Star Trek Campaign Analysis

The first most important aspect about creating a buzz is the E3 announcement trailer to maintain interest as it will let the audience and target audience know that a new game is coming out otherwise the audience will never have known that a new Star Trek video game and it will not create any type buzz so that is what I think is a important aspect for creating a buzz.

The next most important aspect of creating a buzz is the teaser trailer as it is like giving the audience or Trekys a little pre-views of what the game will be like and who the main characters and a release date.

Thirdly, the next most important aspect is the Website and Twitter feed launch with the updates on Facebook, the game enemy announced with gameplay footage posted online such as YouTube and a interview with the game producer. This gives the target audience to take in as actual gameplay footage footage has been released with the official in-game enemy which will create a lot of buzz as the Trekys will know about Gorn and would really want to play knowing the in-game enemy is him/it.

Fourthly, the most important aspect about the game is that the official advert was released and that pre-order  promotional boxes arrives at your local game stores and the game has been officially been promoted on TV and on the radio. this creates buzz as the gameplay footage would have been shown to everyone who watches the specific channels that Star Trek is usually on or else it would be useless to show the advert on the kids channels and what will create the biggest buzz so far is the pre-order promotional boxes will finally be sent to your accommodation after a long wait as the promotional boxes should include limited edition items and codes for a new weapon of some sort

• Teaser trailer - Its showing different characters and settings from the movie.
• Xbox teaser trailer - Same as the above as well as a lot of action.
• Full trailer - Shows in-game action, flying space crafts as well as grotesque monsters.
• Comedy trailer with William Shatner - Has humour, showing the original Star Trek and stimulating music.

3) How many views did these trailers receive in total? 185,765

4) Why did the Star Trek video game publisher develop the marketing campaign over such a long time? So fans of the movie will know that a game will soon exist as well as be informed of any new information of the game slowly and the interest is slowly building up.

5) What other examples can you find online from the Star Trek marketing campaign? Print? Reviews? Broadcast? E-media? Do you feel the campaign as a whole was successful? I feel like the campaign was somewhat successful as a lot of thoughts been into it but the product and trailers were bad so the game was in the end unsuccessful. 

Phone and Tablet Gaming

1) The amount of money made by Candy Crush Saga is an estimated £610,000 ($1,000,000) per day from its user.
2) They buy add-ons, extra lives and access to higher levels.
3) 500 million people have been estimated to have downloaded Candy Crush Saga
4) 60% of UK gamers play to and from work and 28% of people play at work or during work hours
5) November 2012: the game was released for IOS devices. December 2012: the game was released for Android devices.
6) It reached 500 million downloads worldwide on November 2013.
7) The typical Candy Crush gamer is young men at home, using consoles. The advent of smartphones and tablets has changed gaming - so much so that the typical Candy Crush Saga player is a woman aged 25-45.
8) 25% of players playing Candy Crush have spent money on in-game purchases.
9) 30% of Candy Crush players admit they're addicted to the game.
10) I have played Candy Crush but I am not that addicted to it as I rarely play it but when I do play the game, I will only for 30 minutes as it gets a bit annoying.

The Daily Mail article about Candy Crush suggests that the target audience of the game has millions of people in their grip because of the game, women aged between the ages of 25 and 55 are the most demographically loyal the the game. The audience for the game find the game really addictive and label the game as their own as they're that addicted to the game such as " Crack Candy"  or they simply play the game in-order to pass their friends by playing the game for 8 hours a day or how the game is literally taking over their life; dreaming about it, craving it, wanting it. This game is free so almost anyone can play the game and if they have time such as waiting for the bus/train to using the game for your own game that may become a bigger hit than Candy Crush. The age rating would be 10-50, 60% female and 40% male as females probably would have more patience more than males as some people may have a short temper and smash their device such as when the game Flappy Birds came out on Android and IOS. 

PlanetSide 2 mini case study:

1. What is Planetside 2?
2. What genre does the game belong to?
3. Planetside 2 developer/publisher:
4. When was it launched?
5. How does the gameplay work?
6. What are the six different player classes in the game?
7. What is the story or narrative to the game?

Planetside 2 is a free-to-play massively online first person shooter. The genre this game belongs to are action, adventure and the Planetside 2 game developer and publisher are Sony Online Entertainment. The game was first launched November 20th 2012 on PC. The gameplay works as it is a re-creation of the first Planetside game with the same world, the same armies/factions and round about the same time period.
The six different game classes available in-game are:

• The infiltrator class is a sniper class with a unique ability of clocking and hacking. Weapons available for this class are sniper rifles, scout rifles, and sub-machine guns to deliver pleasing results.
• The Light Assault Class which offers shotguns, carbines and sub-machine guns with a character skin of a scout. The ability for this class is Jump Jets which allows the player to fly for a short period of time.
• The Combat Medic is a healing class. Weapons included are assault rifles, sub-machine guns and shotguns. The ability included are to heal and resurrect other players.
• The Engineer Class has the ability to repair turrets, MAX units and vehicles. Also they have the ability to build anti-infantry and anti-vehicle turrets. Weapons included are carbines, shotguns, sub-machine guns and battle rifles.

The Heavy Assault Class include light machine guns, sub-machine guns, shotguns, battle rifles and rocket launchers which are effective at crushing enemy vehicles. The special ability includes a shield to endure heavy fire.
Planetside 2 is a science-fiction massively multiplayer online first-person shooter set approximately 300 years after the discovery of Auraxis, although the chronology of the game universe starts a few years before. After the Earth has nearly come to ruin following a devastating war, the world's governments came to a consensus and united under one banner: the world-wide Terran Republic. Some time later a wormhole, one which scientists fail to explain, appears and then disappears without a trace. Ex-President of the Terran Republic, Tom Connery, believes that the wormhole is a sign of existing extraterrestrial life and launches several space expeditions. The first expedition to Moon Belt gives a lead—a figurine of alien nature—giving Connery a reason to start a second expedition further into space. Several Terran Republic ships travel through the wormhole and are stranded for a very long period of time; their situation grows dire. Due to the crew's mental exhaustion and provision limit, strict curfews are applied. Later, a vote is held about the necessity of the measures. The positive vote wins, but only barely. There are nearly as many negative votes. A second vote is called. However, a terrorist bomb destroys the ship on which the vote is to occur, killing everyone aboard, including Connery. Curfews pass. Later, the expedition discovers the planet Auraxis, and as a result, Vanu, or "ancient", technology. Among this vast array of technology is "Rebirthing Chambers", capable of reviving any person from any kind of injury with even the smallest amount of genetic code. This removed the main tool of the Terran Republic on Auraxis, fear. As a result the Republic banned the use of this technology, but some scientists continued, forming the Vanu Sovereignty, as the Terran started to militarize to control this, a collection of separatists broke off, forming the New Conglomerate, who stole weapons and equipment from the militarization process. So exactly 175 years after Tom Connery and the other leaders of the Terran Republic were killed, the war between the Terran Republic and the New Conglomerate breaks out. Following this, the New Conglomerate attacks the scientists who were still working on the alien technology, the Vanu Sovereignty, and they are as a result drawn into the conflict with the Terran Republic and the New Conglomerate. This prevented any work towards finding a way to regain contact with Earth, and the war for Auraxis has been raging ever since.

Business model

Now look at the section on the Planetside 2 business model.

1. How much does Planetside 2 cost to play?
2. What does a subscription offer to players?
3. What can the in-game currency be used to buy?
4. Why do some players dislike games in which users can buy additional weapons or health

Planetside 2 is a free to play game however there is a in-game store to purchase items and skin changes using real money. The subscription offers to players increased experience, certificate points and extra resources such as grenades or health kits. In game currency can be used to buy new weapons and armour. Some players will dislike the use of other players buying additional weapons and health as it counts as cheating and is also un-fair to other players as it may be confused with hacking the game itself which can be a problem for the player buying the health kits and or weapons.

Write a possible target audience demographic for Planetside 2 in general:

Gender/age/social class/education/employment/location etc.

The possible target audience demographic for Planetside 2 is:

• 65% male and 53% female
• age: 12-45
• social class BC123
• eduction: middle to higher
• employment- political power- to business man
• Location: Flat-house

Now write a target audience demographic for each faction from Planetside 2 – it will be similar to the overall target audience but think carefully about changes in age, education or employment:

The Terran Republic: This is a faction which has a more traditional mind set of a military soldier i.e words like: Duty, Honour, Saviour and Justice are used to define them and the target audience for them will be mainstreamers.

The Vanu Sovereignty: This faction is one that consider themselves as more intelligent than the others. Words like; Wisdom, Enlightenment and strength are used to define them

The New Conglomerates: This faction is the most different out of the three. This is because this faction is a more rebellious, anti-establishment and against oppression.

Now use what you have learned about psychographic profiling to choose potential psychographic groups for each of the three factions:

The Terran Republic: This faction is for the mainstreamers. This is because these people are happy with the way things are and are used to following a routine. They also like thinking about others before they think about themselves.

The Vanu Sovereignty: This faction is for the succeeders who seek control. This is because they assume they are superior than others and have strong goals and self coonfidence. These gamers are normally organised

The New Conglomerates: This faction is for the reformers and want change. These gamers are quite rebellious and like to go on the path of their own ignoring other instructions or rules valuing their own independent judgement. These gamers are usually at the leading edge of society.

AIDA exercise

Game: The Mii Games

The target audience for the game would be suited to families and above ages 3 and above.The  platform of the game is Nintendo Wii and DS.

The marketing material that we will create to attract the audience attention is by using TV adverts,billboards,direct media and channel circulars.We can generate in game play to the audience by including HD footage of the game and affordable packs for the  audience.We can do a special promotion to the audience if they pre order  the game by getting a game pack for free such as Olympic pack.We can stimulate audience desire to buy the game by having trailers that  make the audience want to buy the game.At the end of the trailer we  would include details of the the website and links to the twitter and Facebook homepage.

Videogame Advertising: institution

Rockstar Games
Background: 1998, New York City
Owner/founder: Take 2 Interactive
Most successful games: GTA IV, GTA V, GTA San Andreas
Interesting fact about the institution: They have sold millions of copies of the game GTA V as soon as it was released

EA (Electronic Arts)
Background: Redwood City CA, 1982
Owner/founder: Pogo.com
Most successful games: FIFA 14, Battlefield 4/3
Interesting fact about the institution: They have took part in many games which are now really popular such as FIFA

Zynga
Background: CA San Francisco July 2007
Owner/founder: Michael Luxton, Scott Dale, Justin Waldron, Steve Schoetller, Eric Schiermeyer, Kyle Stewart and Mark Pincus
Most successful games: Candy Crush
Interesting fact about the institution: Candy Crush has had millions of installs and made loads of money from in-game purchases.

Nintendo
Background: September 23rd, 1889 Kyoto, Japan
Owner/founder: Fusajiro Yamauchi
Most successful games: Mario Kart
Interesting fact about the institution: Nintendo made the first ever movement required console, the Nintendo Wii

Sony Computer Entertainment
Background: November 16th, 1993, Tokyo, Japan
Owner/founder: Ken Kutaragi and Norio Ohga
Most successful games: Playstation 3/4
Interesting fact about the institution: Has created the Playstation 4, which is a next gen console.


Task 2: Advertising agencies

Look at the following advertising agency websites:

W+K Amsterdam

1. What do the letters stand for? (Clue: look at the very bottom of the website) 
2. Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam 2012
3. What brands have W+K Amsterdam advertised? Coca Cola, ESPN, Nike, Honda, Microsoft, Miller Brewing, Old Spice, Facebook, Procter & Gamble, Chrysler, Mobile
4. In your opinion, what is the most creative campaign on their website? The Heineken advert, it has many creative aspects as well as an urban feel poster
5. What videogame campaigns have they created? FIFA 14
6. What additional information can you find out about the FIFA14 advertising campaign?

Rokkan

1. How long has the Rokkan advertising agency been around for? 14 years
2. Where is Rokkan based? New York, NY
3. What brands have Rokkan advertised? Jetblue, Sharp, Nestle Purina
4. Why was Rokkan's campaign for the videogame 'Dishonored' so successful? For having the best graphics
5. Who was the publisher for 'Dishonored'? Bethesda Softworks

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.

Fifa 14 case study

1.

This poster promotes the game by it saying "Real leagues, Real teams, Real players," which tells us that this game is for everyone as there are a wide range of leagues and teams for a wide range of places where the game is available as the game is not focused on one thing or one place.

2. The conventions used for the poster are the Fifa 14 logo, the slogan and the team Barcelona with Lionel Messi celebrating a goal in his football gear.

3. Realism in football games reaches its maximum.

FIFA 14 is still the amazing soccer simulation we know, with a host of improvements and the most complete set of players, teams and game modes.

Although lacking a bit in terms of innovation when compared with previous iterations, FIFA 14 remains a well balanced, profound and addictive soccer experience, that will be enjoyed by rookies and veterans alike.

These reviews from Game Critics are positive, probably because the developers try hard to get the game better than normal, using real ball physics and such.

4. Magazine reviews are effective because a lot of gamers read magazines about the games on the front cover or on specific consoles because they want to see what other gamers has given the game they might want to buy as firstly, if its negative it will decrease the chance of the game being sold however if the reviews for the game are positive, the game will have a higher success rate of the game being sold.

5.Print, because you can place posters and flyers on billboards or your local game store so when your either going somewhere or are going to get a new game it would be quite visible un-like on the internet as people would only use the internet to search up specific things and or think that somethings related to the game are just pop-ups or ads.

Broadcast:

1. The advert attracts the audience as it shows almost a whole range of different types of people and races playing the game which symbolises the game is for everyone to play,

2. Messi is driving the van to lead a whole group of people to victory and kinds of let the people follow the steps to becoming as a good as Messi.

3. It features the Fifa 14 brand in bold letters on the back of the van, where it opens, with released game play, along with the current number one football player, Lionel Messi

4. Because the game is meant to be played by everyone such as normal people to A- list celebrities.

5. It is different from the TV advert itself as on the TV advert, it focuses the game op people but on the other hand, the game trailer features with gameplay coming directly from the game including the new features mentioned and how good the game is.

6. The trailer is effective in promoting the game as the trailer shows the new features that has never been seen before on Fifa such as the realistic movements and effects also it includes high-definition gameplay to show how this game advances from previous Fifa games.

E-media:

1. The Fifa 14 website attracts and maintains the attention of a Fifa 14 fan as almost the whole home page for the game is almost filled with the number one footballer, Messi.

2. The Fifa 14 facebook wall has 21 million likes.

3. The ones i have chosen seem to like to get the audience involved as if they were there in-order to get their personal opinions. A way of doing this is by hosting/entering competitions to try and interact with the Fifa fans.

4.

5. The twitter hashtag for Fifa 14 is #FIFA14  which is used to spread information or your personal opinion or a comment on whether the game is good or bad suggest why or how.

6. The three most recent tweets were about the Fifa 14 ultimate team and in-game player packs as this appeals to the audience by saying that the people playing Fifa 14 wants the players from the pack they posted about.

7.