Videogame Advertising: Institution

Task 1: Developers and Publishers

Rockstar Games
Background: Formed in 1998 in New York, New York City, USA.
Owner/Founder(s): Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Terry Donovan, Jamie King and Gary Foreman.
Most Successful Games: Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, Manhunt, L.A. Noire etc.
Interesting Fact About The Institution: In March 2014, Rockstar Games received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award at the British Academy Video Games Awards.

EA (Electronic Arts)
Background: Formed in 1982 in Redwood City, California, USA.
Owner/Founder: Trip Hawkins.
Most Successful Games: Battlefield, The Sims, FIFA, Need For Speed etc.
Interesting Fact About The Institution: In 2011 Electronic Arts was the world's third-largest gaming company.

Zynga
Background: Formed in 2007 in San Francisco, California, USA.
Owner/Founder: Mark Pincus.
Most Successful Games: FarmVille, Texas HoldEm Poker, ChefVille etc.
Interesting Fact About The Institution: Zynga was named after an American bulldog named Zinga once owned by Mark Pincus.

Nintendo
Background: Formed in 1889 in Kyoto, Japan.
Owner/Founder: Fusajiro Yamauchi.
Most Successful Games: Super Mario Bros, Wii Sports etc.
Interesting Fact About The Institution: It originally produced handmade hanafuda cards.

Sony Computer Entertainment
Background: Formed in 1993 in Tokyo, Japan.
Owner/Founder(s): Ken Kutaragi and Norio Ohga.
Most Successful Games: Gran Turismo, Eye Toy etc.
Interesting Fact About The Institution: The company has sold more than 400 million PlayStation consoles worldwide.

Task 2: Advertising Agencies

W+K Amsterdam
1) W+K stands for Wieden + Kennedy.
2) They advertised Heineken, Powerade, Nike, Coca-Cola and EA.
3) In my opinion the Coca Cola advert is the most creative because it shows how adding some colour to the grey, boring reality can make everyone happy. 
4) They created a videogame campaign for FIFA 14.
5)

Rokkan
1) The Rokkan advertising agency has been around for 14 years.
2) It is based in New Jersey.
3) Rokkan has advertised Hyundai, Nestle, Chipotle.
4)
5) The publisher for 'Dishonored' was Bethesda Software.

Task 3: Regulatory Bodies

PEGI
1) PEGI is an age rating system that was established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games.
2&3) PEGI uses a combination of content declaration and game review to determine the appropriate PEGI rating for each game.

PEGI 3
The content of games given this rating is considered suitable for all age groups. Some violence in a comical context (cartoon-like forms of violence) is acceptable but no explicit language. 
PEGI 7
Any game that would normally be rated at 3 but contains some possibly frightening scenes or sounds may be considered suitable in this category. 
PEGI 12
May contain violence in a fantasy setting, coarse language, mild sexual references or innuendo, or gambling.
PEGI 16
Depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. More extreme language, the concept of the use of tobacco and drugs and the depiction of criminal activities.
PEGI 18
Level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence and/or includes elements of specific types of violence(violence that would make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion).

4) The seven aspects that PEGI look for when giving a game a rating are: 
-bad language
-discrimination
-drugs
-fear
-gambling
-sex
-violence
5) PEGI Online is an addition to the PEGI system protecting young people from inappropriate online game content.

ASA
1) ASA's mission is to make sure that the advertising in media is legal, decent, honest and truthful, to the benefit of consumers, business and society.
2) ASA's values are:
-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

Complaint:

1) The advertised company was Mothercare UK Ltd.

2) Someone complained because the claim "RRP £49.99 Price £24.99 You save £25.00" was misleading and could be substantiated, because they did not believe the product was generally sold for £49.99.

3) Upheld

Wii Party Case Study

Release Date: October 8th 2010
Developer/Institution: Nd Cube
Copies Sold: 7.94m

Broadcast:

1) The key conventions of a videogame TV Advert include the title of the game, platforms that the game is available on, in-game footage, age rating, voice over, institutional info, game cover, price, release date, social media and celebrities. You would see most of these key conventions in videogame adverts.

2) The Wii Party uses the title of the game on the cover of the game at the end of the advert. In-game footage is included as the Redknapps play Goal Getters. This is also another key convention as it is famous people - celebrity endorsement. The age rating is not very clear or eye-catchy but it is on the game cover in the bottom left corner. The institutional info is at the top of the screen at the end. A website where you can find more information on is at the bottom of the screen. There is a voiceover that also says the platform that the game is available on which is Wii. The price and release date are not included in this advert.

3) The typical setting for Wii Part adverts is a living room because the audience can relate themselves to that since they will most likely be playing this game in their own living room as well.

4) This setting would appeal to families because the living room has the family atmosphere where you gather around together to watch movies or play games that bring you together just like Wii Party which is great for families with little kids.

5) Across different Wii Party adverts different celebrities are used such as, the Redknapps, JLS, Ant&Dec and Girls Aloud.

6)  The celebrities' clothing is casual and the make-up is not very visible or at least it's not the first thing that catches your eye which makes them seem like average people and you don't really focus on the fact that they are famous but your focus is on the game instead.

7) The Redknapps are an image of a happy family united by the game, Ant&Dec are Britain's most known and most valued presenters, JLS is a young boy band that might have been used to attract the young woman side of the target audience and the Girls Aloud used to be very popular and famous.

8) These celebrities suggest that the company's main target is families, quite equally women and men.

9) The target audience is approximately female(52%):male(48%) the ages are from 5 to around 60, the demographics includes all different social classes.

10) Blumler and Katz's theory is established in the adverts, for example diversion because they include humour that entertains the audience. It can be a pleasure for the audience to watch these adverts because of Personal Relationships, when celebrities they love appear in the advert. Also the use of the homely settings create Personal Identity as the audience can relate to spending time with their family in a living room as well.

11) The brand logo is included at the start of the advert (Wii) with the sound associated with Wii and at the end of the advert at the top the brands Wii and Nintendo featured.

12) The TV adverts were very effective because they were not targeted at a specific age, gender or social class which means it attracted a wider range of people. They gave a nice image of the game - that you can play it with your family and friends which can bring you together and because parents want to make their children happy they are most likely to buy the game to be able to spend more time with the little ones and have fun together as a family.

Print:

1) 'It's a solid bet for families and friends looking for their next game night fix'. This review suggests that the target audience for Wii Party are friends and families potentially with kids. It also shows it's for people that like to spend time socialising with others. 

2) The review ('It's a solid bet for families and friends looking for their next game night fix') is positive because it indicates that the game is so addictive that you can't wait for the next time you get the chance to play it. 

3) Magazines are effective at promoting the game because when parents are looking for appropriate games to be able to play with the family and they see a magazine that promotes games they are very likely to read it and see what is recommended and also magazines are available for everyone even if you don't buy it you can check it out at the store and then look it up at home. 

E-Media:

1) The Wii Party website attracts the fans because the ones that would actually visit this site would probably be children and because it's bright it would appeal to them.

2) The scrolling images show different ethnicities, ages and genders.

3) Which ever "button" you click on (overview, party games etc.) the words family and friends appear on the screen. It keeps on emphasising that aspect since the brand wants to show the game is for everyone no matter the age or gender and it also shows that it's made specially for families to bring them together. 

4) The main colours visible on the website are white and pink and bright in general signifying that the audience is mostly children and probably females. 

5) 

6) Their Facebook wall has had 11,226 likes

7) 

These cross-promotions would appeal to the Wii Part target audience because since they enjoy Wii Party they might also like other games coming from the same company where the family can potentially get involved as well.

8) It can be because the game's target audience is mainly children and possibly elderly people that are very unlikely to have accounts on social networking sites.

9) E-Media and Broadcast are the strongest at promoting the game since they are very widely spread and available to a larger amount of people. It's very hard not to notice anything to do with the game on the TV or on the internet.

GTA 5 Case Study

Media Case Study:

Name of the game: Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) 

Release date: September 17th 2013 

Institutions behind the game: Rockstar North, Rockstar Games

Print:

1) Billboards, bus shelters, phone boxes, buses and vans were used to advertise GTA 5.

2) The print advert conventions visible on the advert for for GTA 5 are the product name - Grand Theft Auto 5, modern sans serif font, the central image is a collage of parts from the game, and the colour scheme uses mostly dull colours like brown signifying it is not a game for little kids.

3) Mostly good reviews but some negative ones as well.

-Great script and most fully structured game in the history of the GTA franchise.

-Los Santos has been brought to life with its incredible size, scope, and realism.

-Open-world play lacks the unfettered thrills of earlier games.

4) It has appeared on a couple of different magazines. This is a good way of promoting the game to its target audience, because when they see a professional gaming magazine they are most likely going to take it out and what they first notice is the GTA 5 which can then lead them to buying the game to see if it's actually as good as the reviews say.

Broadcast:

1) The only TV commercial for GTA 5 I could find is:

2) The trailer for GTA 5 is effective because it shows what the audience can expect from the game and what the game is about- the narrative. If it's something they are interested in, after the trailer they are most likely going to see gameplays as well to see if they look like what they saw in the trailer.

                                      

3) Gameplay:

Interviews can promote a game really well as it's different people talking about how they feel about the game, what it's like and what their experiences with it are. Especially if the person is a celebrity or famous it can have an impact on the audience's opinion of it and persuade them to buy it. The gameplays are also very useful, since they show the audience what the game is like and what the whole idea of t the game is. When they see that it's something they would be interested in, they will buy the game. 

E-Media:

1) I was unable to access the official GTA 5 website.

2) 

3) The YouTube channel is: Rockstar Games

4) Use generated videos:

5) User generated content such as gameplays help to promote the game because they show the audience what the game is like. Before watching it the person might not be sure about purchasing it because they have not played it before but seeing gameplays on YouTube makes it clear on what the point of the game is.

6) GTA 5 has had 1.9 million likes on Facebook.

7)  

This post appeals to the GTA V audience as it asks them about their opinion, making the feel powerful and like their opinion is actually appreciated in the game industry. It can make them feel powerful because other people might not understand it.

 

This post can appeal to the target audience as it is the funny moments from GTA V made by other players which for them are entertaining because they are interested in GTA and everything to do with it which means this would appeal to them.

This post would probably appeal to the target audience because it gives them a chance to have their questions answered maybe about the game or a trick that they can later on use in their own game.

This post can attract the GTA V gamers since it is a competition that allows them to win prizes to do with the game, that can help and improve their game. 

8) #gta5

9) Twitter was used to promote this game, by putting up pictures of some parts of the game, countdowns to the day of the release. Also competitions were set up to enable the audience to win GTA V. Getting the audience involved really helped with the promotion, as it helped to attract more people by using direct addressing in posts.

10) The hashtag #gta5 drew attention to the game because when the audience saw that hashtag on for example Instagram, they could click on it and then it takes them to the page where there are different pictures with that same hashtag. Then the audience can see all the different videos and pictures from that game.

Overall, the GTA V promoting campaign was really widely spread bringing huge results. A variety of different adverts have been used and that is why the campaign was so good. The fact that they had adverts everywhere, on buildings, buses, bus shelters and others made the game to really stand out and it was impossible to not know anything about it.

FIFA 14 Case Study

Media Case Study:

FIFA 14:
Print:

1)
The fact that the main character on the print advert is Leo Messi gets through to the target audience. The footballer is very popular and known around football in general and FIFA fans which can make them feel obligated to buy the game. Messi's face expression looks like he is very excited and enthusiastic about playing the game. It can be connoting that the game is very exciting to play. The fact that his face is shiny (probably with sweat) might indicate that it's a tough game that you need to put a lot of effort into. The footballer also looks very energetic which shows how you feel while playing the game. He is close to the footballer next to him which might be trying to show that this game can bring you closer to your friends and family. The colours could signify that even if you are having a bad day (represented by the grey background), by playing FIFA your mood automatically improves (colourful players).

2) The key conventions visible on the print advert for FIFA 14 are the product name, fonts, central image and the colour scheme and the company logo. The product name visible is FIFA 14 and the font used is sans serif which shows modernity that also highlights that the game itself is modern and is targeted at teenagers and young adults. The central image shows that the game requires quite a lot of energy since the footballers look very energetic and sweaty. In addition, they are not looking directly at the camera indicating they have to stay focused on the game ahead. The colours -grey background and colourful footballers- may show that when you have a bad day , FIFA 14 will add some colour into it and make it better. Lastly, the company logo -EA Sports- is above the title of the game.

3) Most of the reviews are positive however there are some negative ones as well:

- The new look is far more organised.

- The new smooth animations make the game seem more realistic than ever before.

- Movement is stuttery and clumsy.

4) FIFA 14 target audience is mostly 16-28 and it's quite likely that people that age will look through magazines to find out about a new game that they might be interested in. When they see mainly good reviews they might pay more attention to it and then they are most likely to buy the game themselves to try out and see for themselves if the game is fun to play or boring.

5) In my opinion, print media is what triggers the whole chain reaction. First you see a print advert such as a billboard or on a bus shelter, then you want to find out more about it so you go online and then check it out. However still the print media was what actually made you go online.

Broadcast:

1) The FIFA 14 TV advert attracts the audience because it shows celebrities, footballers and average people all together. This shows that everyone playing it is equal - no matter the social class, gender, nationality or age. It shows that everyone is brought together by that game. Even the celebrities are wearing casual, every day clothes putting them on the same level as the regular people. Moreover, people from around the world are featured.

2) Lionel is driving the van to show it's bringing people from all around the world and different social classes together. He  is wearing casual clothes like everyone else showing that he is an ordinary human just like all the other players however he is also shown as the main star in this since it's him driving the van by himself. 

3) In the FIFA 14 TV Advert, the number 14 on the van and the balloons, is written in the same font as FIFA always uses which is also a way of featuring the game. As it gets to the end the slogan We Are FIFA 14 appears on the screen together with the institution logo. The font is sans-serif meaning it looks modern indicating the game itself is modern. Later, the institution logo is shown again with the name of the game, website that you can check the game out on and the release date. Lastly the game cover is shown so that the audience knows what to look for at a game store and it also shows the platform it is available on which is the Xbox 360.

4) There is a combination of famous footballers, celebrities and regular people because they are trying to show that FIFA 14 brings all types of people together forgetting about discrimination. The slogan is "WE are FIFA 14" so to highlight that they showed everyone playing together, implying that when you play FIFA 14 you become a somewhat member of the FIFA family where everyone is put on the same level.

5) The YouTube trailer is different from the TV commercial since the TV commercial is using actual real people that act in that commercial. It has a message that it wants to deliver to the audience - that FIFA brings people from different societies together. Whereas the trailer just shows what you can do in the game and shows parts of it. It gives the audience an idea on what they will be experiencing during the game.

6) The trailer is effective in promoting the game because it shows the audience what they will experience when they play the game themselves. In addition, the parts of the trailer that include words, show them what they can and will have to do in the game like for example, protect the ball or use a sprint dribble turn. Overall it gives the audience an idea of the game and can increase their enthusiasm about it.

E-Media:

1) FIFA 14 Official Website can attract and maintain fans since it talks about the game itself. Someone that is interested in FIFA would most likely read it because they would want to know about the game they might be buying and about what is new and what makes it different from all the other versions. When you scroll down a little there is a bunch of screenshots that can attract a fan, to see what the game looks like once you actually play it. Moreover there is a list of things that are new in the game which can make the fan even more excited and enthusiastic about the game.

2) FIFA 14's Facebook Wall had 21,349,636 likes.

3)

I think this post appeals to the target audience as it is all around the world, not based in a specific country. The pictures show different countries which are aimed at different nationalities. Moreover, the pictures include "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil" which the fans are very aware of therefore it gets across to them.

This post would appeal to the target audience as it is a competition to win a jersey signed by one of the footballers that are featured in the FIFA 14 game. Since FIFA fans are football fans, they might feel honoured in a way for having a jersey signed by a footballer.

The picture of Christiano Ronaldo and
Leo Messi might appeal to the target audience because they are the two main, very famous footballers associated with FIFA 14. The caption says "Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar: who would make your ESPN FC Ultimate XI? VOTE NOW". Vote Now can suggest to the audience that they can have a say in something important and express their feelings and opinions.






This picture would get across to the target audience of FIFA since it shows the footballers smiling and laughing making them seem like regular, ordinary people. Also it asks them a question:Best club in the world? Which shows the audience they can contribute to a discussion and have their 

This post would appeal to a lot of FIFA 14 fans as just like with Bale's shirt, they would be honoured to have shoes signed by such a great football star like Messi. Moreover, Messi is even more famous therefore that post and that competition would get even more attention.

4) 

5) #fifa14 

6)

This tweet would appeal to the target audience for FIFA since they are fans of football therefore they know about the World Cup coming up in Brazil and most likely are excited about it so they can relate to the tweet.

This video can appeal to the target audience because most of them are gamers and like to play other video games too. They get happy when they find out a new game they have been waiting for is very improved and they want to see what is improved and that is what the video is showing them. 

7)