Component One: Section B Investigating Media Industries and Audiences

1. Component One: Section B Investigating Media Industries and Audiences Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Summary of Textbook p.115-119

2. Key Terms and Definitions: PEGI: • The Pan European Game Information age rating system was established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games. Launched in Spring 2003 and replaced a number of national age rating systems with one single system. MMORPG: • Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game Persistent Worlds: • A feature of MMORPG games, meaning that the game world continues even when the gamer is not part of it. In this way the virtual world replicates real life. CRPG: • Computer Role Playing Game Augmented Reality: • Computer generated content overlaid on a real world environment commonly used in video games. Augmented reality hardware comes in many forms including devices that you can carry, such as hand-held displays, and devices you wear, such as headsets and glasses Avatar: • Player’s representation of themselves within the game PlayStation Vita: • Hand held game console developed and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Successor to the Play Station Portable. Ubisoft: • A French global computer game publisher and develop, with headquarters in France. It is currently the third largest independent game publisher in both Europe and the USA. Transgressive Behaviour: • Behaviour that goes beyond the norms of social acceptability

3. Historical Context of Video Games Industry • Popular Consoles: • XBOX 360 • PLAYSTATION • PLAYSTATION VITA Overview: • computer game industry is relatively new • Recent years profile of gamers has changed and it is no longer the case that a gamer is a lone male teenager in their bedroom; gamers are now of all ages and demographics, and of both genders • The playing of computer games is now also taken seriously as a media industry, and computer games are now accepted as media products valid for study in the same way as films and television programmes • Some games are very complex in their construction and demands made on the gamer, compared with other media products.

4. Regulation of the Video Games Industry Overview: Regulation of video games is a sensitive issue and there are regular reports regarding the suitability of the content of video games and the easy accessibility to this content by young people. The wider media usually waste no time apportioning blame for the violent behavior and lack of sociability of young people to the gaming industry. Certain games, for example GTA and COD , have caused concern over their content and its potential effect on the gamer Until 2012, classification of video games was carried out by both PEGI and the BBFC. This is now the role of the video standards council (VSC), although the BBFC is still responsible for the classification of all non-game linear content on a game disc, such as trailers and featurettes. VSC regulate and classify games using the PEGI system to give a game rating and additional information about the content in the game.

5. Regulation of the Video Games Industry Why is regulation necessary? So consumer’s parents are aware of Kind of content that is in the game to Therefore see if the game is fit for their Child. What is PEGI? A system that gives ratings for the consumers.

6. What’s the Audience Appeal of Video Games? • The game is linked to a more traditional console version and which was simultaneously released with this game. This might be considered as an attempt to draw gamers from different platforms to purchase additional hardware and adopt new gaming habits. • The two versions of the game are also linked in terms of downloadable content and special features. This relates to changing patterns of consumption. Gamers might be being encouraged to have a more complete or satisfying experience by using a range of interlinked products that offer exclusive downloadable content

7. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Production, Distribution and Circulation: • The game was released on the Sony hand held device PlayStation Vita. It was developed by Ubisoft and released alongside Assassin’s Creed III on the PlayStation 3. • This simultaneous release might be discussed in terms of an attempt to have maximum impact on the three major markets for console and video game release (Japan, North America and Europe). • In terms of production the game was a multinational development which is typical of game production in larger studios such as Ubisoft.

8. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Economic Context Summary: • Video games are culturally and financially significant across three major territories (Japan, Europe and the USA). • The release of new gaming technology (PS Vita is considered part of the 8th generation of game technology) or games from popular franchises can be major economic events. • It would be useful to explore the way that games and technology (and specifically those from within the Assassin’s Creed game franchise) have been marketed and received across the three major territories.

9. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Watch the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RxYUw4DFY How important is the trailer in the marketing of the game? =the trailer is the story line of the game. It shows that it’s a story of a young black women who her and her family were part of the slave trade. By the violence shown between the characters, it shows that the game is targeted to an older audience (18+); this is also shown by the behavior of the white male characters, e.g. one whips a black female- this wouldn’t be aimed at a young age group. The trailer shows the goal of the main character that they would be playing and what goals are going to be achieved by the end of the story. it shows the main character of the game, narrating her a back story, her conflict and her aim.

10. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation What is the Unique Selling Point of the PS Vita?: it offers an immersive experience for the gamer, away from constraints of the console or the television Who is the Target Audience?: ‘on the go’ gamer who is attracted to flexibility of the playing experience Why do you think the creators of the game included the (female/mixed race) character of Aveline de Grandpre? address the rise in female gamers who could want a female role playing experience

11. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Social and Cultural Context: What issues are subject to debate in the gaming industry and why? Considering video games in relation to gender issues may be a useful way to explore them in terms of social and cultural significance. The representation of female characters, under-representation of women in video game development and an assumed minority of female video games players are areas that could be explored. This game has a female protagonist and it may be useful to consider whether she subverts or reinforces expectations of female characters in games and how audiences may respond to this.

12. Set Product: Assassins Creed 3: Liberation Study the following gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L97VKWGPo78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmgHaL-ljs Key Question: Do you think that Aveline is a positive role model for female game players?

13. Key Theory: Bandura – Media Effects What does Bandura suggest in his idea? (3 key points) • The media implant ideas in the mind of the audience directly • That the audience acquire attitudes and emotional responses and new styles of conduct through modelling • That media representations of transgressive behavior, such as violence or physical aggression, can lead audience members to imitate those forms of behavior.

14. Key Theory: Bandura – Media Effects Key Question: Do you agree with his theory? Can playing violent video games lead audiences to imitating them in real life? Yes because a lot of the time you would have a younger audience playing games that could contain sexual or violent content within and playing those kind of games could make the audience pick up on the behavior, Addtionally, most young audiences who play those types of games pick up on vocab used and imitate them not being aware of what they mean.