Exam Q's & A's

3. What is technological convergence and give an example of its use in the industry?
Technological Convergence is technology based around incorporating peoples needs in gaming. Its when there are different functions in one system.
An example of this would be the PlayStation 3 as it contains blue ray player, DVD player, video music, downloadable films and music, online PlayStation network, internet explorer, photo shop and a photo folder , able to play games and many other functions, all incorporated into one console - technological convergence.

An advantage of this is that it makes the system more applicable to the audience by this we mean people won't have to go out to buy other systems to play different functions when it is incorporated in one system.

A disadvantage of this would be that it would put other businesses out of profit and possibly business as they wouldn't be needed as the customers would see the benefits of having a system with technological convergence than having separate systems/consoles.

An advantage of the PlayStation 3 with technological convergence is makes it more appealing to audiences as its a cheap way of having everything you need in one console instead of having separate systems. It also benefits the company in terms of the console war with the Microsoft Xbox 360.

A disadvantage of the Playstation 3 is that it creates problems for its other products by Sony like the Blu-ray players and DVD players etc because it shows no benefits of buying the systems separate when you can have it all in one which overall would be cheaper for the customers.

However not all consoles/systems need to have technological convergence to be successful in the games industry market, an example of this would be the nintendo wii. The nintendo wii is a completely different games console to all of the other traditional consoles. The Wii is much more interactive and is targeted at a wide range of audiences instead of a selective audience that Xbox and Playstation targeted specifically. The Wii targets a wide range of audiences, including every single age group. You can play a wide range of games from racing games to fitness games where you stand up and are interacting with the console instead of traditionally sitting down and just playing.

Nintendo also produced the DSi, which has got some technological convergence, which is also targeted at a wide range of audiences. The DSi has got a camera which you are able to take photos on and upload them to facebook, you can also connect it to the internet which is a new advance from the old version. Brain Training is a game that has particularly appealed to the older audiences, which we have seen from the adverts as it has been advertised by famous celebrities e.g Julie Waters, Patrick Stewart & Nicole Kidman.

An advantage of this is the DSi is thaat

OnLive Advantages && Disadvantages

Steve Perlman OnLive DICE Presentation

View more presentations from OnLive.

www.teamlightbulb.com/telecom2009%20-%20Paquin.pdf

Advantages

- you don't have to leave your house to buy a game

- On Live games service is streamed from central game servers, the service can upgrade to the best technology without the need for individual to purchase new hardware. So, the games keep getting better without the high cost of a new console.

- Another feature is the ability to play with your friends regardless of whether they are playing on a PC or the Micro Console

- never needs upgrading

- it offers new ways to get to gaming whatever the conditions. e.g PC, mac, micro console

Disadvantages

- you can only stream your games not download them.

- online only, so if your internet is not working.

- can put console manufactures out of business as they will not need to make consoles as they can just play games online.

- game manufactures aren't going to need to create discs as it's all going online.

- companies are going to have to give their games to OnLive as they want consumers to play their game.

- MONOPOLIZATION

- you can't trade games in shared disks.

- it may not be very versatile, potential hackers & fraud

GTA 4 review

Graphics are much better than normal games which has given Rockstar that true realism when playing an unrealistic lifestyle.
The game was so well marketed and I believe that due to being a first party game.
I feel that the success of GTA4 is driven by its derivatives in the GTA series.
The cheats; programmed into the game bring an unrealistic game play, for players who enjoy arcade, free roam 'mucking about'.
Rockstar brought a inter media advertising campaign, whereby posters were layed around major cities in the world, the music industry was endorsed due to radio stations, television advertisements, and the availability to make the audience want to know more about the game before its release. This caused major excitement and conversation about a new generation of gaming let alone the consoles.
The game is succesful is bring elements of real life and mixing them with unrealistic lives to cause a feel of excitment to 'play it your way!'
game rating 10/10

marketing stuff

Marketing is the process by which companies determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It is an integrated process through which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return.

viral marketing refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses.

Guerrilla Marketing - create a unique, engaging and thought-provoking concept to generate buzz, and consequently turn viral.

Specialist press
Specialist press is a term used for different companies who focus on certain 'specialist' areas of the market.

Mass media press
Mass media is a section of media designed to reach a large audience. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such as books and manuscripts had already been in use for centuries.

Brain Training

Research the way in which your game was marketed:
Write a summary of how your game was marketed, include an analysis of a trailer for your game.
Write about the viral marketing techniques used for your game
Write about the guerilla marketing techniques used to promote your game
Include links to the specialist press coverage of your game.
Include links to coverage of your game in the mainstream press.

• Our game was marketed on the TV, magazines and broadsheets,
  
• The Nintendo DS, marketed their game on the tv by using celebrities which are playing the game and are really enjoying it. They also try to show that the brain training actually trains your brain and makes you think a lot more than you would in any other game. "Enjoyed by 10 million people world wide".

• In this trailer Julie Waters and Patrick Stewart are playing the game during the advert and showing you how to play and what fun it could be aswell as training your brain by playing maths games.

Nicole Kidman plays the brain training as well but if a different way to Julie Peters s she is attracted a different audience as she is a young attractive celebrity that has time out of her busy schedule to play a brain training game. It also shows the brain score which can attract people to see if they can get a better score than she has got and it's also a chance to see generally what there brain score would be.

Research into different gaming institutions

Zynga - mostly focus on games within social network sites, games such as zynga poker and farmville which are popular on sites such as facebook.

Capcom - is a Worldwide leading Japanese International developer and publisher of video games based in Osaka, Japan. It was founded in 1979 as Japan Capsule Computers, a company devoted to the manufacturing and distribution of electronic game machines. In 2008, Capcom was one of the fifty largest software companies in the world.

Xbox live marketplace - Braid (game) - Is a single player video game exclusive to xbox live. it is an arcade game that can be bought via the marketplace.

iphone Developer

RAGE - Rockstar Advanced Game Engine

before RAGE, Renderware engine developed titles on PS2, Xbox and PC of early GTA for example,

• Vice City
• GTA 3
• GTA:VC stories
• GTA: LC Stories

RAGE was built due to the competiotion with EA's Citrion.

rockstar advanced game engine, created by a small team. developed to facilitate the high technological needs of the PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. Evolved from Angel game engine for use in 6th gen console era.

It was created by the 'rage technology group' with the video game developers : rockstar north, and san deigo. Rockstar integrated a few third party middleware components into rage, such as the Euphoria character animation engine and the open source Bullet physics engine.

write up of game sesh!

Midnight Club: Los Angeles - Sony Playstation 3

• Good quality graphics of players cars and certain scenary. The game feels a little unrealistic due to the lack of realism in crashes and other certain factors about the game. The location is good and the location/scenary is thought out well. However some of the buildings look a little sloppy and feels slightly like an arcade game.


• The game is aimed at peopl aged 10+ and also people who enjoy a element of real life racing - the ps3 allows this due to great graphics.


• The game is high in content - a list of new top range cars, different race types and different tracks. The experience brings realism due to cop chases and other factors included in the game, however, going on two wheels by pressing a button is unrealistic.


• This game makes little refrences to other media industries. However music is played when your driving.
• 7/10

Table tennis - Microsoft Xbox 360

• Good arcade game. Brings competition which makes it addictive. It was easy to play.


• Attracts anyone who likes this particular sport, anyone who enjoys competion, friends and family.


• The game was addictive, however after a while of playing it, i would proberly move on to another game as it feels like there is no progression or ability to accoplish anything.


• Refrences include boards in the background for exaple the rockstar sign on a billboard while playing.
• 5/10

Grand theft auto: vice city - Sony Playstation 2

• Fantastic game. good graphics for its time (2002) and a wide veriety of gameplay. you play as 'Tommy Vecety' and you must earn money through completing missions. Due to it being released a long time ago it lacks in realism.


• The game is registered for 18+, however, many teenagers 'beg' their perents to purchase any grand theft auto. from the first GTA to the new GTA:4 many teenages complete the missions, with the new ability to play online.
• Everything in grand theft auto has explicit, comedy content, with many sexyal inuendos and other hidden jokes left for the audience to discover. the expereince of this game is fantastic. this original game combines free roam and missions together.
• All GTA's have radio stations with real music. Vice city's music is arouind the 80's/90's.
• 10/10 for it time

Bully - Sony Playstation 2

• Funny game and enjoyable. it is a young version of GTA. your a school student and go around dealing with school how you like, mainly a 'bully'.
• Aimed at anyone who enjoys violence, or in the schoolboy period.
• content is major violence with the ability to deal with school how you want.
• no refrences known.
• 7/10

Red Dead Revolver - Microsoft Xbox

• I found this to be an exceptionally poor game. The poor graphics, simple unrealistic gameplay, for example shooting someone was very unrealistic. This game has tried to be an old day Grand theft auto, and I feel it has failed to rise to any level of GTA. There were no clear objectives and due to no map i was unsure where to go, what to do and i becam bored!
• aimed again at anyone who likes GTA, but also a western type of game.
• Content is gun violence, with stratagy. Game experience is poor due to reasons mesioned above, causes depression!
• Refrences to western steriotypes.
• 2/10