Examples of Past Student Work

All Student Videogame Covers Past

Marketing Strategies in the Games Industry

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Marketing Techniques – Videogames

MARKETING is a combination of the following:

ADVERTISING

PUBLIC RELATIONS

PROMOTIONAL EVENTS/ACTIVITIES

Some marketing is directly PAID FOR by the company (above the line) and some is FREE (below the line).

Which of the following are ABOVE the line and which are BELOW? Are any both?

Key Techniques:

„ Creating a Brand Image

„ TV Advertising

„ Sponsorship – especially TV where programmes are sponsored by a specific videogame

„ Print Ads

„ Billboards, Buses, Bus Shelters

„ Magazines – adverts and articles

„ Partnerships with developers and other companies (like MacDonalds/UEFA)

„ Magazine Reviews and Features (where Master Games are pre-released or key personnel interviewed)

„ Word of Mouth

Other less traditional techniques:

„ Internet Sites for new releases

„ Fan-Based community sites

„ Viral adverts

„ Get free Modules if you buy from XXX retailer

„ Downloadable only content

„ Deals with 3^rd Party Developers

„ Internet LIVE accounts such as Xbox360 Live

„ Product sampling

Marketing is all about creating a marketing mix. They use the right strategies and associations using:

Word of mouth Endorsement Celebrity Endorsement Role Models/Trendsetters

Opinion Makers Promotional Events Product Sampling

And they cover a multiple range of medias - so web/internet, television, print etc

TASK: How would you use the above strategies to construct a creative and relatively cheap marketing campaign for the following games:

1. A good parenting game for young parents to be involving role-play/simulations

2. An action/adventure game featuring a central female protagonist, designed to attract teenage girls to gaming

3. A game designed to encourage literacy skills in young children, featuring a new range of domestic pet based characters

4. A non-violent game encouraging boys to develop their team/decision making and lateral thinking skills

5. A platform game themed around ‘life’, ‘family’ and ‘relationships’ designed to appeal to pensioners

Write a brief paragraph outlining your ideas and list some techniques for each idea giving specific ideas ON YOUR BLOG.

This is homework if you do not complete it in class time.

The Audience and Segmentation

Audience & videogames

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ESA

This is the Entertainment Software Association - their website is a great place to go for facts and data find it HERE

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish computer and video games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet.

The ESA offers a range of services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, business and consumer research, government relations and intellectual property protection efforts.

The ESA also owns and operates the E3 Expo.

To read more about the Entertainment Software Association, please click any of the following links:

• Members
• Leadership
• Related Organizations

UKIE

About UKIE - what it does

UKIE is the only trade body for the UK’s wider interactive entertainment industry. They exist to champion the interests, needs and positive image of the videogames and interactive entertainment industry who's companies make up their membership.

They’re here to help ensure that their members from the videogames and wider interactive entertainment industry have the right economic, political and social environment needed for this expanding industry to thrive.

They provide a range of services to meet the shared needs of their members and to further the interests of the interactive entertainment industry as a whole:

They build working relationships with parliamentarians and policymakers to ensure industry needs are met through appropriate Government support.

Their dedicated intellectual Property Crime Unit seeks to minimise the damage caused by intellectual property theft and catch those responsible for this criminal activity.

They act as a public information resource, to help consumers and the media better understand gaming.

They provide advice to budding IP creators and sellers on how best to pursue careers in the industry. They work with our European partners, ISFE to ensure our members are aware of key EU developments and to promote the priorities and interests of the industry in Europe.

You can read more about UKIE, their areas of work in their Mission Statement and Our Policies.

Holiday Work

So whilst you're on holiday, there's some things you can be doing to help yourself with your coursework and some things you need to prepare for when you return.

Firstly, you need to BRING IN a Videogame COVER of your choice

from home OR you need to post a scanned copy of a Videogame COVER from home that you have scanned yourself. DO NOT bring any games into school, just the cover - we will show you how to scan it onto the macs and how to post it on your blogs. Choose carefully - you're going to have to analyse it as part of your research and planning so make sure there's lots of details on the covers to

Secondly you need to find a MAGAZINE advert for a videogame - think carefully about this; most gaming magazines don't have many adverts in - you'd be better looking in film magazines and other magazines like lifestyle magazines which are predominantly male in persuasion, GQ for example. and some particular music magazines. If you're not sure, go and have a read of the magazines in WHSmith's to see what to choose before you invest any cash! IF you don't have any cash and/or can't persuade your parents to part with any of theirs, then you can go to the local library - they have lots of magazines you can read FOR FREE and they're up to date. You can colour photocopy these so you could bring in a colour copy advert for just the price of a trip to the library and 20p or so for the copy. Sorted!

You should also spend your time when you're out and about over the holidays looking out for adverts for videogames that are not necessarily in magazines - if you get the chance you could even snap a pic or two on your mobile - if you have a memory card in your phone we can show you how to upload your pictures, if not you can use messaging or sites like Flickr or Facebook to link your images.

Finally, don't forget to start thinking about what your game idea is so you can be thinking about your cover and advert ideas - this will enable you to start quickly when we begin production and whilst you're working over the next weeks you can develop an extra focus in your research on texts similar to yours - it's win-win!

Videogames Worksheet - Sales

Year 10 – VIDEOGAMES WORKSHEET - sales

Videogame Genres

So what is a videogame? After we discussed this last lesson, you should be writing your notes on what constitutes a videogame onto your blog. Call your post "Videogame Definition" or something similar with those words in. Remember to label your post using the word 'Definition'.

You then need to make a post about the different genres we discussed. This must include a list of ALL the videogame genres we discussed in class and you should include in this post your personal favourite TWO genres, saying why you like playing those particular genres of games. You need only list the actual genre names for the first part of this piece of work.

Make sure you cover ALL the ideas we discussed in class - remembering that this is ALL coursework and ALL of your work counts towards your GCSE Marks.

What you then need to do is to investigate those genres with a partner. You have been given a list of videogames and you need to sort them into the genres. See how many are 'cross-over' genres and how many are 'hybrid'. 'Cross-over' games cover two genres, whereas 'Hybrid' games cover more than two.

AFTER you have sorted the games, on the blank circles sheet you were given, write in the names and then bring it to Miss so she can scan your sheet onto the computer so you can UPLOAD it onto your blog. Label this post 'Genres'.

What you don't finish in class today will be your homework. Remember again, that this is all about your coursework and contributes to your final GCSE grade.

Console Factfiles

CLICK HERE - PS3
CLICK HERE - Wii
CLICK HERE - Xbox360

Hello and Welcome

This will be the new VIDEO GAMES Unit Blog for year 10 GCSE Media Studies