Tuesday 5th November 2024
Video Games
Lo: To explore the history & context of video games.
Set Text: Fortnite
Video Games Industry:
- Massive growth of video games since 1970's.
- Development of technology.
- Diversity of game genres and platforms met an explosion in the gaming industry.
- In 2024, Video Game market. is projected to reach a revenue.
History timeline of Video Games:
- 1970's - Video games reach mass audiences through coin-operated arcade games and home consoles.
- 'Space Invaders' in 1978 caused a shortage of 100 yen coins. Within a year, 60,000 'Space Invaders' machines in the US tempt Americans to spend millions of quarters driving back the seemingly unstoppable ranks of attacking aliens.
- 1980's - Video game arcades reach their heyday as home consoles - led by Nintendo - begin to take away.
- In 1892, gender equality is shown through 'Ms. Pac-Man' as a new character in her own separate game.
- 1990's - Console wars heat up and computer game makers begin to explore the possibilities of playing on the internet.
- More narrative games.
- 2000's - Online play - whether on console or computer - comes to the fore.
- Better graphics and more in depth storylines.
- 2010's - The smart phone puts a game-playing computer in almost every person's pocket, while online video streaming fuels the growth of esports.
- More merch and designs of characters created causing them to become more popular.
Two major changes since the 1970's:
- Massive developments in technology - Better gameplay and allows people to play wherever they want.
- Better storylines keeps people intrigued and wanting to know the story.
What sort of platforms can people use now to play games on?
People can use platforms such as phones, computers, etc.
Why are smartphones such a popular way for people to play games?
Because they are easy to be transported with them leaving is a good way of playing games.
What do you think has happened to the gaming audience because of these technological developments?
It has massively grown and changed as a whole.
Lots of smartphone games are free to play. How do the game companies make money from them?
They make money via including advertisements. They also gain money by adding in-game purchases.
What is AUGMENTED REALITY and how has it been used to enhance games?
Augmented reality is when there are real life settings in games.
Uses & Gratifications Theory:
P - Personal Identity
I - Information
E - Entertainment
S - Social Interaction
Minecraft - Phone / Computer / VR - Entertainment / Social Interaction
Roblox - Phone / Computer / Xbox / VR - Personal Identity / Entertainment / Social Interaction
Friday 8th November 2024
Case Study : Fortnite
LO: To research the case study and explore the context of video games.
Do Now: 3/5
1) Better storylines making them more intriguing and popular and better graphics making them much more enjoyable to see and play.
2) Augmented Reality is when they combine real life with games.
3) They are able to talk to other people about games that both people play but also they can play with other people on games (co-op).
4) Say somebody likes horror and they play a horror game, that makes their personal identity.
5) All video games include the uses and gratification Entertainment.
1) Who produces Fortnite?
Epic produces Fortnite.
2) How long has Fortnite been around?
7 years ago. July 2017.
3) How much money has the game made?
Over $26 billion.
4) What are the different games in the franchise?
Fortnite Battle Royale, LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival.
5) Summarise the gameplay: What is the story? What do players have to do?
The story is that you are a character fighting other players to be the last remaining team. Players have to collect loot, fight others, and survive.
6) What genre is Fortnite?
The genre of Fortnite is that it is an action survival.
7) Where do we see Fortnite appearing on other social media platforms?
We see videos of people playing Fortnite on stuff like Youtube, Spotify, Twitch, etc.
8) How does Fortnite allow users to play together?
Users can go into teams up to 4 players, allowing them to play with friends or meet new people.
9) Give three reasons why you think Fortnite has been so successful?
- The amount of players videoing it and giving people the impression that they should play it too.
- The updates including special collaboratives like Marvel.
- The genre of it being a survival appealing to certain players and people's interests.
10) How could you apply the uses and gratifications theory to Fortnite?
P - People are able to play with their enjoyments in it such as survival games, shooting games, etc.
E - It is fun for many people to play and uses updates to keep them intrigued.
S - Players are able to play with friends in multiplayer but also meet new people using voice chat.
Epic Games:
- Started by Tim Sweeney in 1991, originally run from his parents house.
- Epic Games uses operating system called 'Unreal Engine' to develop Fortnite.
- 'Unreal Engine' used for other big games like 'Batman: Arkham City' and 'Infinity Blade'.
- Epic Games owns video game developer Chair Entertainment and cloud-based software developer Cloudgine.
- Tencent - A Chinese investment company focused on internet and AI development - Bought a 42% stake in Epic in 2012.
Exploring Context:
The BIG question - Do violent video games make people more violent?
- Always been controversial, with many moral panics.
- Ranged from fears that violent games encourage copycat behaviour, addiction of screen time.
- Fortnite contains less explicit or realistic violence with its cartoonish graphics. This makes the game a lot more suitable for younger players compared to other games like GTA, COD, etc.
- Little racism or misogyny expressed by the players compared to the other video games.
1) Prince Harry - Too addictive and it should be banned. It is not a good impression on children.
2) Violence in video games - No link between video games and violence.
Tuesday 12th November 2024
Regulation
Lo: To explore how video games are regulated.
Do Now: 2/5
1) Epic Games produces Fortnite.
2) LEGO Fortnite.
3) Unreal Engine.
4) Moral Panic - A widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society.
5) Regulation - The act of controlling something.
PEGI - System of age ratings used for video games.
Bad Language / Discrimination / Drugs / Fear / Gambling / Sex / Violence / Online.
Fortnite has a PEGI rating of 12 for "frequent scenes of mild violence".
How is the video game industry regulated? Refer to Fortnite to support your answer. [4]
PEGI decide on the age ratings for the video game industry; and these ratings range from 3, 7, 12, 16, and finally 18. Fortnite has been given an age rating of 12 because PEGI has stated it includes "frequent scenes of mild violence" making it unsuitable for children under the age of 12.
Regulation:
- Video game ratings are mandatory under UK law.
- The Games Rating Authority [GRA] - which is part of the Video Standards Council - rates games using the PEGI system.
Technology
Convergence - When you have lots of different things converging into one.
Technological convergence - Joining several distinct technologies into one.
Cross-media convergence - Operating across different media platforms.
Collaborations:
- Marvel
- Star Wars
- LEGO
Synergy
Synergy - When two brands help to promote each other.
Example - Drake in Fortnite.
Benefits:
Drake - More recognition and fame, getting to a younger audience.
Fortnite - More recognition from non-gamers who are a fan of Drake.
Dyer's Star Theory:
- 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.
Explain how convergence and synergy benefit the Fortnite brand. [12] What I think I got: [6/12]
Convergence benefits the Fortnite brand because...
Synergy benefits the Fortnite brand because it allows the game to be much more widespread and well-known by key collaborations with celebrities. This includes the collaboration with Drake as it brought Fortnite a whole new wave of non-gamers who are a fan of Drake. Synergy helps to widen the Fortnite gaming community by collaborations with big brand movies such as Star wars. This helps to lure in people who are a fan of the Star Wars movies, intriguing them to play a game that features the characters and weapons that they love. Finally, synergy is used in collaborations with major non-gaming brands such as LEGO which joined Fortnite to create LEGO Fortnite. This grabs the attention of a much younger audience as stereotypically, children are more likely to play with LEGOs. More to this, it also brings in the gamers who predominantly play Minecraft as it consists the same kind of elements of mining, crafting, building, etc. Thus bringing Fortnite more attention.
Friday 15th November 2024
How do Video Games make money?
Lo: To explore how the gaming industry is funded.
Do Now: 4/5
1) Synergy - The term for mutual advantages gained when multiple elements / companies work together.
2) Technological Convergence - Joining several distinct technologies into one.
3) PEGI is used to age rate games.
4) GRA - Games Rating Authority.
5) Regulation - The act of controlling something.
How do Video Games make money?
- In-game purchases.
- Advertisements.
- In-game currencies.
- Collaborations.
- Purchase of game (if not free).
- Limited / exclusive items.
- Subscriptions.
- Merch.
- Tie-ins with films and TV.
- Sponsorships.
How does Fortnite make money?
- Microtransactions.
- In-game currencies.
- Collaborations and Partnerships.
- Subscriptions.
- E-sports and Competitive Events.
- Limited - Time Offers and Bundles.
- Creative Mode and Community Marketplace.
- Merch.
Fortnite is an example of the 'Game as a Service' (GaaS) model - There is a constant revenue stream from 'in-game purchases'.
The launch & success of Fortnite:
- The promotional campaign targeted existing gamers.
- The campaign (by Fearless Media) reached 150 million users across different gaming sites.
- It had a cinematic trailer.
- The game gained 10 million players in the first 2 weeks following its launch.
- It is still very successful.
The cinematic trailer leaves you wanting more through the way that there is a story line showcasing a bunch of new updates such as skins, guns, event (zombies), etc. Similarly, it appeals to parents to allow their children to play as although there are impressive graphics, they are not gory such as blood everywhere, etc. It showcases non-realistic graphics as it was only zombies being shot which is not realistic in our world leading it to seem safer. Through the main characters, it shows how it is a teammate game but also how it is very inclusive through different ethnicities.
Why so successful?
- As of 2024, there are now approximately 650 million registered Fortnite players.
- Fortnite has generated a profit of about an average of 5 and a half million per year.
- In 2024, an average of 30 million active players play Fortnite per day.
Collaborations:
- Integration of characters from other successful franchises, such as Marvel and Star Wars.
- The Avengers 'Infinity Gauntlett Limited Time Mash-up' generated 1.2 million mentions on social media in the first two days.
- This 'buzz' raises awareness of the game amongst audiences who are not existing gamers.
- Two other examples of film and TV that have collaborated with Fortnite is Stranger Things and DC.
E-sports and Events:
- The Fortnite World Cup was first held in 2019.
- Received considerable media attention and was streamed on their Twitch channel.
- Epic now employs professional gamers to keep the game at the forefront of the online conversation.
- Celebrity players also help raise the profile of the game.
- Fortnite has also hosted a variety of events: from festivals to 'live' concerts.
- This includes the Fortnite Rift Tour which collaborated with Ariana Grande and her Rift Tour in August 2021.
These were publicised on their website & socials through:
- Teaser trailers.
- Posts on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook in the run up and during.
- Rift Tour quests unlocked rewards.
- In-game purchases, like Ariana Grande costumes and emotes.
- New item on the website explaining how to play.
Homework:
Explain why audiences play video games. Refer to the uses and gratifications theory in your response. [12]
There are many reasons for why would people play video games, but any reason can be linked to the ideology of uses and gratifications (P.I.E.S). For example, people may play video games as it links to their personal identity (P). This means that people can play games with certain genres such as horror because that is something that they personally love and it is what makes that person them. More to this, people may play video games about things that they have seen online and have grown to love or even seen a television show about a character such as 'Sonic The Hedgehog' and come to love playing the games. This results in their personal identity because they love the things they play as it makes them feel like themselves.
However, there are certain games that people play as a way of learning. Stereotypically, these are normally parents finding educational apps for their children such as 'Cool Maths Games' and 'Times Tables Rockstars' which is used as a way of teaching students new information mainly about mathematics but many parents advise their kids to play these sort of games to prepare them for these topics and making it less stressful and confusing for them. In addition, schools all over usually advise kids these kind of games and introduce them to these games as a way of helping to aid them with their work. Similarly, these games make themselves more appealing by adding game elements such as customisable characters, interactive games and challenges, etc.
On the other hand, the majority of people simply just play games for the fun and entertainment (E) of them. This means that there is not actually any given reason for why they would want to play a game other than the fact that they enjoy it and like to playing it. For example, people who enjoy playing the game 'Fortnite' may not even be a fan of real life gun wars like with nerf guns or even a fan of fighting in general but they enjoy the concept of trying to be the last team standing in the game. This may be through the fact they enjoy being competitive or just enjoy messing around on games. More to this, it could be simply that they enjoy playing the game with friends and or their friends enjoy the game and it allows the gamers to play together.
Finally, people who play video games have the option to play them because it allows them to be have more social interaction (S) with other people. For example, co-operative games allows gamers to either play with their friends and giving them to do things together, or gamers have the opportunity to play these games with new people which allows them to meet these new people and possibly start more friendships. Furthermore, when playing a much more well-known game or a game that you know other people around you know of, it gives people more chance to bond over these games because they are given the chance to talk to each other about these games and ask questions about what they think new events and updates may consist of or just overall bond over how they play it.
Tuesday 19th November 2024
Audiences
Lo: To explore the appeal of video games and how the industry targets different audiences.
Do Now: 5/5
1) In-game purchases, subscriptions
2) Collaboration gets Fortnite more recognition from other people's fans. Such as Ariana Grande's fans who are gamers would be intrigued to see her as a character. They also get more money.
3) Ariana Grande, Star Wars
4) Teasers, Posts on the internet (Twitter, Instagram, etc).
5) P - Personal Identity. I - Information. E - Entertainment. S - Social Interaction.
The Website:
- The Fortnite website, and linked social media, is an important way for the brand to reach its audiences.
- The website includes information & updates about the game and links to content and social media channels that might enhance the experience of the game.
- Their official YouTube channel includes reveals of the latest products, streams of e-sports competitions and behind the scenes footage. Fortnite also regularly update their social media accounts like Instagram & Snapchat.
1) What are the main elements of the homepage?
A carousel showing the newest collaboration with Ice Spice, different devices that Fortnite can be played on, and new items and skins that are accessible to gamers.
2) What Fortnite Products are featured?
All of them are featured on the Fortnite website.
3) Examples of collaborations with different products or celebrities: What are they?
Ice Spice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fall Guys.
4) Notes summarising 3 recent posts that promote different aspects of the game.
The PS5 Console, upcoming events and opportunities.
5) Three examples of opportunities for audiences to interact with the website:
Purchasing items, Signing in, Download the game
Ways Website Promotes Engagement:
- Homepage is appealing through the use of bright, animated graphics and the use of imperatives (commands) and exclamations.
- A range of posts highlight the latest news and developments in Fortnite; for example, new characters or future events. The linked pages typically include animations, images and direct address.
- Some posts further address the audience by addressing them in role.
- The menu bar includes links to pages for each mode of the game and other features like competitions & merchandise.
- A link to the Epic Games website and a range of other games, increases the potential for commercial success.
The Target Audience:
- 78% are male, 22% are female.
- 53% are 10-25, and 42% are in full time 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.
- The rise of 'e-sports' stars, mainly consumed via streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch (where Fortnite is the most watched game) has led to players becoming major celebrities. Ninja, the most famous Fortnite player has over 10 million subscribers and earns over half a million dollars a month. Ninja ranks highest in the world for social media interactions (i.e. people posting or sharing using their name - no.2 is Christiano Ronaldo!)
- This creates gamer celebrities that have become aspirational role-models for some audiences. The use of non-traditional gamer celebrities such as rappers and NBA athletes widen the appeal of the game. The popularity of 'Twitch Girls' (female streamers like KatyPLaysGames) has also appealed to women.
- Fortnite's use of 'seasons' - with rumours and gossip about future seasons - follows the cable TV / on-line subscription style of long-form TV drama.
Applying Audience Theory #1:
- They mainly work on the idea that audiences can be ACTIVE or PASSIVE. The difference between an active audience and a passive audience is how they engage with media messages:
Active Audiences:
An audience that engages with media messages by interpreting, evaluating, and responding to them. They are able to question the messages and challenge the ideas they convey.
Passive Audiences:
An audience that accepts media messages without question and is more likely to be directly affected by them. They are more receptive and less engaged.
The distinction between active and passive audiences is important because it challenges the traditional view of media as having a one-way flow of information. Instead, it emphasises the role of individuals in shaping their own media experiences.
How Fortnite audiences are active:
- You have to be active to play the game in the first place.
- The basic gameplay of Fortnite: Battle Royale is interactive and collaborative, encouraging players to work together. By being able to deconstruct and rebuild the game environment, players are encouraged to be creative.
- Fortnite: Creative is a different format that allows even more creativity in designing 'skins', 'emotes' and landscapes.
- In addition, Epic games have made their operating system Unreal Engine available (at a price) to encourage the next generation of games developers.
Audience Theory #2
P - Personal Identity. I - Information. E - Entertainment. S - Social Interaction.
Personal Identity - You are able to build what you want to and create maps and games that you enjoy in Creative mode.
Social Interaction - You can play with friends or meet new people in team battles.
Homework:
Explain how Fortnite makes money and how they have remained so popular:
Remained Popular:
Trailers - Shows inclusive (ethnicity), Shows cartoon / Unrealistic violence (zombies + no gore) - Acquires wider audience through grabbing attention of parents and children. Shows that it is different to other games and that it has got good working graphics.
Information - Tells you what is included in game.
Entertainment - Fun to watch, intrigues younger audiences with cartoon-style / unrealistic violence.
Social Interaction - Able to talk to other people about the update and trailer and your views on it all.
E-sports & events: Large event in 2019 - Lots of attention from many people - Streamed on multiple media platforms such as Twitch and YouTube - More popularity
Personal Identity - Watching something you love, that you enjoy.
Entertainment - Watching people play a game, anticipation of who will win the tournament.
Social Interaction - Talk about the event with friends and online if watching it live on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
Makes money:
Collaborations - Large collabs with celebrities (Ariana Grande & Drake) and films / TV shows (Family Guy & Marvel) - More people getting the game to play as their favourite characters and buying these skins or the 'Battle Pass' as a way to achieve these skins.
Personal Identity - Celebrities, films and TV shows that you like in updates / events.
Social Interaction - You are able to talk to your friends and people online about the collaborations and new characters and about your opinions on them.
Microtransactions - The store holds locked items only available by purchasing with in-game currency - More people buying V-bucks to get new skins, pickaxes, dances, etc - Spending money as a way of enjoying the game more.
Personal Identity - You can buy the characters and items that you want to because they make you feel like yourself.
Entertainment - You can get funny skins and dances, etc to equip and play with.
Social Interaction - You can talk to other people about items you have bought and about things you would like to get.
Paragraph:
There are many different ways that Fortnite is able to obtain money such as doing major collaborations allowing a new side of audiences and by adding microtransactions into their game which gives the game a much more uplifting element. Similarly, there are multiple ways they can keep its popularity growing via elements such as trailers which they use to grab a wider audiences attention and special events and major real-life E-sorts competitions which once again is shown world-wide, grabbing an enormous amount of people's attentions. All of the ways in which Fortnite uses tactics to gain money and popularity can be further proven using the uses and gratifications theory.
Firstly, obtaining money is very easy for Fortnite because of its massive success over the years which is helped a lot by the PEGI age rating of 12 making a lot more accessible for younger audiences resulting in more money being acquired through transactions. These microtransactions are usually done in the Fortnite Item Shop which allows the players to buy new items such as skins, dances, accessories, etc. These purchases are only available by using the in-game currency called 'V-bucks' which is available for buying with actual money in specific bundles such as buying '500, 800, etc' which increases how much actual money you have to spend on them. This is a great way for Fortnite to gain more money because the items vary on how much V-Bucks they cost meaning more money would have to be spent to get better items. People would want to purchase these sort of characters and their accessories because of multiple reasons such as it makes up their personal identity because you have the option to buy the characters and items from different brands like movies and TV shows because it is something that you like and makes you like yourself. Entertainment is another key reason as you can buy silly skins and dances which allows the gamer to appear funnier and making it a lot more enjoyable to play with. Finally, there is social interaction which provides the gamer to talk to other people, who can be friends or just strangers in games, about new things that they have bought and about items in the shop that they long to acquire and may purchase at some point in the future. Furthermore, Fortnite makes a lot of money through collaborations with major celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Drake and extremely popular movies and TV shows such as Family Guy and Marvel. The fact that Fortnite makes these kinds of collaborations means that the game can acquire a much larger wider audience. For example, Fortnite will gain the fans of Ariana Grande and Drake as they will see these characters in the game and would want to play as them leading to more people downloading the free game but then purchasing the 'Battle Pass' which allows gamers to get skins by unlocking them with quests. More to this, they will also grab the fans of people who are a fan of the show Family Guy or the Marvel brand because people would want to play as these characters and would pay to do that, resulting in more money being gained. Once again, people could buy these things because it makes up their personal identity because they may love the movie or show or celebrity that they are buying and playing as the skin of because that is what makes them themself and it is someone or something that they absolutely love. Also, this gives gamers the chance to speak to friends or strangers in games about their opinions on the newest updates and ones coming up and about the collaborations that have happened and ones that they may wish to see introduced in the future events of the game Fortnite.
Lastly, gaining a massive popularity is extremely easy for Fortnite as many people stream the game for many to see such as 'Ninja' and 'Lazerbeam'. The game being streamed on multiple platforms allows more people from all over the internet to be introduced to this game and especially if they look up to these gamers, they would want to be like them and play the same game they do. The streams may be of many different elements of Fortnite related content such as playing the actual game, playing minigames or even live-streaming the e-sports and event. The e-sports event in 2019 was the largest Fortnite event that has happened which allowed Fortnite to gain more audiences as it was a worldwide inclusive performance which allowed anyone to watch. These was made more accessible as it was streamed on a huge variety of media platforms such as Twitch, TikTok and even YouTube which helped it to gain more popularity from it being shared to people's friends and a chain reaction after that. A reason in which people may watch this event is because it links to their personal identity as people who are already a fan of Fortnite will watch this as a fan of the game as it allows them to feel like themself but also excited to see who the winner of the event will be. Another reason is just simply for entertainment as the event consists of the best gamers competing to get the 'Victory Royale' and be the best Fortnite gamer there is. This can be entertaining for many people but especially for those who enjoy watching those gamers already, and leaves them with the enigma of are they going to win, anticipating the answer and needing to keep watching to find out the answer. Finally, people may watch the e-sports events as a way of it linking to social interaction because it allows the gamers to talk to friends, people on livestreams, and strangers on social media about their predictions of who they think will win, what they think will happen, etc. Furthermore, Fortnite is able to gain more of a following through posting teasers and trailers on all sorts of media platforms as a way of inviting more gamers to join the game. This can be seen in the 2019 cinematic trailer for when Fortnite added a 'Survival Zombie' sort of genre. The trailer shows a squad of characters fighting zombies to save people from a building, in the form of a burger place. Fortnite has especially used elements in this trailer to help show what they are bringing for the next update such as a new bunch of characters, new weapons, and new oppositions of zombies. The use of the PEGI 12 age rating helps to illustrate to us that this trailer is used to attract the attention of a younger audience and parents because it portrays its inclusiveness through different ethnic characters and how it is suitable for children through the cartoon style and unrealistic type of gore as it is not very graphic leading it to appear safer for children to get involved with. The use of trailers is helpful in the element of information as it shows new items and skins introduced along with new NPC characters in the form zombies. This helps to gain more popularity as people who any like games with zombies present will want to get involved in this new update. This is also allows to gain an audience as it is used for entertainment as it is cool to watch with the smooth graphics and clear storyline which shows how Fortnite is different from many other games making it stand out compared to many other games resulting in a larger fanbase. Finally, social interaction is the last element that the trailer allows as gamers are able to view this together with friends, or on streams which allows them to talk to other people about their views and opinions of the newest look into the update and what they would want later in the game's development. This also allows people to talk to other people in general about the update which will give Fortnite a much larger audience which would also gain them more money.
Friday 22nd November 2024
Fabulous, detailed class notes. Well done
ReplyDeleteCONVERGENCE Q:
A fantastic answer - I agree with your marking as you didn't cover convergence. Do you understand what this means now?
AUDIENCE 12 MARK HWK:
Fantastic: detailed and thoroughly supported
EBI: i have nothing!
12/12
FORTNITE POPULARITY HWK:
Excellent - specific examples to support
EBI: Again...nothing to add
12/12