Video Game Industry

How is the video game industry specialised?


  • Interactive
  • Huge resource expenditure
  • Much higher RRP
  • Longer length
  • A dedicated, core, target audience.
  • Games developed for specific hardware, or released multiplatform.

David Hesmondhalgh:Argues that companies use advertising and marketing techniques to minimise risk and maximise profit.
Assassins Creed III - Liberation
Published by Ubisoft in 2012 for the PlayStation Vita, with a subsequent HD re-release for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
How does the trailer target a specialised and generalised audience?Leading female character instead of a man to attract a wider, generalised audience of females as well as males - trying to increase female gamers.Representation of ethnic groups to attract a wider audience again. Typically main characters are white so the fact that the main character isn't is effective at attracting minorities that would relate to the character.Goes against stereotypes - woman being more powerful/stronger than men.Hermeneutic codes used throughout the trailer to create questions for the audience. Similar to a film trailer. Additionally, the music is dramatic like a film trailer and progressed in pace as the narrative of the trailer progresses.Cinematography is less like the gameplay and more like a film because of close ups on peoples faces, slow motion etc. This is recognisable to people who have never seen a game trailer as they would see it like a film.Narration like a film trailer.Title screens saying things like 'upgraded' and 'all new missions' suggesting that it is appealing to an audience who have already played previous assassins creed games (specialised audience) by saying that this one is better.Age 18 regulation - attract a specialised audience who like violent games. Titles saying HD applies to a specialised audience of those who play games as they would know what they mean.Mise-en-scene attracts people who are attracted to the older, traditional style of fighting.


Ubisoft 

1995:
Rayman
Platform genre
Released on: PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, Nintendo DSi
Target Audience: Younger children
Critical Reception: Animation and music highly praised. Achieved Electronic Gaming Monthly their game of the month award.
Commercial Success: Sold over 900,000 copies in two years - best selling playstation game of all time.

2001:
Batman: Vengeance
Genre: Action
Released on: PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Xbox, Microsoft Windows.
Target Audience: Based from kids TV show 

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