Wii Party Case Study

General research

1. When was Wii Party released on the Nintendo Wii? It was released on October 25th, 2013
2. Which developer/institution created Wii Party? Nintendo Software Planning and Development and Nintendo Gamecube
3. How many copies has the game sold since release? 1.24Million

Broadcast

1. What are the key conventions of a videogame TV advert? What would you expect to see in most videogame TV adverts? Gameplay footage, age rating, credits, special features and release dates. I mostly expect to see gameplay footage, it will determine whether you like the game or not.
2. How many of the key conventions you have listed above appear in the Wii Party TV adverts? List them with specific details from the Wii Party TV adverts. There was gameplay, showing different minigames with different people being played. They were showing special features like a camera on the Wii game-pad, also there was a online leader board, but they didn't' show the age rating off the game.
3. What is the typical setting for Wii Party TV adverts? Why is that setting used? In a modern house. They used that to show its a game for any demographic group.
4. How might the setting appeal to families? In the trailer it shows different races of families, so it is saying the game is for anyone.
5. What celebrities do the adverts feature? They promote the game. e.g. If loads of people like JLS and see them playing the game, they will want it because JLS have it.
6. What do you notice about the celebrities' costume and make-up?
7. Why do you think those particular celebrities were chosen? Because they are really popular on the music charts at the time of release.
8. What do the celebrities suggest about the Wii Party target audience? They suggest that making different celebrities play the game must show an interest they have in the game, e.g. The Redknapps were playing a football game so football fans might want it. JLS were playing it, so loads of girls might want it.
9. What else can you learn about the Wii Party target audience from the TV adverts? Suggest a demographic profile: gender, age, social class etc.
10. Both male and female, 50% male 50% female, most likely 10-20 age range, demographic class ABC1. Most likely to own a decent house and car, spend time with family and go out a lot. They are also most likely to wear known brands of clothing and likely to own Samsung or iPhones 3-5s.
11. What audience pleasures do the Wii Party TV adverts offer to viewers? Refer to Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory when answering this question.
12. What examples of branding can you find in the Wii Party TV adverts - either for the game itself or Nintendo Wii?
13. Do you think the TV adverts were effective for promoting the Wii Party game? Yes, because they got different celebrities with different interests in sports or other games they have in it, and Wii Party would have it, also the fans would get it if there favorite celebrity has got it.

Print

1. Find a Wii Party review from a magazine or newspaper. What does the review suggest about the target audience for the game? The telegraph says the Wii U is a great game, that appeals to families with many different mini games, they believe it is great for them to play and have fun with.
2. Is the review positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from the review to support this view. This review is positive 
   Wii Party U may be seen by many as another mini-game compendium churned out to appeal to families but there is more to it than meets the eye
3. Do you think magazine reviews are effective in promoting the game to Wii Party's target audience? Yes, they are vital because if people end up reading lets say 5 negative reviews to 1, chances are they are not going to buy the game.

E-media

1. Visit the Wii Party website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a Wii Party fan? The website is quite bright and colourful so it would grab attention quite quickly, there are also other parts of the website you can go to showing different types of game modes like mini games, party games, all to do with the one game.
2. What do you notice about the people in the scrolling central image featured on the website? I can see that it shows different cultures/races of different families playing the game as well as shots of game play footage in there.
3. How many times can you find the words 'friends' or 'family' used on the official website? Why do you think the website emphasises this aspect of the game? The website uses friends and family to show, its for everyone.
4. What is the colour scheme for the website? What does this suggest about the target audience? They have used this colour scheme to show its for male and female genders, there is pink which most girls would be known to like and there is blue which most males will like, but maybe all colours to show they are for everyone, not just focusing on one gender.
5. Look at the 'Video Gallery' on the official website. What do the 'Invitation' videos suggest about the Wii Party target audience?
6. How many 'likes' has the Wii Party/Wii Party U Facebook wall had? 119k
7. How does the Wii Party Facebook wall cross-promote other Nintendo games? Find three examples and explain why they appeal to the Wii Party target audience.
8. Wii Party does not have such a strong presence on other social networking sites. Why do you think this is?
9. Which platform do you think is strongest in promoting Wii Party to its target audience - broadcast, print or e-media? Why? Broadcast, because if someone writes a review for the game, and multiple people agree, more people will be more likely to buy the game as well as gameplay trailers too, they are quite effective because you can get different people to play the game which shows its for anyone.