Example Case Study: Videogames
For OCR’s Audiences and Institutions paper you can answer a question on New Media Technologies.
In order to have a rounded view of any new technology in relation to this paper, a five-pronged approach is best:
- What is the technology? Remember you’re doing media not IT, so complex technical information isn’t necessary.
- Institutions. Who is involved, how are they using the technology and what benefits has it brought them?
- Audience. What are audiences using the new technologies for? Statistics are also especially useful here.
- Issues arising from the new technology.
- Future developments.
Below is an example of the sort of notes you could put together if you choose videogames as your case study focus. Of course, you’ll need to add plenty of examples.
Technologies
- Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2 (PS2), Playstation Portable (PSP), Playstation 3 (PS3), Gamecube, DS, Wii, PC
- Graphics increasingly realistic (and HD compatible)
- PS3 includes Blu-ray DVD: Sony’s plan is to establish a dominant consumer format by using the large-scale take up of the new console (competing with HD-DVD)
- Consoles especially now focusing on online play, involving subscription (Xbox ahead but PS version relaunching)
- Controllers: joysticks rare, gamepads more common, EyeToy, dancemats, guns, steering wheels, guitars! EyeToy and dancemats especially aimed at widening appeal particularly to make gaming more social and more female-friendly. The Nintendo Wii and DS are both intended to provide an alternative means of controlling games, encouraging non-gamers to get involved.
- Types of game: platform, sports, simulators (eg flight, God, life), role-playing games (RPGs), massively-multiplayer role-playing games (MMORPGs) first-person shooters (FPSs)
- Format of games: mostly linear (levels based, or target based), cut scenes used to provide narrative structure and develop characters. These cut scenes can be fairly extensive (eg up to 5 minutes each in Halo 2) and are often cast as films (including the use of major Hollywood voice talent eg Samuel L Jackson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas).
Institutions
- Equipment manufacturers: Consoles dominated by three companies – Microsoft (Xbox range), Sony (Playstation range), Nintendo (Gamecube, DS and Wii)
- Games producers: EA Games dominate sports and life simulators (The Sims, SimCity), Sony, Microsoft, Bungie (Halo), Eidos (Tombraider), Lionhead (Black and White, Fable), Rockstar (Grand Theft Auto), Ubisoft (Splinter Cell, Far Cry) but there are loads more. Britain is an important country in terms of game production.
- Lots of film tie-ins: some are a replaying of the narratives of the films (Lego Star Wars), some extend the narrative or fill in gaps (some Lord of the Rings titles, The Matrix: Path of Neo)
- Increased power of new consoles leading to more realistic graphics: artefacts used in film CGI now theoretically available for game production.
- Bigger than Hollywood:
- Some game marketing is similar to film marketing.
The software giant [EA Games] reported it had sold 2.38 million copies in the first 24 hours [of Halo 2's release], translating to about $125 million in sales, surpassing Hollywood’s biggest weekend opening, that of “Spider-Man” at $114 million.
Audience
- Demographics suggest mid- to late-twenties is the biggest group.
- Lots of people doing it: sales huge, forms very varied (especially if you include card and quiz games as well)
- Online gaming increasing, helped by a majority of internet users having broadband connections. As a result gaming is becoming increasingly accepted and sociable.
- A replacement for TV / film? Certainly putting pressure on share of audience interest.
- Subversion can be fun: driving backwards, killing innocents etc. However, games usually reward virtuous players who play by the games’ rules.
- Modding (modifying) of games allows creativity and personalisation. (Largely restricted to PC gaming – some game producers release tools to make this easier).
- Boys playing as girls is an interesting subversion of the idea of gaming being masculine (although many female gaming heroines have masculine qualities).
- The ability to be successful is gratifying.
Issues
- Arguments about the damaging nature of gaming, especially to younger children. The focus on killing is troubling, especially of humans (alien killing seems more acceptable, but give them photo-realistic human faces and expressions and this acceptability becomes questionable). Do gamers apply gaming situations to real life? Size of participation would suggest not, otherwise there would be many more cases of crazed attacks.
- Arguments about the value: still seen as a waste of time, in comparison to the more accepted TV. Others see it as stimulating and potentially educational (MissionMaker is worth investigating, but also educational versions of big titles are being adapted). The popularity of the industry surely makes it a valid area of study. Also, many are constructed in a way that allows (demands?) analysis of mise-en-scene, camera, lighting, sound, representation, narrative structure and so on.
- Virtual property: can the law keep up with purchases of virtual items (conducted on a massive scale)? Consumer acceptance of digital music suggests a shift is occurring in terms of virtual purchasing generally, so that related to gaming is likely to increase.
- Cost: seemingly expensive new consoles average around £250, games £40 – £50, although other studies suggest that when considered from a per-hour-of-entertainment perspective, they are good value.
- Acceptance to mainstream limited somewhat by difficulty of producing TV programmes about gaming. Lots of coverage available online, though (including video – gamespot.com) Gaming is too interactive to adapt to the passive TV platform (observing / advising someone in the same room isn’t to same: it can be a spectator sport if you can shout from the sides!)
Future
- Convergence of films and games: graphics getting better, and films of a certain type increasingly reliant on CGI.
- Move into living room will bring greater acceptance and variety in terms of game content. New generation consoles, whilst still focused on gaming, also allow internet connectivity, streaming of video and music, playing of DVD
- Female developers increasingly common: could exponentially increase female gaming (or is the format male?)
