R* Vice City badges...

http://www.rockstarwarehouse.com/Product.aspx?pSKU=RS-VC-PINSET&vSKU=RS-VC-PINSET


If anyone gets full marks for Section B, you have to buy me this R* badge set k?

Just part of the new Rockstar merchandise promoting the 10th Anniversary edition of GTA: Vice City on iOS devices. Check it out at www.rockstarwarehouse.com - remember that the merchandise is an important part of game publishers' revenue streams and vital for pushing brands like R* above!

Game adverts before the Hobbit

Just watched The Hobbit - No less than three game ads before the film. Though what was interesting was the choice of game genres depicted in the ads: All three were very cinematic but what was interesting was that two out of three were MMORPGS and the other was a dystopian fantasy FPS

Trailers below after the cut:

Vote for your favourite Year 13 trailer

Click below to get to the year 13 trailer page on the VLE - after you have watched them all, click the link at the bottom to vote for your favourite!

LEGO GTA V trailer

Ever wanted to see the first GTA V trailer constructed out of Lego? You have? Well click below to view after the cut. Another great example of exchange or consumption of Rockstar's products - machinima videos made by fans such as this. I found this as it was shared on the Rockstar Games Facebook page. This shows that Rockstar encourage such fan devotion and this is part of the R* ethos. Enjoy!

Examples of game changes - many due to local audiences

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Lesson 22 - Lara's makeover

2013 sees a reboot of the long running UK franchise Tomb Raider, with main character Lara Croft looking very different from previous iterations.

Task: Blog a timeline of Lara Croft from her first Tomb Raider in 1997. Include images to illustrate the changes in character design over the years. What was the target audience? Find evidence to back up your views.

Read up on the developers' reasonings behind the choices made in the new character's design and report on your findings. Your Blogpost must consider the following question:
To what extent are the changing audience s responsible for the change in look of Lara Croft?

A localised world

It took seven months for a localised version Final Fantasy VII to hit US shores after its original 1997 Japanese release. It took another two months for it to reach Europe and Australia. It took a full year before Dragon Quest VIII finally came out in the US after its 2004 Japanese release, and another five months before it arrived in the dense cultural and linguistic patchwork of Europe.

Lesson 21 - Targeting local audiences - essay

Bulletpoint we are focusing on from the exam spec:

The issues raised in the targeting of national and local audience, specifically British, by international or global institutions.

Therefore, this morning we are going to research for and Blogpost an essay on this subject, taking in the various sectors of the gaming industry.

Introduction: Why do you think it is important to target national or local audiences?

Production: How do local audiences change the products introduced to markets? Use the example of China and consoles.

Localisation: What is localisation and what are the issues involved?

Marketing: How does games marketing change to target local audiences?

Conclusion: What do you think are the most important issues - and with globalisation and the role of the internet, is localisation more or less important in the current climate?

For each section, remember to back up with contemporary examples and make your own assumptions about the audiences involved.


http://www.edge-online.com/features/localised-world/
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/tag/localisation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_localization
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/feature-q-a-and-localisation-roundtable/084699
http://gengo.com/about-us/blog/an-inside-look-at-video-game-localization/
http://www.languages-media.com/press_interviews_mangiron.php
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/industry-careers-video-game-localization/

If critics want to ban Grand Theft Auto because it lets you kill virtual people, what world do they live in?

Charlie Brooker: In a previous life, I reviewed videogames for a living. As jobs go, it was a curate's egg. On the one hand, I could legitimately sit around playing games until three in the morning without feeling guilty - even if I wasn't specifically reviewing whatever I was currently playing, it all provided useful background knowledge. It never felt like work.

Grand Theft Auto creators detail Max Clifford’s engineered controversy

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Grand Theft Auto creators David Jones and Mike Dailly have gone into further detail on the fact that much of the controversy surrounding the series was engineered by publicist Max Clifford. The collaboration was last explored in David Kushner’s book Jacked: The Outlaw Story Of Grand Theft Auto.

The Making Of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

As Rockstar’s open-world classic arrives on iOS to mark its tenth anniversary, we look back to its creation with company president and GTA: Vice City executive producer Sam Houser. Here, he recalls the films, TV shows and music that inspired the game and the legacy it leaves behind – and why Ray Liotta thought he was a “fucking lunatic”.

Lesson 20 - Games Distribution

Task 1 - Distributors for our case study games?

Read the following MCV article on Distribution ie. How the game gets from the manufacturer to the consumer. Games distribution special

After reading this, research the following facts: (click to read beyond the cut)

TV Drama task

Apologies for the disruptions at the moment but please bear with us!
Please visit the following website - it should be our bible for TV drama research
http://beauchampcollegemedia.com/category/representation/

 

Beauchamp have a collection of clips similar to what you will get in January. I need to chat with you all about what representations you have started to look at, but you can do a lot worse than visiting the above site and watching one of the videos specialising in the representation you have been looking at most recently:
How is the representation constructed on screen through:

• Mise en Scene
• lighting
• sound
• editing
• shot types
• camera movement.

46,000 signatures and counting for Grand Theft Auto V PC port petition

PC gamers are urging Rockstar to confirm a PC port of upcoming action title Grand Theft Auto V.

Rockstar considering Grand Theft Auto V for Wii U, PC

Despite their omission from all released promotional materials, Wii U and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto V may still be in the cards

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/rockstar-considering-grand-theft-auto-v-for-wii-u-pc/0106686

GTA V to be 60gb, no PC release because of piracy?

Fans of Rockstar Games set to delve into the big world of Grand Theft Auto V when it hit the shelves in Spring 2013. Well, just how big exactly?

In anticipation of Grand Theft Auto V – Reader’s Feature

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/919525-in-anticipation-of-grand-theft-auto-v-reader-s-feature

A reader gets excited about the prospects of GTA V and hopes that it will be the ultimate open world sandbox game – and the sequel he thought GTA IV would be.

Exemple of exam script: Production and distribution

January 2009 Section B
"Discuss the ways in which media products are produced and distributed to audiences, within a media area, which you have studied.
Candidates must choose to focus on one of the following media areas though you may take reference to other media where relevant to your answer.
Film, Music, Newspapers, Radio, Magazines, Video games"

If you were answering this question, you would obviously be writing about production and distribution of videogames, getting in as many relevant references to case study material - Rockstar Games, Mojang or your own back-up case study to use just in case needed!

Here is an example of a script from this exam - do you think you could produce something like this? (or even better!)

Open publication - Free publishing - More media

Here is what the examiner report said about this candidate's answer:

Lesson 19 - UGC

Click below to see PPT from today's lesson as well as the two homework tasks:

Latest whose missing what

Click to enlarge.

FAR too many slipping into the red zone - Missing 4 or more pieces of work since Half Term.

Do your best to catch up or come and see me if there are any problems.

Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/hmv-opens-skylanders-concession-stores/0105629

Activision has opened special Skylanders concessions in three HMV stores.

Special areas can be found in HMV's Oxford Street, Manchester and Glasgow branches. Each area will feature a variety of Skylanders products (including licensed cards, puzzles, wallets, bags and badges), character art, artificial grass and dedicated games stations.

GTA Shipments hit 125m as "special" series continues to grow

And that’s why the industry gets excited, sits up and pays attention when the words ‘Grand Theft Auto’ are uttered.

*Read beyond the cut for Take-Two's boss comparing Rockstar's GTA products with Activision (And COD/Black Ops) - it's like they are doing our work for us - An essential read!!*

Wii U - Shigeru Miyamoto gives us a tour of Nintendo's new console

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/nov/23/wiiu-nintendo-shigeru-miyamoto

The man who made Mario has high hopes for the first of a new generation of gaming machines



In 2006, Nintendo announced the Wii. Everyone laughed at the name, then everyone laughed at the crazy TV remote-style controllers. Then everyone stopped laughing, and there was an odd silence from industry analysts and pundits, who simply didn't know what to make of it. The public, however, did: the Wii became the best-selling console of its generation, cheerfully trouncing the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, by managing to coax non-gamers of all ages into having a go.

Lesson 18 - Video Game Ratings - LESSON FOR MONDAY

1. Visit the four links below and have a read

Pegi delayed again
Pegi Games Ratings to come into effect
Pegi is law: What now?
Age Ratings @ Ask About Games

 

2. You are to produce a report on Video Game Regulation and Ratings Systems

 

Sections to consider:

 

• What is Pegi?
 
• Why is it being introduced?
 
• How did games previously receive ratings?
 
• What changes for publishers, retailers and developers?
 
• What issues are there with this system being implemented?

 

You will need to do some reading around this subject: Not Wikipedia but reading around the computer games industry press - look at the Bloglinks I have on the right hand side. However, these are just for starters: You will need to read a few of your own to get a good understanding of the role that video game regulation plays in the videogames industry.

Definition of the day: Mod/Modder

Mod/Modder

Mods are literally ‘modifications’ to games that change their appearance, structure or level design, for example, but that usually leave the underlying gameplay and mechanics intact.

Most common in the world of PC games, the practice of modding relies on free ‘mod tools’ released by game developers. These tools allow modders to design their own maps or levels, rework graphics or change the physics in the gameworld, among other things.

Most mod tools are distributed freely but their use is governed by End User License Agreements (EULAs), which usually prohibit modders or mod teams from selling their creations for commercial gain. Counterstrike, based on Valve software’s Half-Life, is probably the most famous example of a videogame mod and such was its popularity that it was eventually released as a game in its own right.

Lesson 17 - Technological Convergence

You are going to find out what consoles are owned on your table - then in the second half of the lesson you will be using this primary data to influence the creation of a new console you will design as a group.

PPT after the cut

The OXM Breakdown - Indie Games

The latest OXM Breakdown is a stringent and searching assessment of indie game creator deification that's only slightly reliant on swearing, Quavers and crude metaphors about bottoms. There will be inconsolable weeping, verily, and on-screen prompts.

 

Like the President of America during a national terrorism crisis, Log's somehow arranged to be airborne (heading Canada-wards) at the time of publication. Obviously, he's expecting the immediate fallout to be severe. Don't disappoint him.

GTA 5 release date is 17 May 2013, according to ASDA

http://www.oxm.co.uk/47673/gta-5-release-date-is-17-may-2013-according-to-asda/

Grand Theft Auto 5 will release on 17th May 2013 - 182 days from now - according to the folk of ASDA. Last we heard, Rockstar wasn't budging beyond "spring 2013". Has somebody jumped the gun, or is this just the usual retailer speculation?

 

What's missing

Click to enlarge

Let me know if something is said to be absent when it is on and will change.

Mr H

Moshi Monsters strike Happy Meal deal

http://m.qsrmagazine.com/news/moshi-monsters-crawl-mcds-happy-meals-lto?microsite=all
Moshi Monsters strike Happy Meal deal

Mind Candy has put pen to paper on a deal which will see Moshi Monsters toys placed in Happy Meals in McDonalds’ North American restaurants over Christmas.

Lesson 16 - Close study of a MMORPG

MMORPGs – Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games – are some of the most popular videogames available with millions subscribing at any one time.

What is also interesting for us is the audience who play these games: a larger number are female and usually older than the players of conventional games.

TASK:

• Select a MMORPG of your choice and prepare a study on it on your Blog.

Popular MMORPGs - Pick one from the list

World of Warcraft
Aion GLobal
Lineage
Runescape
Age of Conan
Second Life
Lord of the Rings Online
Everquest
Star Wars The Old Republic
Ultima Online
The Sims Online
Guild Wars 2

Answer the following questions to gain some background knowledge about the game and identify the institutions involved in developing and distributing it.

-          What is the genre of the game?

-          How much does it cost to subscribe?

-          How is the game different from a console-based game?

-          Who makes the game?

-          Is the game global or only available to certain regions, such as Europe?

• Now research the audience for the game. Identify some fan sites, art works and message boards relating to the game. What do these tell you about the players of your chosen game? Survey each of your selected sites and make notes on the following:

What do the players discuss? Tactics, locations, general chat?

How do the players represent themselves on the message board? Do they have game names and personal icons?

How many people are members of the message boards?

Does the page have links? If so, what to?

• Structure your case study so that it summarises your main findings as clearly as possible. You should include screen shots and other images to illustrate it.

TO BE POSTED BY THURSDAY'S LESSON

Top 20 - Sunday 18th November

Click to view this week's top 20 all platform chart from MCV - obviously Black Ops will make an appearance next week so Halo4 enjoys a few days in the limelight before Activision's all conquering beast of a franchise hits the charts (after a full week of sales)

Sony launches Wonderbook TV campaign

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/sony-launches-wonderbook-tv-campaign/0106461



Sony launches Wonderbook TV campaign

Sony has launched a multi-million pound TV advertising campaign to ensure Wonderbook: Book of Spells is firmly in the minds of consumers ahead of its arrival tomorrow.

Supermarkets are now the UK's biggest games retailers

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/supermarkets-are-now-the-uk-s-biggest-games-retailers/0106556

Supermarkets are now the UK's biggest games retailers



Supermarkets have eclipsed specialists to become Britain’s No.1 games retailers.

The likes of Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s have edged past GAME and Amazon and made more money from games sales than any other retail sector, according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel seen by MCV

Michael Jackson licensing issue sees GTA Vice City pulled from digital retail

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/michael-jackson-licensing-issue-sees-gta-vice-city-pulled-from-digital-retail/0106558



Michael Jackson licensing issue sees GTA Vice City pulled from digital retail

How Dan Houser turned Grand Theft Auto into a cultural phenomenon

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/18/dan-houser-grand-theft-auto?INTCMP=SRCH

Mr Dan Houser was interviewed in the Guardian on Saturday - MUST READ

How Dan Houser turned Grand Theft Auto into a cultural phenomenon

There isn't another video game firm in the world like Rockstar Games. Founded in 1998 by Dan Houser and his brother Sam, it has been responsible for some of the most fascinating, successful and controversial video games ever, including the groundbreaking Grand Theft Auto series (120m sales and counting) and the vast wild west adventure, Red Dead Redemption.

Rockstar Classics - Free downloads!

http://www.rockstargames.com/downloads#/?collection=7

Never played the original top down GTA games? R* have the originally two GTA games (1 & 2) available to download in full from the address above. Another generous helping from the company, who still have GTA V available to preorder for £39.99 in a world where millions went out and bought Black Ops 2 for £45+ ... #Realworld

 The "downtown" series of wallpaper backgrounds pay homage to the original R* guerilla marketing campaign of stickering New York City, very cool.



I am also in love with R*'s collection of wallpapers http://www.rockstargames.com/downloads#/?collection=1

 

 

Wallpapers for PC / PSP / Blackberry etc in order to promote their brand = CROSS MEDIA CONVERGENCE

Lesson 15 - GTA V Trailer Analysis

GTA V Trailer #2 behind the cut - Your task is to write a detailed analysis of the trailer using all of the skills you have learnt in Miss Crompton's lessons - think about cinematography, sound, narrative, edits etc - combined with what I have been going on about: Audiences, institutions, everything you know about R*

Can anyone bring in Black Ops tomorrow?

If anybody can bring in a copy of Black Ops 2 for Xbox 360 tomorrow for the lesson I'd really appreciate it, thanks!

Mr H

Black Ops 2 breaks pre-order record

A lot of people ordered the latest Call of Duty before it even came out.
Ever since the crazy astronomical numbers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in which the game sold more than 7 million copies on November 11, 2009, each iteration of the shooter franchise has performed better than the last.

NEW TRAILER - See it here...

Behind the cut.. will ask you what you think tomorrow!

Rockstar: We could have easily released a new GTA every year

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/gta5/news/rockstar_we_could_have_easily_released_a_new_gta_every_year.html


Rockstar has claimed that it could have "easily" turned Grand Theft Auto into an annual franchise by 'churning out' a new GTA every year, but decided against doing so over fears that fans would "lose interest" in the series.

GTA 5 is built on a new Rockstar engine

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/gta5/news/gta_5_is_built_on_a_new_rockstar_engine.html

Grand Theft Auto 5 is being built on a new engine developed specifically for the upcoming open worlder, Rockstar Games has revealed.

Rockstar explains current-gen choice for Grand Theft Auto V

Dan Houser has said that the end of the current console cycle is exactly the right time to release Grand Theft Auto V.

10 minutes until the new GTA V trailer

http://www.rockstargames.com/

Getting Blogs sorted

Internet at school is being awkward so won't be able post the grid until tomorrow but you will need to check your Blog has the following:

Reality is broken statistics
Skylanders case study
Zynga and FarmVille 2 case study
Vivendi and GTA IV conglomerate map
MCV Top 20 Chart Analysis

GTA V: The story so far: extended writing looking at history of GTA franchise, production, marketing and distribution of GTA V. The more detail you go into the better for January as I want this and Skylanders to be our big case studies, coupled with an indie game of your choice and Zynga/FarmVille.

Monday Lesson 2: GTA V

This past week the internet has been awash with GTA V news. We need to keep on top of this so we can use it for our case study.

I want you to read as much as you can on GTA V in preparation for an extended piece of writing entitled:

GTA V So Far

Once you have done your research, start writing up a case study based on GTA V so far: Tracking back from the very first news we heard about this game, up to news about GTA V from Today.

Grand Theft Auto V logo
Developer(s)	Rockstar North
Publisher(s)	Rockstar Games
Distributor(s)	Take-Two Interactive
Writer(s)	Dan Houser[1]
Series	Grand Theft Auto
Engine	RAGE [2]
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360[3]
Release date(s)	Q1/Q2 2013[3]
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, open world[4]
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer (third-person view)[4]

Do not copy and paste.

Copy and pasters will have to redo and will have a Cause For Concern email sent to Mr Delaney as Copy And Pasters will not be able to get very far in the January exam.

To include:

*A history of the GTA IP
*What we know about GTA V - gameplay, engine, production
*Marketing history of GTA V - clues to audience, market strategies etc.
*Use of cross-media convergence in GTA V
*Distribution of GTA V - Who is distributing the game? Comparison of pre-order outlets - are there any deals to be had?

MCV Top 20 chart

Lesson 14 - The UK Games Market

1. Go to http://www.mcvuk.com/retail-biz and find out the top 20 games chart of the last week: BlogPost these and then follow up with a commentary on the chart. Describe what kind of games are popular. This should try and go into detail, so you are not merely saying what games are in there - I need you to start writing more analytical, like A-Level Media Studies students. Look out for trends - what qualities do the games have in common? Are there any anomalies - does anything stand out? Are there any developers or publishers that pop up more than once? Which platforms dominate? Did anything surprise you? This needs to be a thorough piece of writing, do not take shortcuts!

2. Read the articles that I've labelled with the UK Games Market (Added as a quick link on the top right) and make notes in a new BlogPost entitled "The UK Games Market".

3. We are going to have to return to Cross-Media Convergence: How a game can be aided by other media channels - TV, Film, Internet, Print

eg.The Internet
*FIFA 13 Ultimate Team players logging into the EA Sports Site's Ultimate Team website to bid on new players in eBay style auctions or share their teams to Facebook
*Skylanders players being able to showcase their characters and engage in Skylanders themed games online in Skylanders Universe
*Rockstar Games uses Rockstar Games Social Club as a hub for players of all R* games - announcements, reminders of multiplayer competitions etc.


TASK: Blogpost a detailed definition of cross-media convergence with clear examples, A reminder of how R* uses cross-media convergence:

Halo 4 & Mountain Dew Energy

Saw this in Sainsburys this morning - Post this picture into your Blog as evidence of.... What is it called when two independent companies work together for the goal of increased profit?

Video games and energy drinks - explain why this may be a good match for the Halo marketing department?

Grand Theft Auto IV Brand Map

GameVision asked 6,728 gamers about Grand Theft Auto IV to tell us about their experiences of the GTA franchise in more detail.

Revealed: The REAL size of the UK games market

The High Street may be having a tough time, but the UK games market is still incredibly healthy, MCV research shows today.

Is the UK games market fighting fit or fighting fire?

Rationally, a decline in UK industry Christmas marketing spend makes sense at a time when there are fewer games coming out, and the ones remaining are getting most of the attention.

Computer Game Publishing (an overview)

Some more notes on the role of a games publisher.

Computer Game Publishing (an overview)

Computer game software publishers are the “television networks” of the computer & video game industry. They commission and pay for the development of a game that is created by a developer, in much the same way that a television channel would commission a television production company to create a TV program.

Game localization

Game localisation or game globalisation refers to the preparation of video games for other locales.

This adaptation to the standards of other countries covers far more than simply translation of language. There are different areas, such as linguistic, cultural, hardware and software, legal differences, graphics identity and music. Globalization refers to general Eastern/Western variations, while localization refers to several regional sub-divisions within the globalization.

Latest trends in the game industry

A fairly recent practice, since the mid-1990s, of the video game industry is the rise of game players as developers of game content. The rise of video game players as fourth-party developers of game content allows for more open source models of game design, development and engineering. Game players create user modifications (mods), which in some cases become just as popular, maybe even more popular, as the original game created. An example of this is the game Counter-strike, which began as a mod of the video game Half-Life and eventually became a published game in its own right that was very successful

While this "community of modifiers" may only add up to approximately 1% of a particular game's user base, the number of those involved will grow as more games offer modifying opportunities (such as, by releasing source code) and as the international community of gamers rise. According to Ben Sawyer, as many as 600,000 established online game community developers will exist by 2012. This will effectively add a new component to the game industry value chain and if it continues to mature it will integrate itself into the overall industry.^[3]

The industry has seen a shift towards games with multiplayer. A larger percentage of games on all types of platforms include some type of competitive online multiplayer.

 

 

Celebrating the British Games Industry

The video games industry is the most profitable entertainment industry that exists, outstripping cinema, DVD and music in terms of profit accumulated and units sold, and this has been the case for a while, particularly in Britain. So why is the British games industry constantly overlooked by the mainstream press? When a British film makes a few hundred million at the box office or wins an Oscar then it is front page news but when a British games company, Rockstar, makes a game that generates more than $1 billion, GTA IV, this news is given a few inches in the technology columns of a Sunday supplement. Why is this?

GTA IV Case Study

What follows is an excellent GTA IV case study by Rebecca Lord, very useful and lots of statistics, an interesting read!

Case Study: Grand Theft Auto

The Game Grand Theft Auto was first developed in 1997 for the PlayStation, it was later released in 1998 for the PC. Grand Theft Auto was developed by DMA Design now commonly known as Rockstar North, which is a Scottish company. Other developers include BMG Interactive, ASC Games and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Grand Theft Auto has developed from a small game into being a huge success with its fans and are now a highly popular video game with a large fan base. The game now spans across nine different games on a variety of consoles, ranging from places like Liberty City (New York), Vice City (Miami) and San Andreas (Los Angeles).

Target audience for video games getting younger

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (CNET) -- Video games have always been designed with kids in mind, but these days the target age group is getting younger and younger.
At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo -- or E3, held annually in Los Angeles -- game and console manufacturers made no secret of designing games for young kids.
Experts say it's a trend that's been developing for years, but now the hardware technology has evolved for even easier game-play.
Jane Douglas, GameSpot section editor says, "It's extremely accessible because they've taken away the controller. Because you haven't got anything in your hands, there are no buttons to learn. The idea is there is no barrier to entry and that very young kids can be playing."

GTA V: Rapper The Game to reprise role as B Dup

Jayceon Terrell Taylor, better known as rapper The Game, has revealed he recently did "a little bit of work" with Rockstar on Grand Theft Auto V, seemingly confirming that he has reprised his role as GTA: San Andreas character Mark 'B Dup' Wayne.

Asked about a GTA cameo on Wired 96.5, The Game said: "They [Rockstar] called man and we did a little bit of work with them."

He went on to reference his character B Dup, before adding: "Once you in a video game, you struck gold, man."
Skip to 3:49 in the video below for the GTA talk.

GTA V details emerge: Protagonist 'is an East Coast gangster'

'Just as he thought he was out of a life of crime, he got pulled back in'

This week's issue of ShortList magazine carries the first solid information about Grand Theft Auto V's main character.

"The protagonist is an East Coast gangster" who moved to the game's Los Santos setting (Rockstar's take on LA and southern California) for a fresh start, the mag says.

"But, as in The Godfather III - just as he thought he was out, they pulled him back in."
GTA V is set to be revealed in full later today via the latest issue of Game Informer. At 11am Central time (5pm GMT) the magazine will unveil its cover art and offer a breakdown of the issue's 18-page GTA 5 preview.
Last week Rockstar finally confirmed that the GTA V release date will fall in spring 2013 on consoles.

GTA V: Three main protagonists revealed in new art

Players will reportedly use the characters in "groundbreaking" ways

That's according to the December issue of Game Informer, which carries an 18-page cover feature on the game.

The possibility of three main characters was first hinted at in the original GTA V trailer, in which three characters are shown storming a building in pest control uniforms.

The gun-toting pest control workers were shown again wearing gas masks in GTA V art. The character on the far right, who might be an East Coast gangster struggling to escape the life of crime, can be seen pulling out a gas mask.
The as yet unnamed character on the far left was featured in the recently released GTA V quad bike art, and it's been speculated that the character in the middle is the same one seen running from cops in the initial GTA V reveal trailer.
Last week Rockstar announced that the GTA V release date will fall in spring 2013 on consoles. GTA V pre-orders kicked off earlier this week.
The studio will release the much-anticipated second GTA V trailer on November 14 - next Wednesday.

GTA V reveal day: Everything you need to know

Grand Theft Auto V is set to be revealed in full, via the latest issue of Game Informer which goes public today.

 

At 11am Central time (5PM GMT) the US retail mag will unveil its cover art and offer a breakdown of the issue's 18-page GTA preview.

According to editor-in-chief Andy McNamara, the GTA V preview contains "more screens & information than any previous Rockstar reveal we have done."
Later this afternoon (US Central time) the digital edition of the mag will be released on iOS, Android and PC, and you can expect full details on Rockstar's sequel to appear on the internet - and more than likely screens too.

Happy GTA5 news day!

The US Games magazine Game Informer has an exclusive 18 page reveal on GTA5 in their magazine today - the digital release of which comes out 5pm today.

In the meantime Rockstar Games have continued their teasing marketing campaign with releasing ANOTHER screenshot

 

A new screenshot for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 has been revealed.

The image appears in ShortList magazine, and shows what appears to be the new game's protagonist riding a stolen jet ski and firing a submachine gun.

Along with the screenshot, the magazine provided some background details on the new game's lead character, a 'former East Coast gangster who moved to Los Santos for a fresh start'.

In typical Rockstar fashion he is pulled into Los Santos's own criminal underground, riding the stolen jet ski with a deadly weapon.

A major Grand Theft Auto 5 announcement is scheduled for tomorrow (November 8), when Game Informer reveals the cover story of its next issue.

Rockstar will also debut the second Grand Theft Auto 5 trailer worldwide on November 14. The trailer was supposed to arrive this week, but was delayed due to Hurricane Sandy closing Rockstar's New York offices.

New GTA V trailer coming next week!

Rockstar put this out last night - sneaky tactics often by firms as this should be Halo4 day as that is out today, but instead Rockstar ensured that people on social networks are talking about the new trailer announcement - next Wednesday - can't wait woop!

http://www.examiner.com/article/new-grand-theft-auto-v-trailer-coming-nov-14

On Monday afternoon, Rockstar Games announced that on Wednesday, November 14, an all-new trailer for “Grand Theft Auto V” will be released.
The worldwide debut of the 2nd trailer for “Grand Theft Auto V” was originally planned to be released earlier this month – full story can be found here. However, due to Hurricane Sandy, Rockstar’s New York City office was without power and this resulted in a slight delay.
Rockstar shared this official statement this afternoon:

The highly anticipated 2nd trailer for Grand Theft Auto V debuts worldwide next week Wednesday, November 14th. Watch it here at the Rockstar Newswire and at http://www.rockstargames.com/V.

Along with the news that the 2nd trailer will see release next week, Rockstar also shared today that “Grand Theft Auto V” is now available for pre-order at all major retailers. You can find a list of online retailers accepting pre-orders here.
Stay tuned for additional information regarding “Grand Theft Auto V” as the upcoming issue of Game Informer will have plenty of exciting new details to look forward to.

Radio 1 Stories - The story of the Blockbuster game

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b01nnm0c

Every Monday on 9pm for the next three weeks, Radio 1 are having a 1 hour show on the story of the blockbuster game. Very useful - this week he looks at the production of a game, the history of gaming and Dev discusses cinematic storytelling and total immersion in modern games.
And err find out what JLS's first experiences of videogames were!

]

Dev goes behind the scenes of the videogames world as part of Radio 1's Gaming Season, finding out how the games you love are created and how the industry now rivals Hollywood.

Click the pic to take you to the "play now" page or click the following link to go to the page in iPlayer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01nnm0c/BBC_Radio_1s_Stories_The_Story_of_the_Blockbuster_Game/

It would be great if you wrote notes on this but even if you just sit for an hour of your life and listen to this, I feel it would be very beneficial to our topic.

Mr Howard

Lesson 13 - Big business and the conglomerate

Videogames are big business - which is why some of the largest companies are including game companies in their product porfolios. You need to be aware of the bigger picture - aware of the huge conglomerates that overshadow the games industry.

Task 1:
Create a conglomerate map for Skylanders Giants - think of this as a hierarchy of the company. The output Skylanders game is on the bottom but there is a large multinational conglomerate on top. What companies are in between?
Task 2:
Create a conglomerate map for Grand Theft Auto 4 (or 5)

Homework for Thursday:
1.Ensure task 1 and 2 are completed for next lesson and fill any gaps in your Blogposts.
2. Read up on any GTA5 announcements that have been made in the last week

Further information on conglomerates can be found in the PowerPoint used this lesson - to be found after the cut.

Filling in the blanks!

Click pic to see in full - Fill the gaps asap - Mr Delaney can see this spreadsheet, we need to ensure we are up to date to give us the best chance in the January exam.

Reminder on "Reality is Broken" task - still too many gaps on this one!

There are still a number of you who have not completed the task of watching the 20 minute TED Lecture by game biz favourite Jane McGonigal entitled Reality is Broken and writing a minimum of FIVE statistics from the speech. If you would like to get down more than this that will be better for you - it's your exam after all!

Click HERE to zoom straight to the original post with the TED lecture contained within.

Movember Fundraising

Fundraising efforts for Movember. £2 donations acceptable. Donations do not = grade boosts but may result in +1000 good karma.

Click the pic to check on progress or offer a supportive message on my Mo Growing journey this November..

Mr H

SPRING 2013 - GTA V REVEAL

http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/45951/grand-theft-auto-v-is-coming-spring-2013.html

Posted today on the Rockstar Games website:

"Today, we're proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto V is expected to launch worldwide spring 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

 

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V takes place in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California in the largest and most thriving game-world we have ever created set in the sprawling city of Los Santos and for miles beyond – from the tops of the mountains to the depths of the ocean.

 

Starting next week November 5, 2012, Grand Theft Auto V will become available for pre-order everywhere and fans can expect a host of new information to become available in November.

 

Look for downloadable desktop versions of the brand new artwork above coming very soon."

 



Note what we know for sure now:

• Spring 2013: Did a certain Mr Howard say May 2013 - will I be right? Even sooner would be nice!
• Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 - Not the Wii U, or portable versions - so core gamers targeted.
• Core audience a certain gender targeted with such provocative marketing?
• Los Santos - A return to the city that featured in GTA: San Andreas on the PS2 and original Xbox. On current Gen consoles this game-world is going to be HUGE.
• Consumers can pre-order from next week: Even with what little we know, expect pre-orders to be massive, filling top 10 charts for months before we get a sniff of the game.
• Clever stuff from Rockstar, as consumers will be hitting the online retailers like Play and Amazon for Christmas gaming purchases, have a look at the top 10 charts and Rockstar will have taken the top spot away from this Christmas' big hitters - Assassin's Creed III, Halo 4, Skylanders, Black Ops 2 etc. Watch this space!
• Developed by Rockstar North - Focus on getting this right - Developed by Rockstar North, Published by Rockstar Games - Obviously part of the same company, which is called Vertical Integration - R* own companies at every stage of production.

Press Release from Rockstar Games' parent company Take Two Interactive announcing the news to investers:
http://ir.take2games.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=86428&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1751693&highlight=

"Grand Theft Auto V builds on everything we've learned about open world game design," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We can’t wait to share it with fans."

Beginning November 5, 2012, Grand Theft Auto V will be available for pre-order in stores everywhere. For all other information and updates on Grand Theft Auto V including the latest trailers, please visit http://www.rockstargames.com/V/

About Take-Two Interactive Software
Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under the 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play brands. Our products are designed for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and are used under license from Microsoft.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Social Gaming & Zynga links

Social games are a bit part of many people's lives, maybe without them realising it! They are games aimed at mainly casual gamers but are played through social networking sites such as Facebook. The major company in this field is Zynga - if you have played a game on Facebook, the chances are it will be a Zynga game. Castleville, Chefville, Words with Friends, Cityville, Farmville, Mafia Wars just to name a few - If you haven't played one of these, I bet somebody on your Friend's List has!

The big part of their business model is that they can scale to a massive user base without having to spend a massive amount of money on marketing, somethign that can more than double the cost of building a traditional game. They did this by causing you as a player to automatically spam your friends with requests to join the game.

Facebook enjoys a symbiotic relationship with Zynga as both companies profit from these games - Facebook takes a slice of any real money purchases made in the games. In fact, in 2011 Zynga was responsible for 12% of Facebook's total revenue (money coming in).

The social gaming market has appeared so lucrative that traditional console game companies, such as Sony and Electronic Arts, which target more serious gamers, are starting to experiment with more casual social games for mobile devices.

The lifespan of these social games are often quite short - with many estimated at a 3 month span - so it is imperative for Zynga and other social gaming firms to make as much money as possible and come up with the next big hit. This has led to numerous complaints of plagiarism as EA and other developers have said that Zynga simply copies ideas from other gamemakers and polishes them up and brands them with the Zynga name. It is a cut throat market and morals often come into question! Especially in the last week as it was announced that Zynga have partnered up with online betting site BWin to create a 'real money' casino game. Cue the Daily Mail worrying over whether this will encourage younger Facebook users to develop gambling problems. So Zynga is a company that is often in the news at the moment!

Zynga's Wikipedia page - Useful for a bit of background to this company, as well as the controversies behind some of their practices.
The Zynga Petting Zoo - Marketing campaign for Farmville
Inside Zynga - An insight look at the social gaming company (Note: vid made by Zynga = GLOSSY!)

Useful articles though simply Googling Zynga can lead to the latest news on the company.
6 Reasons Zynga and Social Gaming are dying
Zynga in Slumps-Ville, but social games are still hot
Zynga shares surge after earnings report
EA believes social gaming's collapse is overhyped
235 million people play games on Facebook every month
App Center hits 150 million monthly visitors
Zynga in trouble over Mafia Wars guerrilla marketing
Bingo! Facebook gambles on games using real money, not credits, to engage users
Zynga makes first move into 'real money' games, partners with Bwin
EA sues Zynga for copying The Sims Social
Indie developer calls Zynga out over plagiarism
EA makes millions using Facebook Ads for Battlefield 3

Lesson 12 - Social Gaming

Social gaming
Starter Task:
When you log in and get onto this Blog, go to this link and answer the question on screen.

The lesson's PowerPoint is behind the cut

Latest spreadsheet - who is missing what?

Click the pic to see full size the latest grid of who is missing what:

What's coming up in coming weeks...
Free2Play ... Social gaming  ... MMORPGs ...  Conglomerates ... Refreshers required on viral and guerilla marketing as well as types of convergence ... exam paper wording and practice ... and whatever knowledge gaps we feel we need to plug.

Remember to keep a record of any videogame adverts you see and post on the Blogpost below.


Another example of convergence:

Skylanders - Giants Youtube Channels

http://www.youtube.com/user/SkylandersGame

Go to the above address to view the commercials for Skylanders - Giants

TASK FOR HALF TERM:

Research as much as you can about this game and BlogPost a case study. (Hopefully after Miss Crompton's lesson yesterday you will know that copying and pasting is NOT to be found in a case study.)

What is so unique about the game? (The first game was the no. 1 kids toy of 2011)
How is the game marketing?
How much does it cost?
The article you should have taken home helps to illustrate the audience and the market involved in such games as Skylanders but anything you can find out would be helpful.

Tip: This toys+game combo is a golden example of symbiosis.

Videogames Advert Spotting: What have you seen?

We have already said that the fourth quarter of the year - October - December is a very cramped part of the videogames release calendar, so you will notice in the run up to Christmas that adverts for both consoles (hardware) and games (software) are advertised more often.

I would like you to make a note any time you spot a videogames advert.

Name of product:
Channel seen on:
Ad break of which TV show seen between:
Time of day:

If we all try to add something to this list every time we see a games ad we can pinpoint audiences, marketing strategies and other information from the commercial.
Get spotting!

GTA5 news coming... in November!

I'm sure you have all read this as you're all checking the Rockstar Games website for snippets of news on a daily basic (Really? Just me then...) but they have released........
a piece of artwork. Click below to enlarge.

And the words underneath you ask?
"Lots of info coming next month. Get ready.

For now, enjoy this first official artwork release from Grand Theft Auto V."

And that's it.
See for yourself here.

TEASE! *dies*

If you haven't already, do add Rockstar Games on Facebook. Cough, Viral Marketing.
https://www.facebook.com/rockstargames
See how they use this platform for drawing us in.
Following the artwork release they created a new Facebook page dedicated to GTAV https://www.facebook.com/rockstargames#!/grandtheftautoV


http://uk.ign.com/wikis/grand-theft-auto-5?objectid=20587
IGN have made a Wiki for GTA 5 that will be added to as and when new information is, ahem, leaked to the public. As we want to be mentioning anything to do with Rockstar and GTA in the exam, it would be wise to pay this page a visit a few times before the exam as things WILL start heating up in the GTA-promotion market just as we get to crunch time for revision.

Video game publishers

Still unsure about what the difference between the developer and a publisher is?
Have a read of the video game industry series' Wikipedia article on:
Video Game Publisher

Very easy to understand!
Just as you need to be able to use these terms correctly and identify the role that the publisher has, whether you are talking about GTA IV/Skylanders/CoD/Angry Birds etc.

Vertical Integration

Another definition from The Media Student's Book...

Vertical Integration: Gaining control over the whole process of making a media product - developing, publishing, distributing and exhibiting.

Rockstar Games have become a vertically integrated company by buying developers they have previously worked with, such as DMA Design who became Rockstar North and Angel Studios who became Rockstar San Diego. By doing this Rockstar have control over development, funding and marketing of their products.

Synergy

Another defnition from The Media Student's Book

Synergy is the concept that extra value could emerge from using the effort put into one product in the production and promotion of another. For example, a media conglomerate working with an author in a publishing division might also consider film, television and game adaptations in other divisions of the same company.

The possibilities of synergies between divisions of a conglomerate became apparant in the 1980s - the film industry was revived commerically through rental and retail sales of films on VHS as well as technological innovations such as cable television, videogames and music video.

The main players in the games industry

The players
(Taken from The Media Student's Book, Fifth Edition by G. Branston & R. Stafford)

The majors include Sony, one of the studio conglomerates, via its Playstation, and Activision Blizzard (Skylanders / Guitar Hero / Call of Duty / Tony Hawk / Warcraft etc), the company formed from the game division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi and the software company Activision. Vivendi was briefly part of the studio major Vivendi-Universal.

Harmonix, creator of the Rock Band series is part of Viacom, so some games companies are linked to the media conglomerates.

Many independent games designers and publishers, many from the UK, have been gradually consolidated to produce major publishers like Square Enix (Japan), Ubisoft (France) and Electronic Arts and Take Two (USA).

To make a comparison in which the hardware factor is stripped out, most of these publishers have a turnover from games roughly equivalent to a major Hollywood studio take from cinema box office (ie. around $1.5 billion). According to Activision Blizzard, which has major strengths in online franchises, the combined European and North American market for gaming software in 2008 was $24 billion. There are undoubtededly parallels between films and games in terms of how the Japanese and American companies publish games that are then possibly distributed in certain territories by their rivals.

Definition
Conglomerates: Companies that are made up of separate divisions, each with distinct identities operating in different sectors of the market - and possibly different industries altogether. They are often formed through a process of 'mergers and acquisitions.' When this happens in a specific market or sector, it is termed consolidation.

Renowned industry analyst Nick Parker claims that the tipping point - the "'iTunes moment" - will occur in 2014 when the games industry might have some parity between digital distribution and retail.

Mindmaps - examtime.com

Have made a mindmap of the main topics we have looked at so far a https://my.examtime.com/en/mind_maps/766

Though from the looks of it you'll have to log in to see - http://www.examtime.com/
it's free to sign up and personally I find mindmapping very useful for revision.

Could be useful if you don't like going through reams of notes for revision. Just a thought...

iPad Mini - meaning for gaming?

You may have seen the launch event this evening detailing the new iPad Mini.

We have only just touched upon the iOS devices in our study of the gaming market, but it is not to be underestimated.

There are now 160 million Game Centre accounts. These accounts allow for scoreboard listings to be added but also borrow one of the most popular elements of Generation 7 gaming: earning achievements/trophies. This did not happen before the X360 and PS3. This means that there are 160m iOS gamers, earning achievements whether they be from winning the league in Football Manager 2012 or completing a level in Angry Birds.

So we have a new gaming device on the market in time for Christmas. And Nintendo thought they had the market to themselves this festive season! At £269 for the most basic, the iPad Mini is quite a bit more than the Wii U but considering the iPad's perfect example of technological convergence in that it can do near everything in one, it may take the place of the new Wii under many Christmas trees... Unless you think the two markets the two products are aiming at are mutually exclusive? Interested in anybody's opinion on this!

In other news: I want one!

Gotta Catch Them All!

While thinking about the whole concept behind Skylanders and thinking about crazes and fads, I remembered this episode of South Park entitled "Chinpokomon" (Series 3 Episode 10 for legal downloaders...) that sums up the whole 'marketing directly to kids' idea and pester power. This episode aired way back in 1999, at the height of the Pokemon fad though they seem to have predicted pretty accurately how toys and videogames combine (through the special Chinpokomon gamepad!) in a very similar way to our Skylanders toys. Just found it interesting!

Mr H

Who is missing what UPDATED

Click below to see the latest image of who is missing what. We NEED you to get as much up to date as possible over the break. We need to be able to see commitment to the course and half empty blogs with numerous holes is not the way forward.

You should try to keep up to date with latest developments in the gaming industry - try to read a few articles from the gaming website feeds on the right hand column. You need to be doing your own reading into topics to further your own knowledge.

REMEMBER:
"Research and post" DOES NOT equal "copy and paste from Wikipedia" - do not be lazy: You will be found out in the exam.

UPDATE: I have added more greens following relooking at Blogs. Well done to Michael and Laura who both added quite a few missing pieces yesterday!

I have also added a list of those missing 4 pieces of work or more - After Half Term I will revisit the Blogs and see how many pieces are still outstanding. The names of those who still have 4 or more pieces of work missing will be passed on to Mr Delaney, as we need to see commitment to the course at this stage. But well done to everybody for trying to fill in gaps and catch up on work missed through absence etc.

Have a good half term,
Mr H

Tomorrow - Test of what you know so far!

Tomorrow's lesson will be taking place in L22 - This is my classroom and where we will be every Thursday period 5.

You will have a sheet of questions to work through. Some will require longer answers than others - some will require examples from the games we have looked at so far.

To revise, it would be wise to revisit the lesson powerpoints label cloud on the right hand side of this page as well as the History of Rockstar Games video.

If you finish, I have an article from Edge Magazine that I will be asking you to read and make notes on. The article charts the current trend of games aimed at the pre-teen market - obviously a very different audience from the GTA IV and V games we have been looking at. One of the most successful of these games aimed at pre-teens is the Skylanders series, loosely based on the Spyro universe.
The first Skylanders game was the big hit of Christmas 2011 and Friday sees the release of sequel Skylanders: Giants - which many predict to be a similar success (sales if not critical!). If you have time with your revision, have a glance at a couple of the trailers to see what makes this IP so unique

Click below for the official trailer for the sequel.



Consider the difference in marketing between Skylanders and GTA IV. Where do you think Activision (Publishers of Skylanders) choose to spend marketing £££ advertising the game?

Lesson 11 - Synergy & Symbiosis

11 synergy symbiosis from mrhoward12

TASK:

1. Define these two terms without copying and pasting.

2. The examples earlier in the PPT used the film industry - Explain them using your own examples from the Games Industry - you will have to think about what to research: Googling "symbiosis in games" will not give you what you need!
PPT behind the cut

The Rockstars are taking over!

Rockstar Games have come a long way since Brits Sam and Dan Houser were slogging it out in the music industry (BMG) - now the sprawling Rockstar empire covers many countries. They are vertically integrated - they own companies involved in every stage in the videogame making process from start to finish.

Each of these has since been renamed with the word Rockstar in their name - remember that R* has been iconic: it stands for many of the firm's key fundamentals, as well as acknowledging their lofty ambitions from day one.

TASK: find out information on all members of the Rockstar family. Give the name, what they do, what company they used to be and when they became part of Rockstar. What game has each of these satellite firms been involved with?
These studios all have the standard R* logo, but usually a different colour - try to include an image of the logo to help us get to know them a big better!

BONUS LEVEL: What is the link between the ultra violent Grand Theft Auto games and the classic puzzle game Lemmings?

THURSDAY: First Half Term test of what you know!

(Edit: Yes, it is now Thursday we will be doing this - we will find something else to do tomorrow when we are in the computer rooms and save the test for when we are in a classroom)

FOR THURSDAY: It would be wise to go through everything we have looked at so far to do with the videogame industry in the Audiences & Institutions module.
We are going to have a test of everything we have looked at - in particular key terms and industry terminology that you will need to be familiar with for the exam.
You will also need to be completely familiar with the Rockstar Games corporation - remember the History of Rockstar Games YouTube series of videos!
Click on Lesson PowerPoints on the right hand side for everything that has been used but the areas we have looked at so far are:
*The different sectors of the videogame industry
*Convergence - both cross-media and technological
*The Institutions
*Rockstar Games
*Your specialist topic (essay subject) be it Digital Distribution/Social gaming/controller changes
*Consumption
*Game Development (Business models)
*Indie Games
*Media Ownership - Rockstar Games and vertical integration

Click here to go to all the lesson powerpoints:
http://dhsemediamrhoward12.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/lesson%20powerpoints