Media Studies Video games Minecraft 12 03 19

Component 2 Evolving Media
Section A: VIDEO GAMES
Media Industries & Media Audiences

What you will need to know
• You should be able to discuss the commercial context of
the set text from independently owned to it’s acquisition
by a ‘new media’ conglomerate (Microsoft.)
You should be able to discuss the extent to which the set
text is indicative of changes in media industries
• You should be able to discuss the target audience for the
set text and how it encourages audience participation.
• You should be able to discuss how technology is used to
distribute the game across a range of platforms.

Which media came first? (+ approx. date)
• RECORDED MUSIC
• PRINT
• TELEVISION
• FILM
• COMPUTER GAME
• RADIO

Which media came first?
• RECORDED MUSIC
1st PRINT 1605 Germany
• TELEVISION
• FILM
• COMPUTER GAME
• RADIO

2nd RECORDED MUSIC Phonograph 1877
1st PRINT
• TELEVISION
• FILM
• COMPUTER GAME
• RADIO

2nd RECORDED MUSIC
1st PRINT
• TELEVISION
3rd FILM 1889
• COMPUTER GAME
• RADIO

2nd RECORDED MUSIC
1st PRINT
• TELEVISION
3rd FILM
• COMPUTER GAME
4th RADIO 1895 Edison/Marconi

2nd RECORDED MUSIC
1st PRINT
5th TELEVISION 1930s/1950s
3rd FILM 1880s
• COMPUTER GAME
4th RADIO

2nd RECORDED MUSIC
1st PRINT
5th TELEVISION
3rd FILM
6th COMPUTER GAMES 1970’s
4th RADIO

Pong – the first video game
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LsRGUOD
HlQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I73oK9q-jk

• Most successful video game of all time?

• Most successful video game of all time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1yQQZm7Vvc

Most successful video game of all time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-VC37Qb2DA

• 2nd most successful video game of all time?

• 2nd most successful video game of all time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rhYLe4Q-IU

Top 5 most successful videogames
(Forbes 2016)
1. Tetris (495 million copies sold)
2. Minecraft (106.86 million)
3. Wii Sports (82.78 million)
4. Super Mario Bros. ( 40+ million)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (65 million)

Which generates the highest revenue?
(makes the most money)
• Music
• Film/Video
• Games

2014 Global Income
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Videogames Film Music industry
BillionsUS$ $83.6 Billion
$36.4 Billion
$15.06 Billion

2016
• $38 billion MOBIE GAMING global revenue
• $6 billion Console market
• $33 billion personal computer gaming

• In fact, the video game industry is more successful than film and
music put together.
• According to polygon.com, global revenue for video games
estimated at about $83.6 billion in 2014 alone.
• In that same year, the film industry made $36.4 billion, according to
MPAA.
• Statista.com states the music industry made $15.06 billion.
Although this seems very impressive, it should be taken with a grain
of salt seeing as how the film industry revenue in these stats don't
really account for DVD sales, streaming, etc.

https://expandedramblings.com/index.php/minecraft-statistics/

World's most expensive video game?
?

Destiny
World's most expensive video game
cost more than £310 MILLION to make
$75 million more than Avatar - Hollywood's
most expensive blockbuster film to date
Game was developed by studio Bungie, maker
of the Halo franchise, and published by
Activision, which is behind the Call of Duty
series

History of videogames
Changes in the industry
Lesson 1

Videogame timeline
• What are 1-8th generations and their defining years?
• Arcade – Home PC – Console – handheld – smart
phones
• 1st video game
• 1st games console
• Released dates of Nintendo, SONY, Microsoft etc
• First age rating
• 1st hand held video game device
• 2013 – big 3 releases!

1972-1979
1980-85
1985-1990
1990-95

1985-1999
2000 - 2001
2012-to date
2001 - 2011

Videogame timeline
• 1-8th generation and years
• Arcade – Home PC – Console – handheld – smart
phones
• 1st video game PONG
• 1st games console 1972 with the Magnavox Odyssey
• Released dates of Nintendo, SONY, Microsoft etc
• First age rating
• 1st hand held video game device
• 2013 – big 3 releases!

Age rating
• The British Board of Film
Classification (BBFC) 1970s – 2012. The BBFC
still classify all games featuring strong
pornographic (R18-level)
• In July 2012, the Video Standards Council -
VSC Rating Board became the sole UK
statutory video games regulator for the UK.
The VSC Rating Board has been a PEGI
Administrator since 2003 and subsequently
uses the PEGI criteria to classify video games.
• April 2003 PEGI set up

1989 Nintendo Gameboy
1st handheld video game device

History of Minecraft
Evolution. Independent to mainstream multimedia conglomerate
Lesson 2
Evolution of Minecraft MineCon

The Story of Mojang and Markus ‘Notch’ Persson
Date of film 2011
The Minecraft story 1 or 2
The Minecraft story 2 of 2
Why Notch sold Minecraft date of VT 2015

1. Who is Markus ‘Notch’ Persson?
2. What nationality is he and his company?
3. What is his company called?
4. What is the advantage of an open source platform?
5. When was Minecraft available on-line?
6. What was the official release date of Minecraft?
7. When was the Microsoft take over? Price agreed?
8. Why did Notch sell Minecraft?

• Markus ‘Notch’ Persson
• Swedish
• Mojang
• Platform – open source – ability to adapt by users
• Available from 2009 and in Jan 2011 beta version (>1 million
purchases in one month)
• Official release Nov 2011 (16 million users/4 million purchases)
• Microsoft take over 2014 $2.5 Billion
• Notch was getting criticised and he wanted to go back to
programming and have a life

Open Source software (OSS)
• Computer software with its source code made
available: within its licence the copyright
holder provides the rights to study, change
and distribute to anyone and for any purpose.

Video Game Industry
Similar to the film industry
Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
Independent
cheap low
budget

Video Game Industry
Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
Independent
cheap low
budget
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion

Independent
cheap low
budget
• Niche
• For players with expert
computing knowledge
• No commercial backers
• Vertical Integration (developed,
distributed etc)
• No advertising - word of mouth
between gamers

Independent
cheap low
budget
• 2011 beta version > 1 million
purchases in 1 month.
• April 2011 est. US $33 million revenue
• Nov 2011 Official release > 16 million
users.
• 4 million purchases..
• 2012 Xbox 360 and XBoxLive.
• 2013 Minecraft Pi – educational and
novice versions.

Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion
2015 30 million copies sold in total
To date > 121 million copies sold
Purchasable over internet via PlayStation
Network and Xbox Live
Cross media content = $$$ and
new customers reached

Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
2014
Microsoft take over
$2.5 billion
Dec 2015 Nintendo downloadable copies on sale
June 2016 Nintendo physical copies available
May 2017 Nintendo Switch version
Sept 2017 Nintendo 3DS downloadable
Minecraft Storymode (TellTale Games via Steam)

Microsoft smart phones
Xbox consoles
Digital versions of same game for different device
Windows 10 O/S
Download through Microsoft Cloud server
Microsoft Realms
PROMOTING MICROSOFT BRANDS

Use the article ‘Get Your Head in the Game’ to answer
the following questions.

Mainstream Triple A versus independent (indie) companies
Lesson 3

Media Conglomerates
a company that owns large numbers of companies
in various mass media such as:
• Television
• Radio
• Publishing (magazines/newspapers)
• Film production
• Internet.
How many can you name?

Biggest Multimedia conglomerates

https://www.webpagefx.com/data/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media/

Are these independent video game developers or multi-media conglomerates?

The main videogame institutions
Predominantly arcades
INDEPENDENTS

The Halo 4 campaign:
Triple A CASESTUDY
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in
this campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign
start?

Case Study: Halo 4
Microsoft promoted Halo 4. Their campaign won 'Outstanding
overall marketing campaign of the year 2013.'
Big-budget campaign for a TripleA blockbuster game.
First Person Shooter played only on Microsoft's X-box console.
Halo 4 is one of the biggest selling in the world.
It made over $300 million in its first week.
Over 1 million people played it in the first week.

Halo 4: the campaign
June 2011: the game is announced at E3, with a moving
image trailer: Awakening.
The trailer is short-listed for 'visual effects' awards,
generating more publicity.
The trailer is produced by Hollywood director David
Fincher (Fight Club, Benjamin Button, The Social
Network).

Halo 4: the campaign (1)
January 2012: various companies
announce production of Halo action figures and toys.
February 2012 onwards: header and
background ads are placed on popular
gamers' sites across the internet.

April 2012: A web-series, called 'Forward Unto Dawn' is
announced. There will be five 15 minute live-action short
films released in the weeks leading up to the launch of the
game. It is hosted on the dedicated Halo 4 website: Halo
Waypoint.

May 2012: an online game to piece together the box art is
announced. Watch the video on this page.
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/halo-4-art-reveal-campaign/
•September 2012: pre-order sales open on the Halo website
and other sites.

September 2012: point-of-sale display material is released to
shops, including the award-winning Halo countdown unit (can be
seen in the launch party video)

September - December 2012: tie-in with pepsi - buy Pepsi or
Mountain Dew for the chance to win a copy of the game and
other Halo items. There are also tie-ins with Pizza Hut and other
companies.

October 2012:
The official launch trailer 'Scanned' is premiered on a popular
American talk show.

October 2012: a week later the official gameplay trailer is
released.
October 31st 2012: the principality of Liechtenstein is
transformed into a Halo live action experience for fans
and members of the press. The castle is transformed into
a military fortification, they build a United Nations Space
Camp and there is a 2 hour live-action 'battle' at a
nearby quarry. The event generates a lot of press
coverage.

November 5th 2012: a fifty foot illuminated Didact sign
is flown down the River Thames. There is a lot of press
coverage of the
Publicity Stunt

POS Activity (Point of sale) – in store activities

November 5- 6th 2012: ten thousand shops in forty
different countries open for the midnight release of the
game. Fans queue. Shops hold launch parties.

November 2012: a smartphone scavenger hunt using
'tap it' or NFC technology runs in Australia.
Each billboard featured an NFC tag
and a QR Code, and competitors had to be
the first to scan each poster after 1pm on
Tuesday 6 November. Microsoft promoted
the scavenger hunt Facebook to more than
300,000 fans

November 6th 2012: the game is released world wide.
November 2012: The Art of Halo 4 (book) is released.

November 9th 2012: live TV adverts show how many
people are playing Halo at the time. Players sign up to a 'roll
call of honour' on Facebook for the chance to get their face
on TV.

December 2012: the free-to-enter Halo 4 'Infinity'
tournament opens.

December 2012: The first War Game Map Pack
(expansion pack) is released.
February 2013: the second Map Pack is released.
April 2013: the third
Map Pack is released

September 2013: 'Halo 4:
The Essential Visual Guide'
(book) published.

The Halo 4 campaign: review
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in this
campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign start?
4. When does the campaign ‘peak’?
5. What do you think were the best aspects of the
campaign?
6. Who would this campaign appeal to?

Case Study 2: Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment perfected the art of guerilla advertising
or stunt marketing in the 2000s.
They do one or two fairly low budget stunts or events, hoping
that the 'shock value' is enough for them to be reported on in
the mainstream press, and for news of the stunts to go viral on
the internet. This generates lots of free publicity for the
company and the game it is marketing.
The stunts are designed to appeal to the same demographic as
the audience for the game, so the publicity is strongest among
potential buyers.

Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Turok Evolution: Acclaim Entertainment offered $1000
to every person in the UK who would legally change their
name to Turok, and $10,000 to
new parents to name their baby Turok.
Over 300 people tried to claim the prize.

For Shadow Man 2: Acclaim offered to pay people
who had recently lost a relative to place adverts
on their headstones. They said it might be of
particular interest to poorer families. The
campaign was withdrawn in the interests of good
taste. But they already had the publicity.

For Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance: Acclaim said
they would use 'bloodvertising' with bus stop
posters that seeped a red blood-like substance,
leading up to release day. The campaign was
withdrawn in the interests of good taste. But they
already had the publicity.

For Burnout 2: Acclaim offered to
pay the speeding fines for all
speeding tickets issued on launch
day. They had to withdraw the offer
after complaints by the police that it
would encourage speeding.
But they already had the
publicity.

Case Study 3: Angry Birds
In 2003, three college-leavers in Finland started a small company
called Rovio.
They released an app called Angry Birds in 2009. It became a
huge hit.
The marketing has moved from low-budget to higher budget as
the game has become more successful and profitable.

Angry Birds
Initial marketing was cheap and low-key.
On release in each country, they promoted
the game through Gaming forums on the
internet, and through comments and reviews
in Gaming magazines.
They used a Twitter feed, set up a Facebook
page and used other social marketing to
communicate with fans and build a fan
community.

They set up a website with additional content.

Angry Birds
Rovio moved into merchandising (there is a whole website just
for T shirts; lunch-boxes, sweets, toys) very early, and this now
makes up over 30% of their income.
As the game became more widely known, Rovio used more
conventional techniques such as game trailers.
Rovio have also expanded the brand by licensing the game to a
theme park and a TV series (see the trailer here).

Angry Birds
In 2011 they partnered with 20th Century Fox to release a version
of the game called Angry Birds Rio, with characters from the film
Rio in it. These tie-ins generate good publicity for both companies:
an example of synergy. See the Angry Birds Rio trailer here.

Angry Birds
In 2012 the new game Angry Birds in Space was announced from
the International Space Station by a NASA astronaut doing physics
experiments
Their Space game trailer also
emphasises the physics content,
making the case for Angry Birds
to be seen as a worthwhile
educational game.

Video Game Industry
Multi million
budgets
Triple A
videogames
Independent
Low budgets

Independent
top 10 indie video games

Mainstream – Triple A videogames
• Tomb Raider
• Candy Crush
• Clash of Clans
• Halo
• GTA
• FIFA
• Fable
• Bioshock: Infinite
• World of Warcraft
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• COD
• Pokemon Go
• Titanfall
Top video games 2017

Advantages of being an independent
video game producer?
Advantages of being owned by a Multi
media conglomerate?

Independent versus Triple A mainstream
Key Features of Independent Video Games
• Rarely multi platform
• Commonly created and developed without a publisher (no publisher limitations)
• Often developed by small teams with a focus on one game
• Reliance on digital distribution
• Innovative funding models e.g. crowd funding
• Emphasis on creativity and innovation
• Older male demographic
• Narrative content can be risqué – higher PEGI ratings
• Low production values
• Social networking and convergence important in marketing – Web 2.0
• Self-publishing in early stages

Key features of Mainstream Video Games
• Developer/Publisher model
• Mass target audience
• Often multi platform including consoles
• High production values
• Significant above the line marketing e.g. trailers but also rich viral marketing
• Synergy with other media forms e.g. films, consoles and magazines
• Safe genres
• Often part of a franchise
• Multiple designers, often years in development
Independent versus Triple A mainstream

Why do many independent videogame
producers choose to seek financial
backing or ownership from large multi-
media conglomerates?
Use examples you have studied to
support your answer.
HOMEWORK
Exam practice

How are videogames marketed?
Lesson 4

Marketing, Promotion,
Advertising & Franchising

Marketing/Promotion – raising awareness
Advertising – encouraging people to buy
Franchise – licensing a product/brand

Options for Indie video game developers with no
financial backing
http://estream.reigate.ac.uk/View.aspx?id=13030~54~KHlxsdkPIr

How are video
games
traditionally
marketed and what
franchising takes
place?

MINECRAFT PROMOTION
• Research as many different forms of
promotion, marketing, franchising used
across a variety of media formats. (Images in
a ppt)
• How are they effective in raising awareness,
popularity and revenue?
• Why do developers and publishers use so
many varied media formats?

In the early days of Minecraft (with no commercial backing of a mainstream
publisher) and no money to spend on advertising, Mogang relied on
word of mouth between gamers.
It was featured on sites such as the Penny Arcade web comic to generate interest
amongst gamers. https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic

Official website
Explore
the
website.
What
features
does it
include?
https://minecraft.net/en-us/

Minecraft Twitter 2 million followers
https://twitter.com/Minecraft?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Marketing platform
• Game advice
• Free giveaways
• Tweets that
reference
Marketplace
• and tie-ins with
Microsoft
consoles
• previews

The cultural impact of Minecraft is
significant. We know that much of
Minecraft’s success was due to word of
mouth but also audiences sharing
their own mods and game footage
across web forums and video sharing
sites such as YouTube.
Find out what a Minecraft Mod is
https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Mods
www.youtube.com

Different versions of Minecraft were
released, moving away from
creation only narratives to include
story modes, spectator modes,
educational mode and multi-player
functionality across Minecraft
Realms. Also, now that Persson no
longer has a stake in the company
plans to work on a virtual reality
version of Minecraft have been
renewed.
Why do this?

Intertextuality
Culturally, other
developers and games
studios have made
intertextual references to
Minecraft across games
such as Runescape and
The Elder Scrolls V:
Skyrim to name but a
few; there are also Lady
Gaga, South Park and The
Simpsons parodies. All of
this benefits the game by
heightening its exposure
to audiences.

The Minecraft Franchise
A Lego set based on Minecraft
called Lego Minecraft was
released on 6 June 2012
Two more sets based on the
Nether and village areas of the
game were released on 1
September 2013. A fourth Micro
World set, the End, was released
in June 2014. Six more sets
became available November
2014.

The
Minecraft
Franchise
Mojang collaborates
with Jinx, an online
game merchandise
store, to sell Minecraft
merchandise, such as
clothing, foam
pickaxes, and toys of
creatures in the game.

The
Minecraft
Franchise
In March 2013 Mojang
signed a deal with the
Egmont Group, a
children's book
publisher, to create
Minecraft handbooks,
annuals, poster books,
and magazines

Minecraft Edu - Minecraft in education
(2012)
https://education.minecraft.net/class-resources/lessons/

Minecraft in education
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6f-2Wlsxg

Minecraft the Movie
In 2019 there will be a joint
venture with Warner Brothers to
release Minecraft the movie, this
will be anticipated as having as
much commercial success as The
Lego Movie, also a Warner
Brothers Movie. No doubt, there
will be several spin-offs as a result
of this.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3566
834/

Top brand selling video game
• Distribution (money to market and promote)
maximises profit

Fan trailers
How does this help the promotion of Minecraft?

Minecraft YouTubers/Gameplayers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2P0Sed7Slo
Explore some Minecraft gameplays - How many views do they have? What kind of
comments are being left? How can convergent media promote the sharing these
and what impact can this have?

‘Yogscast’
Billions of
viewers

Minecon
MINECON is a convention for the video
game Minecraft, hosted by Mojang.
The first gathering in 2010 was known
as MinecraftCon
Mojang announced that MINECON was
taking the form of an interactive 90-
minute livestream on 18 November
2017. It was titled MINECON Earth.
https://minecraft.net/en-us/minecon/

Block by Block
UN and Mojang
September 2012
A charity project to create and design
real-world environments
in Minecraft.
The reconstruct of areas of concern
by young citizens who are invited to
enter the Minecraft servers and
modify their own neighbourhood.
By 2016, 300 of the areas UN-Habitat
plans to remodel will be recreated
in Minecraft

Broadcast platform:
• Promote products
• Intro game trailers
• Video community –
share and craft on-
line
• Prosumers

A Prosumer
A consumer who becomes involved
with designing or customizing
products for their own needs.

Broadcast platform:
• Prosumer community
• On-line discussion
• Improve players abilities to play, create and share - tips
• Minecraft gamer celebrities
• Reviews of games by Youtube vloggers PewDiePie (Influencers/2 step flow)

Minecraft Wiki https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Minecraft
Free to use website
Populated by Minecraft
users to:
• find how to craft etc
• On-line help via the
forum
• Range of fans’ feeds
• Network community
exchange ideas, free
game resources and
ask questions to
problem solving

‘Textual poachers’
‘If it doesn’t spread its
dead’

Henry Jenkins - Fandom &
Participatory culture
Video games offer social experiences
(online multi-player options) as well as
communities outside of the core game
experience.
Jenkins’ key quote ‘if it doesn’t spread, it’s
dead’
There has “been a blurring between the
grassroots practices I call participatory culture
and the commercial practices being called Web
2.0.” - Fandom being used as marketing.
Minecraft has a strong, well developed
fanbase how could we relate this to
Jenkins’ ideas about participatory
culture?
Participatory culture. Term developed by Henry
Jenkins to describe contemporary cultures
where members of a society do not only
consume media content but also create and
distribute it.
Fandom. An intense emotional investment in a
media text whereby you engage with other ‘fans’.
Regarded collectively as a community or
subculture.
Stretch and challenge

Participatory
• Early days – mods / updates. Prosumers could
alter gameplay mechanics and develop new
skins and textures
• Fans – YouTube gamers, trailers etc
• 2016 marketplace created for communities to
trade maps, skins and textures

Clay Shirky’s
‘End of Audience’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8rFe2Z60Hg

Why is Minecraft so successful?
Audience profile and consumption
Lesson 5

REPRISE
1. Production
2. Distribution
3. Consumption

REPRISE
1. Production – Development
2. Distribution - Publishing, Marketing
and Promotion
3. Consumption Users

• Radio
• TV
• Cinema
• Magazine adverts
• Celebrity endorsements
• Publicity stunts
• Websites
• Competitions
• Merchandising
• Tie ins
with other products/companies
PROMOTION OF VIDEO GAMES
• TV interviews with developers/stars
• Giveaways
• Newspaper adverts
• Twitter feeds
• Pop ups on which websites?
• The making of on YouTube
• Tie ins with other products that your
target audience use?
• Product placement
(put your video game in a film/TV prog

Opinion leaders - Two-step Flow
USERS USERS USERS USERS
Games Companies
X-Box
magazine Games
Master
magazine
Game
Spot.com
IGN.com

Opinion leaders - two-step flow
One important area for games marketing is internet
games sites and print gaming magazines. Gaining
positive reviews can is very important.
Games reviewers are seen as 'opinion leaders' in the
games community. Their views are trusted. They pass
their views and opinions on to readers. This is the two-
step flow theory in action.

REPRISE
1. Production – Development
2. Distribution - Publishing, Marketing
and Promotion
3. Consumption Users/players,
Fandom – Fans involvement

Henry Jenkins FANDOM
‘Textual poachers’
‘Participatory culture’ – active
creative participants rather than
passive consumers.
Online communities produce new creative forms,
collaborate to solve problems and shape the flow of
media
‘Collective intelligence’
REPRISE

Why is Minecraft SO successful?
• Game play? Variety of game play?
• Target audience? Niche then mainstream
• Consumption?
Charlie Brooker from 1hr 28mins

• Easy
• Creative
• Social
• Logical
• Not destructive
• Non competitive
• No ‘goals’ – total freedom

Critical Acclaim
• On release it won 5 awards at 3 conferences
• Innovation Award
• Best Debut Game
• Best Downloadable Game
• Audience award and Seumas McNally Grand
Prize

• 3 dimensional Sandbox genre
• ‘A virtual world of Lego’
• Explore
• Mine
• Build
• Modes of Gameplay: First person/ 3rd person: Creative / Survival
• PLUS Adventure, Spectator (Story Mode) and Multiplayer
• Education version
• Realms

Realms 2013
Servers that are created specifically for players
and are intended to keep players’ Minecraft
world on-line, accessible and safe to allow them
to create, survive or compete
Creates a sense of belonging – a community

Why is Minecraft SO popular?
http://uk.businessinsider.com/minecraft-explained-2017-2

David Gauntlett
• ‘One giant allotment’
• Making is connecting
• Strong self identity
• Socially create and interact
http://www.makingisconnecting.org/

Simple blocky 8-bit retro nature appealing?
Dire Straits Money for Nothing Music video 1985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0
NOSTALGIA??

Nostalgic Tech Revival
https://mashable.com/2017/10/25/classic-
consoles-make-a-return/#bRX6o4v61PqF
http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/02/22/ninte
ndo-switch-eshop-update-super-mario-odyssey-
pac-man/

Why do they play it?
Blumler & Katz Uses and Gratification theory
Entertainment
and diversion
taking you away from your own problems and your own
world for a while – escapism
Surveillance and
information
helping you to get knowledge about the world and how
it works
Personal identity comparing yourself to characters on the TV – what
would you do in that situation. How would you behave?
Would you be as brave? As foolhardy?
Personal
companionship
getting involved with the characters as if they are real,
wanting to find out what happens in their lives; also
having something to talk about with other people – ‘did
you see that last night …’ conversations.

• Content – variety gameplay/modes(Creative/Survival/StoryMode/Realm)
• Wide target audience (ages, gender, social and cultural backgrounds)
• Prosumers – participatory community
• Nostalgic
• Non-destructive
• Social
• Easy
• Lego-like
• Freedom – can do what you want
• Non-competitive/relaxing
• Universal appeal (was niche now mainstream)
• Creative – new identities/mods

Why is Minecraft SO successful? (18-20 mins in exam)
Write an exam-style answer that includes:
- The relationship and actions between gamers and
Mojang pre-release and after Microsoft’s take over.
- the style of Minecraft and why it is so appealing
- Different play modes
- Who the target audience is. (age, gender,
psychographics etc).
- why people play (what aspects are appealing?)
- consider theorists like Blumler and Katz, David Gauntlet
and Henry Jenkins & Clay Shirky.

MINECRAFT DOCUMENTARY
https://estream.reigate.ac.uk/View.aspx?id=18115~5d~uPTHHHgBLS

What percentage of 8-15
year olds play videogames
in the UK?
Audiences
Lesson 6

What are the demographics of
Minecraft players?
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-demographics-of-
Minecraft-players

Read fact sheet for
homework (Due
Monday)

Audiences
• US 92% of 2-17 year olds play video games
• UK 99% 8-15 year olds play videogames
(NPD)

Segmentation
Each genre of games tends to appeal to a different audience group:
people who play ‘Nintendogs’ rarely play ‘Halo.’
Games are designed and marketed to appeal to different types of
people.
Producers 'segment' the audience into different groups, and aim
their product at one segment. This is their target market.

How are gamers (audiences)
segmented?

Gamers
• Gender
• Age
• Communities
• Fans
• ‘Prosumers’
• Socio-economic status
• physiographics

WHY do people play the game?
Uses and Gratifications Theory
(Blumler & Katz)
Entertainment and diversion – taking you away from your own problems and your own
world for a while – escapism, to give you some excitement and drama in your life, to stop you being
bored
Surveillance and information – finding out about new things and places, helping you to
get knowledge about the real or virtual / game world and how it works, learning a new skill to use in
the real or game world.
Personal identity – comparing yourself to characters in the game, trying out other identities
(particularly powerful, strong or intelligent identities).
Personal companionship– getting involved with the characters as if they are real, wanting
to find out what happens in their lives; to work as part of a group, either in real life (e.g.playing a Wii
sports game together), or online; having something to talk about with other people: shared interests,
and feeling like part of a group.

What 'need' is being fulfilled here?
Example: 'Second Life' fulfils the need for personal
identity, allowing players to develop an avatar that
may be quite different from their actual personality
and looks; it may fulfil the need for entertainment,
escaping from the player's own real life into another
world; it may also fulfil the need for companionship,
both through the 'virtual' friends and partners
within the world of the game, and by belonging to a
community of second-lifers, participating in chat
rooms etc.

Watch the Minecraft advert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rhYLe4Q-IU
Which of the Uses and Gratifications does
the trailer suggest the game will offer?
Entertainment?
Information?
Identity?
Companionship?

Watch 3 more video games adverts
(choose different genres)
Which of the Uses and Gratifications does
the trailer suggest the game will offer?
Entertainment?
Information?
Identity?
Companionship?

Psychographics
Psychographics is less about facts such as your age, and more about attitudes and
values. The audience can be divided up into categories like:
Survivors: who like security and routine, who like to overcome challenges to stay
safe.
Social climbers: who like material wealth and status symbols, who like to be the
best at everything.
Care givers: who believe in ‘caring and sharing,’ working together, looking after
things and people.
Explorers: who are interested in personal growth, education, and social change,
who might want to change the word for the better, or experience life from a
different perspective.

Niche forums that feedback to
producers

Players, Producers, audiences,
prosumers
play/consumer
interact
produce
The audiences for video games blur the line
between audiences and producers.

https://www.quora.
com/What-are-the-
demographics-of-
Minecraft-players
Target audience Minecraft

-Who are the Minecraft gamers? (target
audience profile)
Age, gender, status, psychographics
- Why do they play? Uses & Gratification
- How often do they play? Are they ‘casual’
or ‘serious’ gamers?

The average Minecraft player/user:

Audiences - summary
How do audiences or video games differ from
audiences for films etc?
Explain these terms:
segmentation
target audience
demographic profiling
psychographic profiling
Uses and Gratifications
RESUMÉ

A Minecraft Player:
• spends 5-9 hours per week playing the game.
(casual gamer)
• plays Single Player Survival
• enjoys building or exploring above other
potential activities
• is between 17-23 (older than you expect!)
• is male (94%)
• and uses a Desktop

A Minecraft Player:
• Creates (doesn’t destruct)
• Shares/Social (prosumer)
• Is part of a community

Copycats
• Clone Minecraft games
• Castleminer.com
• Battleminer-3DS
• At the time Microsoft purchased Mojang there
was a huge surge of clones trying to cash in on
audiences desires
• Is that why Notch sold to Microsoft?

Regulation
Who are these institutions and what are
their roles?
• BBFC
• Video Standards Council
• PEGI
• ERSB

Regulation - Age rating
• The British Board of Film
Classification (BBFC) 1970s – 2012. The BBFC
still classify all games featuring strong
pornographic (R18-level)
• In July 2012, the Video Standards Council -
VSC Rating Board became the sole UK
statutory video games regulator for the UK.
The VSC Rating Board has been a PEGI
Administrator since 2003 and subsequently
uses the PEGI criteria to classify video games.
• April 2003 PEGI set up

Ratings
Video games, like films, have age ratings.
In the UK and Europe, games are rated by the Video Standards
Council Rating Board, using the PEGI system.
PEGI stands for 'Pan-European Games Information'.
Games are rated as follows:
What are the different content definition for each category?

What do the PEGI ratings mean?
Suitable for everyone. No bad language.
Nothing that would scare a young child.
Same as '3' but may contain some
frightening scenes or sounds.
May contain mild bad language; some slightly more
graphic violence towards fantasy characters, and /
or non-graphic violence towards human-looking
characters

What do the ratings mean?
The depiction of violence or sex looks the same
as would be expected in real life. May have more
extreme bad language, and depictions of
tobacco, alcohol, drugs, gambling and criminal
activity may be seen.
Includes depictions of gross violence sufficient to
make the ordinary viewer feel a sense of
revulsion.

Additional symbols used by PEGI
What do they stand for?

ESRB ratings
Games produced and made in America are rated
in a similar way, but using the ESRB system
(Entertainment Software Ratings Board).
Young Children
Everyone
Everyone, age 10+
Teen, 13+
Mature, 17+
Adults, 18+

PEGI protects children
The PEGI website says this:
While most games (49%) are suitable for players of all ages there are many that are only
suitable for older children and young teenagers. There are also some games (4%) that
are made for adults only (over the age of 18).
The rating on a game confirms that it is suitable for players over a certain age.
Accordingly, a PEGI 7 game is only suitable for those aged seven and above and an
PEGI 18 game is only suitable for adults aged eighteen and above. The PEGI rating
considers the age suitability of a game, not the level of difficulty.
PEGI is used and recognised throughout Europe and has the enthusiastic support of the
European Commission. It is considered to be a model of European harmonisation in
the field of the protection of children.

Regulation
• Originally Minecraft was given a PEGI 7
• Later Minecraft Stones was higher – why?
• ESRB has a different criteria – why?
• Minecraft Realms hosted on a specialised server by
Mojang – who has the ownership of intellectual
content?
• Disclaimers – the company state that they own
everything created by blocks within the virtual worlds –
accreditations not guaranteed – how has this been met
by the gamers?

The Effects Model
The ratings system is to protect players from seeing violence, until
they are old enough to deal with it. It is partly based on the Effects
Model, or Effects Theory.
This theory says that people, particularly vulnerable people (like
children and teenagers) may be over-influenced by the violence they
see on screen. They may start to behave in a violent way in real life.
What research has been carried out and what were the
findings? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI1fNjdeOvY
The Byron Review 2007

The copy-cat theory
Video games have often been blamed for
crimes. Some criminals are thought to copy or
re-enact the violence they see in video games.
Watch some of these videos on the possible
links between violent video games and crime.

What do you think?
• Should violent games be banned altogether?
• Are PEGI ratings are a form of censorship?
• Should people be able to choose for themselves what games they
want to play?
• Do ratings protect people?
• Are ratings pointless because no one takes any notice of them?
• Can games be enjoyable without violence?

Look at these statements. Which ones support the effects model
(people copy violence)? Which ones don't support the effects
model?
1. Hardly any gamers commit violent crimes.
2. Violent games 'desensitise' gamers to violence - they begin to get used to violence and
see it as normal.
3. Only boys become violent; girls don't - so it is because of their gender not because of
the games.
4. Gamers who spend all their leisure time fighting in games can begin to see the world as
hostile and threatening and over-react to problems.
5. Games can be a good release, a 'safe' place to be angry, stopping people from taking
out their anger in the real world.
6. Gamers know the difference between game-worlds and the real world.
7. People who like violence will find it somewhere else if they can't find it in games.
8. You can't stop it - if people like violent games, there will always be a company ready to
make them.

Explain these terms
• institution
• indie
• blockbuster game
• TripleA
• mainstream
• niche market
• PEGI ratings
• The Effects Model
• Copycat crimes

Video games are culturally and
financially significant to
• Japan
• Europe and
• USA
RELEASES ARE MAJOR EVENTS – NEW CONSOLE
AND GAME RELEASES FROM POPULAR
FRANCHISES

GLOBAL FIGURES
• UK Share $4 billion
• China US $ 24.4 billion (fastest growing)
• American $23.6 billion

2017 - revenue
1. Japan
2. US
3. China
4. Germany
5. UK

Institutions
• Institution is all to do with the business and industry
behind the products.
• Institutions are the companies who design, create,
produce and market games.
• It includes big companies who produce a lot of games
and other products, medium-sized independent
companies who just produce one or a few games, and
even small companies run by one or two people.

Big or small?
• Big companies have a lot of money to put into developing and
promoting games. Their new games become big events with lots of
publicity.
• Some big companies also develop the consoles, so they can release
games for new hardware before other companies can.
• But their games are also often expensive, so people expect a lot
from them. The big companies can become 'risk-averse' - when it
costs so much to make a game, they don't want to risk doing
anything too new or unusual.

Big or small?
Small companies can focus on niche markets and unusual products.
They only need to appeal to a small target audience.
Small companies don’t need to make as much money; they don’t
need to worry about appealing to everyone; they can be freer and
more independent.
Small companies can stay in touch with their players; they can react to
changes and new ideas more quickly, update their product more
quickly and stay ahead of the big companies.
Small companies can feel special for the audience because not
everyone knows about them; they often have a small group of really
committed fans.

Blockbuster Games
• Big companies often produce AAA or Triple A games,
with high production values which are expected to sell
well and make a lot of money.
• They cost a lot to make, and are also expensive to buy.
• The release of Triple A games like the latest Call of Duty
or Halo title generates as much publicity and more
money than the release of a Hollywood blockbuster
film.

Indie
'Indie' can mean small producers who don't have the backing
of a big company. It often means a spirit or attitude as
well:
Indie producers tend to be non-traditional, unconventional,
sometimes with strong political or social agendas, or
motivated by their own artistic and creative vision:
Indie producers who have become successful include
Mojang with the hugely influential indie game 'Minecraft.'
10 minute film about Mojang.

Case Study 1: Nintendo
• One of the biggest games companies in the world.
• First games released in 1973.
• Also produce the consoles, from the first handheld
devices in the 1980s to the Nintendo DS and the Wii.
• Turnover averages $8 billion a year.
• Their games include:
Super Mario The Legend of Zelda Wii Fit

Case Study 2: Introversion
• Small UK indie company: See video 7
• Started by 3 students in London in 2001: See videos 1 and 8
• Games mix genres, blending strategy, puzzle and god-game genres. See videos
10 and 11
• The company almost went bankrupt in 2006, but is now making money from
the alpha version of ‘Prison Architect:’ See videos 3, 4 and 13
• Games include:
Uplink Darwinia DEFCON Multiwinia
See video 9

3. Blizzard Entertainment
• A pioneer of MMORPGs.
• Established 1991; now one of the biggest games companies in
the world.
• Games include:
Diablo World of Warcraft (WoW) StarCraft
• WoW: players around the world interact in a rich fantasy
world; a space for socialising as much as gaming.
• Each WoW expansion pack became the fastest selling PC-game
of its time.

Research task
Select from one of these producers or designers:
Sonic Rovio Ubisoft
Sony Sega Peter Molyneux
Harmonix Tim Schafer Warren Spector
TT Games Will Wright The Behemoth
Eric Chahi Jakub Dvorsky Firemint
Halfbrick Capy Thatgamecompany

Corporate power
• Horizontal and vertical integration (promotion
of Microsoft products)
• New devices support new versions of software
– encouraging purchase of new devices
•  $$$$

Microsoft smart phones
Xbox consoles
Digital versions of same game for different device
Windows 10 O/S
Download through Microsoft Cloud server
Microsoft Realms
PROMOTING MICROSOFT BRANDS
RESUMÉ

Curran & Seaton theory
James Curran and the power of the internet

Multimedia conglomerates
• What other companies/products does
Microsoft own?
• Nintendo?
• SONY?
• Read BBC article: Comcasts bid for Sky TV

Who is telling us the truth The real fake news
Click on link to read and watch

Videogame websites?
Research the top 10 UK and US videogame
website/blogs/YouTube
channels/magazines.
• Twitch TV
• IGN
• Games Radar
• Etc???

https://www.gamesradar.com/edge/

Who is UKIE and what is their role?
Additional useful reading:
http://ukie.org.uk/news/2019/03/its-one-two-ea-uk-all-format-charts-week-
9-2019

READER READERS READERS READERS
Games Companies
X-Box
magazine Games
Master
magazine
Game
Spot.com
IGN.com
RESUMÉ

‘The Golden Age’ 1970-1985
• 1983 US arcade and home video games industry is
worth $11.8 billion (more than US film and music
together)
• 1985 crash due to rival consoles and lack of
quality control
• By 1985 the industry was only worth $100 million

Video games industry PRE INTERNET

….. 30 years on
• Tighter regulation
• Internet speeds, 4G and Wi-Fi provide greater
accessibility

• Content (Creative/Survival/StoryMode/Realm)
• Target audience? (Minecraft versus other video gamers’ profile)
• https://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2017-video-game-trends-and-statistics-
whos-playing-what-and-why/
• Cross-play (devices available on?)
• Prosumers – participatory
• Nostalgic
• Non-destructive
• Social
• Easy
• Lego-like (familiarity)
• Non-competitive/relaxing

Why is Minecraft SO successful? MONDAY 12th MARCH
Write an exam-style answer that includes:
- The relationship and actions between gamers and
Mojang pre-release and after Microsoft’s take over.
- the style of Minecraft and why it is so appealing
- Different play modes
- Who the target audience is. (age, gender,
psychographics etc).
- why people play (what aspects are appealing?)
- consider theorists like Blumler and Katz, David
Gauntlet and Henry James.

The changing face of videogame industry
Game advertised on
magazine or TV
Gamer purchased videogame
in shop
Game stored on
cartridge/audio cassette/CD
and played on one PC or
games console
Communication between
gamer and games company =
nil
TODAY
Advertising & Marketing?
Purchase?
Format?
Communication once you own game?
PRE INTERNET

The changing face of videogame industry
Game advertised on
magazine or TV
Gamer purchased videogame
in shop
Game stored on
cartridge/audio cassette/CD
and played on one PC or
games console
gamer and games company =
nil
Technological
developments
High speed
internet and
Wi-Fi
Advertising & Promotion
Purchase of game
Format game available on
(downloadable via
Minecraft.net and/or Steam)
gamer and games company

Old form of buying and using video games versus now. New
technology and affects on Gamer, Prosumer, (purchase and use),
games company (promotion/marketing, advertising and selling).
Communication between gamer/purchaser and video game company.
Technical developments: First home PCs (audio cassette, floppy disk,
CD, consoles, high speed internet (MMOG and download/purchase of
games), Game shops required?, cross play (interplay btwn devices),
Media convergence, Wi Fi, 4G Handheld devices. On the go.

MEDIA CONVERGENCE
Games Consoles
What else can they do?
• Access social media
• Surf internet
• Stream films and TV
content
• Upload content to cloud
based servers
= more profit and Wider
audience

Smart TVs that you can play video games
on (Console sales decreasing)

Minecraft across devices
• How many versions of Minecraft are
available?
• On what devices?

• Advertising Purchase and Players
Separate roles

Media Convergence
Cross platform play (cross-play) feature July
2017 - Now available on all multiple game play
modes across consoles and handheld devices
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/games/news/minecraft-cross-platform-play-
announced-1466671

Minecraft – Multiplatform game
• PC gamers
• Smart phones
• Microsoft consoles (Xbox),
• Play Station 3, 4 and PS Vita
• Nintendo consoles Wii U
• Handheld Nintendo Switch, Nintendo New 3D3,
new 2Ds XL and New 3DS XL

MEDIA CONVERGENCE
What other areas of media convergence are there
in the video game industry?
• Advertising/promotion/marketing
• Purchasing
• Gameplay
• Devices to play game on
• Communication between player and videogame
company

Students need to know about …
The impact of media convergence on
the videogames industry
Minecraft as an example

Students need to be able to…
debate whether Minecraft lost its
ethos or retained its gaming
creativity?

Students need to be able to…
debate whether Minecraft lost its ethos or
retained its gaming creativity?
Ethos: the characteristic
spirit of a culture, era or
community

Minecraft Stats
https://expandedramblings.c
om/index.php/minecraft-
statistics/

Website of interest
• https://newzoo.com/
https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/analyzing-game-franchises-
gamers-love-minecraft/
• https://mojang.com/about/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/
• https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Minecraft_Wiki
• https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Minecraft_Wiki
• https://www.minecraftforum.net/

Exemplar Question
Explain the impact of digitally convergent media
platforms on video game production,
distribution and consumption. Refer to Minecraft
to support your answer.
[15 marks]

Explain the impact of digitally convergent media platforms on
video game production, distribution and consumption.
1. Minecraft 2009. On-line community niche prosumers. Launched 2011. Purchased
for PC only. Download or product in shop.
2. Purchased 2014 $2.5B by Microsoft. Horizontal/Vertical interaction Xbox, cloud
based storage. Was then made available on most other platforms (Mac,
PlayStation consoles, hand held devices, android etc)
3. Crossplay 2017 – play someone on a different platform/device. Windows 10, IOS,
Android, Xbox one, Nintendo Switch
4. Media convergent now: production all platforms, marketed across merchandise,
3rd party tie-ins (Lego)
5. Interaction: Play social media (Twitter etc), YouTubers, Minecon, fandom
6. Marketplace and Realms - prosumers, participatory – feed back to Mogang

Exemplar Question
Explain how media producers target and attract
audiences. Refer to Minecraft to support your
answer.
[15 marks]

Explain the impact of changing audiences
on video game production, distribution and
consumption. Refer to Minecraft to support your
answer.
[15 marks]
Exemplar Question

Minecraft
Research what the following are:
• Gardens of External Falls
• Ender Games
• Minecraft Party
• Story Mode
• Realms

Minecraft
Research what the following are:
• Gardens of External Falls. Users can create a digital
world and invite fellow gamers
• Ender Games – new multiplayer Minecraft games
• Minecraft Party - new multiplayer Minecraft games
(interaction in a different way)
• Story Mode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAnRtMEDrvU
• Realms

Realms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=Tpr-pzxPyso

Exemplar Question
PLAN OUT YOUR ANSWER
COMPLETE AS HOMEWORK
Evaluate how ongoing audience interaction
influences the production of video games. Make
specific reference to Minecraft in your answer

PLAN – 20 mins to write
1. Minecraft is…Markus ‘Notch Persson 2009 Mogang. Lego video game.
2. Interaction pre Microsoft – niche – relied on users to develop the game through its beta
programming etc Prosumers open source software. Word of mouth
3. Microsoft 2014 $2.5 billion. Buying a youthful participatory loyal audience. $$$ to
promote: Website Market place (swap mods, skins, texture packs etc), horizontal /
vertical interaction (Microsoft products X Box, Nokia phones, O/S Windows 10, One-Drive
Cloud based storage.
4. Minecon, YouTubers, Realms, Storymode, Ender Games
5. Devices – Crossplay, handheld devices
6. Merchandise
7. No of users/unit sold - 200 million
8. Summary: Minecraft Prosumers and Fans make Minecraft different from most video
games. Microsoft purchased a mainstream audience in 2014 rather than a product.
Variety of ways users/players can interact with the product

• Radio
• TV
• Cinema
• Magazine adverts
• Celebrity endorsements
• Publicity stunts
• Websites
• Competitions
• Merchandising
• Tie ins
with other products/companies
PROMOTION OF VIDEO GAMES
• TV interviews with developers/stars
• Giveaways
• Newspaper adverts
• Twitter feeds
• Pop ups on which websites?
• The making of on YouTube
• Tie ins with other products that your
target audience use?
• Product placement
(put your video game in a film/TV prog
REPRISE

Opinion leaders - Two-step Flow
USERS USERS USERS USERS
Games Companies
X-Box
magazine Games
Master
magazine
Game
Spot.com
IGN.com
REPRISE

One important area for games marketing is internet
games sites and print gaming magazines. Gaining
positive reviews can is very important.
Games reviewers are seen as 'opinion leaders' in the
games community. Their views are trusted. They pass
their views and opinions on to readers. This is the two-
step flow theory in action.
REPRISE

Media Convergence
Cross platform play (cross-play) feature July
2017 - Now available on all multiple game play
modes across consoles and handheld devices
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/games/news/minecraft-cross-platform-play-
announced-1466671
REPRISE

Media Convergence
• The merging of previously
distinct media
• Products that use Cross
platform media

1. Intro - Minecraft is…Markus ‘Notch Persson 2009 Mogang. Lego video game.
2. Production/Development: reliant on participatory feedback (prosumers/forums etc) +
open source software. Particularly pre Microsoft take over 2014 Beta stage. Not as many
products need to be manufactured as the game is downloaded. Less financial outgoing
3. Distribution – (Marketing, Advertising) On-line download/subscription. Internet allows:
forums, social media eg Twitter. Website to promote. Pop up adverts. 3rd party tie-ins eg
Lego Merchandise Jinx. Microsoft had financial backing to promote and launch on a wide
variety of devices + horizontal and vertical integration (X Box, Nokia, Windows OS10, Cloud
One Drive etc)
4. Consumption – Users/players. Mainstream. 2017 Crossplay – across devices and platforms.
Different types f gameplay + TellTale games Storymode and Realms. Prosumer/participatory
– Marketplace swap skins, textures etc. (Henry Jenkins and David Gauntlett). Celebrity
YouTubers eg DanTDM. Minecon. Variety of uses: Education, special needs and UN Habitat
5. Summary – End of Audience (Clay Shirky). Microsoft purchased a loyal participatory
community and a cross platform brand where users and players interact with the brand in a
variety of different ways. Future = VR (Virtual Reality)
Explain the impact of digitally convergent media platforms on
video game production, distribution and consumption.

The Future of videogames
Lesson 10

8th generation
• 2013 PS4 70 million consoles sold

The Future?
• VR
• AR
• Handheld devices

Video Game Industry
The future?
Multi million
budget
Triple A Video
games
Independent
cheap low
budget
‘box sets’ of video
games – non-
scoring emotional
drama video
games
Charlie Brooker from 1hr 28mins

• TV and cinema consumption waning
• Gaming increasing
• UK 5th largest revenue worldwide
• 2017 £4.2 billion pa
• Video game development up 68% since 2010

http://www.thecreati
veindustries.co.uk/in
dustries/games/game
s-facts-and-
figures/market-
strengths-and-trends

TERMINOLOGY
• User
• Prosumer
• Sandbox genre
• Beta Version
• Gameplay
• Console
• Cloud Computing
• Open Source software (OSS)
• Mods/Skins/Texture packs
• Steam?
• Realms

Terminology
• Video Games Terminology
• Platforms – physical devices on which video games are played and marketed e.g. MAC OSX, PS4, Xbox, Windows, Android,
Online Platforms, Apps
• Oligopoly – the main global institutions that commercially dominate the industry e.g. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Activision
Blizzard, EA, Square Enix
• Publishers – both independent and mainstream they are responsible for the manufacture and marketing of a video game –
the primary source of funding. Like a film will often have a production company and a distributor, a mainstream video game
will have a developer and a publisher
• Developer – they are responsible for the software development and production of a video game often including its
origination and creation. Independent video game developers are frequently self-funded while mainstream developers will
have financial and marketing support from a publisher
• Designer – designers normally work for the developer and are concerned with the content, rules, environment, storyline and
characters in a video game. Mainstream video games like COD or GTA can typically have anything up to 200 designers
working on a next project. Designers can come from an IT background and understand programming or from a creative
background or both
• Engine – a system designed for the creation and development of a video game by providing an audio-visual software
framework. Unreal Engine is a well-known game engine.
• Distribution – this is different to film in that distribution is how the video game is made available to audiences e.g. via
download. Steam is a digital distribution platform
• Triple A Games – high production value games that have a significant amount of money spent on marketing (the equivalent
of a mainstream blockbuster film)

EXTENSION TASK
Design and promote your own videogame
Lesson 11

Media Studies Video games Minecraft 12 03 19

Media Studies Video games Minecraft 12 03 19

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Media Studies Video games Minecraft 12 03 19

Editor's Notes