Videogames 5 - the regulation of the videogame industry

The regulation of the videogame industry is largely ineffective, thanks to digitally convergent technologies

Above is a straightforward conclusion that you can use in pretty much any exam response on regulation, or media industries in general. It means that it is impossible to impose regulations, as digital technologies have made it so easy to sidestep regulations.

Can't get in to the cinema to watch an 18 rated film? Just watch it on Netflix, or (!!!) download it instead.

It's illegal for newspapers to harass people and publish material which may stir racial hatred. How do certain newspapers get away with it? By publishing online, where regulations are harder to impose, and letting the commentators say exactly what they really want to say instead!

Videogames are very much in the same ballpark. We have some of the strictest regulation of the videogame industry in the world, after a few notable examples such as Germany, and especially Australia. However, it is easy enough to circumvent regulation. If a game is banned or censored in the UK (for example Manhunt 2 on the Nintendo Wii), it can be imported from other countries like America, or even downloaded for free if we include piracy as an option.

Task: watch this video on the regulation of the videogame industry, making notes on how videogames are regulated, and the many problems with this regulation

As a bare minimum, you must know who regulates videogames in the UK and the rest of Europe, and Livingstone and Lunt's criticisms of this!

Preventing harm 

We arguably need regulations and rules for two broad reasons:

To protect intellectual property or copyright 

(to stop people from pinching your product and not paying you), and

To prevent harm

(to stop people from being mentally scarred after using your product)

We can also add in libel and defamation here, i.e deliberately damaging someone's reputation, but we don't need to think about this so much for the videogame industry.

Task - watch some of this gameplay footage from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

No, you absolutely do not need to watch the full 90 minutes! In fact, skip backwards and forwards to get a good indication of the game's content. Then, answer the following questions as fully as possible:

• What material in this game is likely to harm or offend an audience?
• What age certificate does this game deserve? 
• How have you reached this conclusion?
• How does being an interactive videogame affect the potential harm and distress this game may cause?
• In what ways does this game try to be inclusive and accessible to audiences?
• Who is the target audience for this game? Be very specific (age, gender, social class, etc!)

This gameplay footage will be an excellent example to use in both mock exams and the final exam also!

The next few weeks in A-level media studies

The next few weeks are going to be a little different, because of the upcoming mock exam (KA4). Please note that while these dates are correct at the time of writing this post, things may change.

The department and the college are operating under the assumption that we will not be returning to normal lessons until September.

5 - Monday 18th May- Videogame industry week 2: industry topics

All the industry stuff

Monday 25th May - Half term holiday

Take it easy!

1 - Monday 1st June - Mock exam preparation week

Exam technique and essay writing skills

2 - Monday 8th June - KA4: mock week

You will have the week to complete your mock exams and assessments. There will be no formal teaching in this week to allow you to do this!

3 - Monday 15th June - Progression week

What do you want to do after college? You have a week to plan, and to complete your 'My Plans' document with your progress coach

4 - Monday 22nd June - Videogame industry week 3: Audience topics

Finishing off the videogame industry

5 - Monday 29th June - Radio industry week 1: background and context

Starting the radio industry topic. Don't worry, it's a short one

6 and 7 - Monday 6th July until end of term - Learning conversations and finishing the radio industry topic

Face to face learning conversations (more information on this when it becomes available!!). Additional work set to finish off the radio industry

Summer holiday

Once we return in September, our plan is to jump straight in to the music video coursework. But this is too far ahead to consider for now. Just make sure all your planning and preparation is ready to go!

Videogames 4 - Ubisoft, media diversity, and economic factors in the videogame industry

This unit is all about cold, hard facts

You'll find loads of key facts on the YouTube channel

How significant are economic factors in the videogame industry? Refer to the Assassin's Creed franchise in your answer

Above is a potential question that could come up in the exam. In today's lesson, we're going to work out how to answer it.

First of all, what does it actually mean? Well, economic factors are broadly to do with making money. The question asks 'how significant" is making money to the videogame industry? Well, the answer should be pretty clear: economic factors are very significant for the videogame industry!

So how does the videogame industry make money? We've already looked at a few examples.

We have learned that videogames are a specialised industry.

We have looked at how videogames are developed and marketed.

And, in just the last session, we looked at how important trailers are for marketing the Assassin's Creed franchise to both niche and mass audiences.

One thing we have not looked at so much is the company that actually make the Assassin's Creed franchise; Ubisoft themselves.

Ubisoft - a multinational conglomerate videogame developer 

Task - Before you do anything else, watch this video on Ubisoft and media diversity, making notes as you watch 

It explores once more how Ubisoft minimise risk and maximise profit (Hesmondhalgh), and goes over the concepts of vertical and horizontal integration. This concepts are essential for any industry response in the exam!

Task - research Ubisoft and their games. You can find instructions in the image below. You cannot pick an Assassin's Creed game for this bit!

Assassin's Creed: building a fact file

The exam specification states that you can refer to the Assassin's Creed franchise as a whole, but it would be good to pick out a particular game to make reference to in the exam.

I have already stated I would like you to make reference to the (as yet unreleased) Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and its marketing material (particularly its trailer). For this task, you will research any other Assassin's Creed game.

Wikipedia is great for harvesting  raw facts! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Task - pick an Assassin's Creed game that has been released, and research it to answer the following questions

(If you really don't know what game to pick, then let's make this easy: you're doing Assassin's Creed: Unity)

Use Wikipedia and other sources to research the following

• Title
• Premise (what country and era is it set in?)
• Platform (eg Playstation 4 and Xbox One)
• Release date
• Development time and cost
• Which studio developed it? (eg Ubisoft Montreal)
• Commercial success (how much money did it make?)
• Re-releases and special editions
• RRP on release
• Critical reception (google name of game and 'Metacritic' to make this easy. Post a couple of review quotes)
• Merchandise
• Anything else?

You'll be referring to this Assassin's Creed game in both mock exams and the final exam, so make sure you get as many cold hard facts as possible!

Videogames 3 - Assassin's Creed: the role of trailers in marketing

David Hesmondhalgh: it is essential for media industries to minimise risk, and to maximise profit

The role of trailers - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla pre-release trailer

Watch this video on the Assassin's Creed Valhalla trailer

At the time of writing this blog post and making this video, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is unreleased. However, the marketing materials and online relations and discussions surrounding this unreleased game can be referred to in the exam!

You can watch the original trailer here

This trailer is going to be something you refer to in the exam, no matter what question comes up. So make sure you watch it again, and again, and again....

Other trailers

Assassin's Creed: E3 announcement trailer (2007)

Instead of using in-game graphics, the trailer instead uses pre-rendered CG. In brief, this trailer looks different to how the game actually plays. These 'CG announcement trailers' often lead to negative reactions from core/niche audiences however.

Fans Mad at New Assassin's Creed Valhalla Trailer - IGN Now

Why did Ubisoft make this decision? How might fans react to the use of pre-rendered CG in videogame trailers?

Assassin's Creed Revelations E3 Trailer (2011)

One marketing strategy utilised by Ubisoft is the use of prerelease trailers accompanied by a famous pop song. The song selected is often wildly at odds with the setting of the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Why does Ubisoft employ this marketing strategy? How can it appeal to mass audiences?

Videogames 2 - Videogames are a specialised industry

If you get asked to talk about videogames in the exam, there are two main types of question that can come up:

Industry questions

These focus on how the videogame industry is structures, and how it is a specialised industry, and differs from other media industries. These kind of questions are asking for cold, hard facts, and an in depth knowledge and understanding of the industry. 

An example of an industry question is In what ways does the videogame industry use specialised forms of production? Make reference to the Assassin's Creed franchise [12]

Audience questions

These questions will either focus on how producers target and position audiences, or how audiences can respond to media products.

An example of an audience question is In what ways do the producers of videogames address the needs of both mass and specialised audiences? Make reference to the Assassin's Creed franchise [12]

In both instances, you will have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of how the industry works, and this post/lesson will give you the means to include this.

If you want to check every possible question that could ever come up in the exam, then have a look at the revision guide, which you can find by clicking here. 

What makes games a specialised industry?

A composer at work in Ubisoft's Ivory Tower studio in Lyon, France. This studio is just one of many studios Ubisoft operates, a practice typical of a major videogame publisher and developer

Videogames, like any form of media are totally different from any other industry. They are a specialised industry, and they exist to make money in the most effective manner possible.

Check out this video on how videogames differ from other forms of media, and make notes on how this is the case.

E3 and the role of trade shows in the videogames industry

Sony's area at the 2003 edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Trade shows are vital resources for videogame publishers and developers to show off their projects, and to increase their sales through word of mouth

Watch this video on how videogames are developed and marketed, and make notes. 

The Electronics Entertainment Expo is perhaps the most famous and arguably the most important mainstream videogame exposition in the world. This highly coordinated event allows publishers to show off new games to crowds of journalists and other industry professionals. These trade shows are extensively covered on videogame websites, and streamed live on to YouTube and other streaming services.

Research the history of E3. What is it? What are some significant events? Why is it so important to the videogame industry? And what are some issues with it?

Make sure to include all your notes in a new blogpost, and, to help me find it, it would be great if you could give it the same title as this post. And remember to publish it after you've finished!

Videogames 1 - Introduction to the videogame industry

The history of videogames

Check out this video 

Please note that this video makes some reference to adult themes, and a content warning is included in the video description. It's a very long, yet also extremely truncated and biased overview of the videogame industry. Believe me I could have gone in to lots more depth...

As you watch and listen to the video, and you don't need to watch all of it, write down at least three key facts about the history of the videogame industry. 

These will be perfect to include as context in your exam responses to demonstrate your superior knowledge and understanding.

Research

Wikipedia is an excellent resource for collecting basic information about even obscure games. Always start your research with a Wikipedia page, and use the links and citations at the bottom to find more in depth articles

Select three videogames you have played, or have seen someone else playing. These games can be from any time, any genre, and can be on any platform, for example, but not limited to,

• Mobile phone
• PC
• Home consoles, for example Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, or Mega Drive

Research the games under the following headings. Some information may be easy to find, but other information may be tricky!

• Name
• Genre
• Year released
• Developer
• Publisher
• Platform (eg Xbox 360)
• Price when first sold/RRP
• Units sold/total revenue
• Average review score (google '[name of game] metacritic')
• Age rating
• Google [name of game] how long to beat and click on the first 'howlongtobeat.com' link. Note down how long the game takes to complete on average
• Development facts (how was the game made? How long did it take to make? What issues did the team face?)

Top tip - if you don't really play games, then now is an excellent time to start! Manygames can by played and downloaded for free, even on your phone. You can also ask someone in your household about their experience of games, or, even better, phone a freind!

Media Focus: all music video industry videos uploaded!

All the videos on the music industry (for now) have now been added to the A-level media studies Youtube channel! This means you can revise both the set texts, as well as a range of theoretical perspectives such as postmodernism, postcolonialism and feminism!

If you're wondering what to do during lockdown and have finished off your aims and intentions essay, then check out the channel, and, most importantly, let me know if there's anything you would like to see me upload!

You can find a fully cross-referenced index of all the Media Focus videos by clicking here!

Or if you would rather just go to the channel directly, click here!