine

4) moral panic- a widespread feeling of fear that some evil thing threatens the value, interests, or well-being of a community or society

5) regulation- the act of controlling something

Regulation 

L.O: to explore how video games are regulated 

PEGI ratings- 

violence, sexual content, bad language, discrimination, fear, gambling, drugs 

Fortnite's PEGI rating is a 12 because it may include frequent scenes of mild violence.

3- Content is considered suitable for all age groups.

7- Game content with scenes or sounds that can possibly frightening to younger children and very mild forms of violence (implied, non-detailed, or non-realistic).

12- This category includes violence towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters, sexual innuendo or posturing, mild bad language and/or gambling.

16- This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual content) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life.

18- The adult classification is applied when the level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, or violence towards defenceless characters. The glamorisation of the use of illegal drugs falls into this category too. 18 games may also contain explicit sexual activity (intercourse) - check for the SEX content descriptor.

How is the video game industry regulated? Refer to Fortnite to support your answer. [4 marks]

First of all the video game industry is regulated using age ratings for example, PEGI's age ratings. Fortnite's age rating is a 12 because of frequent scenes of mild violence. There are also different age ratings like 3 which is for all ages above 3 and 16 which is because of violence and sexual content which may be linked to the real world. 

GRA- regulates age ratings in the UK.

Technology

L.O: to explore how technology has advanced gameplay.

Convergence- lots of different things merging into one

Technological convergence- when technology combines so you can access games from anywhere. (why Fortnite is so popular)

Fortnite is a good example of cross media convergence.

Cross media convergence- streaming a game on multiple different platforms all at once.

Fortnite has collaborated with- star wars, marvel and Jordan etc.

Synergy- 2 things working together to make something bigger and better which benefits them both.

Fortnite gets new players, more popularity and more money with collaborations the brand they are working with also gets more popular and new buyers which ultimately makes them more money too so they benefit off each other. 

Dyer's star theory

The star theory refers to the idea that celebrities are commodities manufactured by institutions. Dyer believes that celebrities are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions in order to relate to audiences and sell products such as films or music. Basically celebrities are 'used'.

Explain how convergence and synergy benefit the Fortnite brand. [12 marks]

Synergy benefits the Fortnite brand because makes Fortnite more popular as when they collaborate with popular brands such as Star Wars, fans of Star Wars will begin to want to play Fortnite. This will make Fortnite more popular as the collaboration will encourage more players. Another way that synergy will help benefit the brand Fortnite is by helping Fortnite make more money by using the Dyer Star theory, this benefits the brand Fortnite because celebrities are put in the game as skins when collaborating. This not only gives the celebrity more money as they are used (stated in the star theory) but also Fortnite because fans of the celebrity will want to buy the skin.

Convergence benefits the Fortnite brand because it makes the game playable from anywhere and on any device. For example, Fortnite is available on play stations and X-box's but also on mobile devices and computers. This benefits the Fortnite brand as it makes the game more accessible for a wid variety of players. It also makes Fortnite more popular because streamers can play Fortnite whilst streaming it elsewhere which means more people can learn about it making it ultimately more popular.  

Band 2  5/12

15/11/2024                                   

Do now

1) synergy

2) when technology combines so that you can access a game from anywhere

3) PEGI 

4) GRA- Games Rating Authority 

5) regulation- act of controlling something 

How do video games make money

L.O: to explore how the gaming industry is funded

Ways video games make money:

- adverts

- in app purchases

- collaborations

- purchasing games

- limited/exclusive/seasonal games

Fortnite makes money through Battle Royale by micro-transactions and by players buying skins, emotes and accessories (in game purchases)

Fortnite is a GaaS 'Games as a Service'

The launch and success of Fortnite

Launch:

- the promotional campaign targeted existing gamers

- the campaign (by Fearless media) reached 150 million users across gaming sites

- it had a cinematic trailer 

- the game gained 10 million players in the first 2 weeks following its launch and its still very successful

Fortnite now has over 650 million registered players and has generated over 5.5 billion dollars in profit.

Collaborations: 

- one factor in it success is the interaction of characters from other successful franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars

- for example the Avengers 'infinity gauntlet limited time mash-up' generated 1.2 million mentions on social media in the first two days.

- the 'buzz' raises awareness of the game amongst audiences who are not existing gamers.

Fortnite has also collaborated with Dead pool and Stranger Things.

E-sports and Events:

- the Fortnite world cup was first held in 2019. It received considerable media attention and was streamed on their twitch channel 

- Epic games now employs ma y professional gamers to keep the game at the forefront of the online conservation

- celebrity players also help raise the profile of the game 

- Fortnite has also hosted a variety of events from festivals to 'live' concerts

- in collaboration with Arianna Grande's Rift Tour in August 2021, Fortnite scheduled a series of virtual shows in game 

Homework

One of the many reasons to why people play video games is for entertainment as it gives them something to do when they are bored and it also gives them something to look forward to at the end of the day. Another reason is that video games make people feel like they have a place where they belong and have a whole different life to run away to when they want for example, people who struggle and want to be some one else for a bit to relax may play realistic games where they can be who they want to be. Video games also give people a place where they can interact and meet other people as well as play with their friends. An example of when this was happening a lot was in lockdown when people could not go see their friends they could talk and play with them on video games.

Tuesday 19th November 2024

Do now

1) different skins and in game purchases

2) money and new players

3) Jordan, star wars

4) events and social media

5) personal identity, entertainment, social interactions, information

Audiences

L.O: to explore the appeal of video games and how the industry targets different audiences

Fortnite website:

1) Main elements of the homepage are different games made by epic games, information on the new pacs and skins they are releasing, information on new game releases, their social medias and how to log. in or sign up

2) Fortnite products that are featured are different pacs and skins and also different games and consoles they sell.

3) Examples of collaborations on the website are Ice Spice which will make both her and Fortnite more popular and more money.

4) They have different pages that show the different things to do on the game as well as what the map looks like and what the audience can partake in on the game.

5) Examples of things that audiences can interact with is signing in or signing up and playing different games on there there is also different things that they can buy on there.

Fortnite audience-

78% are male, 22% are female, 53% are 10-25 years old and 42% are in full employment.

How does Fortnite target them:

- the unrealistic violence and cartoon style graphics, along with the emphasis on construction as much as killing, make it appealing to a younger audience (and their parents)

- the rise of 'e-sports' stars are mainly consumed via youtube or streaming apps such as twitch or TikTok. This has led to players becoming major celebs. Ninja is the most popular Fortnite player and earns over half a million dollars a month.

- this creates gamer celebrities that have become aspirational to the younger generations. For example, 'twitch girls' has also started becoming appealing to women.

- Fortnite's use of ' seasons'- with rumours and gossip about future seasons follows the cable TV/ on line subscription style of drama style TV.

Epic games publishes Fortnite.

Audience theory 1

Media effect theories are a collection of approaches and ideas that explain how media influences people.

Active audience- 

an audience that engages with any media messages by interpreting, evaluating and responding with them. They are able to question the messages and challenge the ideas they convey.

Passive audience- 

and audience that accepts media messages without question and is more likely to be directly affected by them. They are more receptive and less engaged.

Fortnite audience are active  because they are playing often and buying aa lot of new packs as well as interacting with all the new updates. They are also interacting wit celebrity players on streams and on social media.

The basic game play of Fortnite means you have to interactive and active on the game.

Fortnite offers personal identity as it allows you to change your skin and your name and allows you to be a different person.

Fortnite also provides social interaction as you can play with others on the game from different places.

22/11/2024

Exam prep

who publishes Fortnite

what PEGI rating it is and why

what has made it so popular and how has technological development helped

how is the game funded and why is it this so successful 

Homework 

Explain how Fortnite makes money and how they have remained so popular:

Fortnite have made money by many different strategies. One of them is collaborations with famous and popular brands and celebrities helping them gain money and popularity. Another way that they have gained money is by in-app purchases skins or boosts in the games. These have made Fortnite popular because it attracts other fans of different things like celebrities and brands which also helps them make money as well when the new players and original players buy the new collaboration items.

Tuesday 26th November 2024