1. Revision Sessions
Thursday 3rd January 10-12pm

2. Video Games
Institutions and Audiences
7 Point Key term Test

3. 1. Media Ownership
• What is Media Ownership?
• How does it apply to
– Wii?
– Braid?
• What are the issues of Media Ownership?

4. What are the issues raised by
media ownership in contemporary
media practice?
• There are many issues surrounding media ownership in
the video games industry. These issues consist of who
owns the licenses, brands, technology, software,
hardware and intellectual property of a media product.
Both Global and national institutions have issues
surrounding media ownership, however the issues vary
greatly for both the institutions and audiences. I shall be
discussing the issues of Media ownership by comparing
the Global institution Nintendo to the video games
developer of Braid, Jonathan Blow.

5. 2a. Cross Media Convergence
• What is Cross Media Convergence?
• How does it apply to the production,
distribution and marketing of
– Wii
– Braid?
• What is the importance of cross media
convergence?

6. 2b. Synergy
• What is Synergy?
• How does it apply to the production,
distribution and marketing of
– Wii
– Braid?
• What is the importance of synergy?

7. What is the importance of cross
media convergence and synergy in
production, distribution and
marketing?
• Cross media convergences and synergy are crucial
aspects of the production, distribution and marketing
stages within the video games industry. Institutions work
together to create synergy for their brands through cross
media convergence. This is particularly evident with the
global institution, Nintendo. Cross media convergence
has drastically evolved in recent years which has made it
possible for national institutions such as Braid to get
recognition. In this essay I shall be discussing the
importance of cross media convergence and synergy for
both global and national institutions and its impact on
audiences.

8. What are the technologies that have been
introduced in recent years at the levels of
production, distribution, marketing and
exchange?
• Over the last decade new technologies have drastically
changed the way institutions produce, distribute and
market their product within the video games industry.
Digitisation has revolutionised the gaming industry. Both
global and national institutions have capitalised on these
new technologies. Nintendo is an example of an
innovative institution whom has introduced revolutionary
technologies to the video games industry. Jonathon Blow
is an example of an independent national developer who
has used new technology to produce, distribute and
market his game Braid. Both games evidence the change
of new technologies and their impact on the production,
distribution, marketing and exchange of the video game.

9. 3. Digitisation
• What is digitisation?
• What new technologies have been introduced to
the production of video games?
– E.g Wii (revolutionary, wireless) and Braid (SDK)
• How have new technologies made it easier to
distribute and market video games?
– DLC, internet, phones (technological convergence)
• What are the new technologies that have
revolutionised the gameplay of video games?
(Hint: How has new technology impacted
exchange? MMORPGs, SDK, Social Networking
games)

10. 4. Proliferation
• What is proliferation?
• What is the importance of proliferation for
– Wii (wireless, sport games, technological
convergence)
– Braid (SDK, DLC)?
• How has proliferation impacted
audiences?

11. • What is proliferation?
A rapid increase of media text – rapid increase of a certain
genre of game e.g. War games - rapid increase of a certain
type of technology e.g. wireless controllers (Wii) motion
sensing controllers (I toy).
• What is the importance of proliferation for
– Wii (wireless, sport games, technological convergence)
– Wireless controller – PS – X Box
– Why? Competition – there is no monoply
– Braid (SDK, DLC)?Loads of platform and puzzle games = high
demand for casual games
– More innovation with SDK
– DLC – loads of audiences media convergence
– DLC – loads more choice for audiences
• How has proliferation impacted audiences?
– More choice – what should I buy?
– Lack of variety – what if you wanted something different?

12. What is the significance of proliferation
in hardware and content for institutions
and audience?
Proliferation has drastically impacted the hardware and
content of the video games industry and its audiences.
With the rapid increase of new technology institutions
are now producing a wide array of hardware and
content. There are many positives for both institutions
and audiences with the proliferation of video game
consoles and games. Both global and national
institutions have capitalised on proliferation in different
ways, for example the global institution Nintendo and the
national game Braid. As well as the positive implication
of proliferation for the video games industry there come
many problems. In this essay I will be discussing both
the problems and positives for both global and national
institutions .

13. 5. Technological Convergence
• What is technological convergence?
• How has technological convergence impacted
– Wii
– Braid (could it exist without media and technological convergence)?
• What is the importance of technological
convergence for institutions?
• What is the importance of technological
convergence for audiences?

14. • What is technological convergence?
– More than two technologies in a single media platform
– E.g. Wii – Games console, internet, TV, music, shop, weather, photos, social
interaction
• How has technological convergence impacted
– Wii – more versatile, attract a mass audience, media convergence – advertises
several other institutions (more profits)
– Braid (could it exist without media and technological convergence) ? – SDK and DLC play on
Xbox by downloading it
– COMPARE that Wii is better – you can do more
– PS3 is even better than Wii
• What is the importance of technological convergence for institutions?
– Makes it more appealing to audiences (wider Target audience)
– Less hardware costs (creating DVD separately etc)
– Competition – the console wants to be perceived as the ‘Newest’
technology/gadget out in the market
– Compete with other e.g. bluray players compete wuth non console makers e.g.
panasonic
• What is the importance of technological convergence for audiences?
– Get more for your money
– Home entertainment system for the whole family – appeal to wider audience
– Wii wider audience
– Prosumer – consumers becoming the developers e.g. Braid

15. What is the importance of
technological convergence for
institutions and audiences?
• In recent years technological
convergence has revolutionised the video
games industry. Technological
convergence is..
• Global and national
•

16. 6. Issues In Marketing for National
Audiences
• Do global institutions market to
national/local (British) Audiences?
• How has the Wii been marketed British
audiences?
• What are the issues with Global institutions
marketing to national/local audiences?
• Prosumer – audiences creating unique
games (e.g Braid) Can they target national
audiences?

17. • Do global institutions market to national/local (British)
Audiences?
• How has the Wii been marketed British audiences?
• Yes – Worldwide audience, Sports is in every country,
Marketing of Wii Sports in UK – football using Redknapps
in the advertising appealed to a British Audience
• Wii Sports – Tennis – representation of Wimbledon –
grass terrain
• NTSC and PAL format to appeal to audiences worldwide
• What are the issues with Global institutions marketing to
national/local audiences?
– The actual games and console has no identity
– By appealing to mass audience it shows no individuality
– Consistent synergy so the institution can make the most money
– Stereotype the world
• Prosumer – audiences creating unique games (e.g
Braid/fable) Can they target national audiences?
– Global institutions have more competition with independent
developers
– Angry birds e.g. 50 Mill users
– Audiences have more variety for games

18. What are the issues raised in the targeting of
national and local audiences (specifically British)
by international or global institutions?
• Introduction
• Paragraph 1

19. What are the issues raised in the targeting of
national and local audiences (specifically British)
by international or global institutions?
• There are many issues raised by institutions for
targeting national and local audiences within the
production, distribution and marketing stages. It
can be argued that Global institutions use clever
marketing to target national and local audiences
even though there are no representations of
national or local audiences. Global institutions
such as Nintendo market their products to
national and local audiences through their
marketing strategies. National institutions such as
fable have representations of a national
audiences, however it can be argued that this
may limit the target audience.

20. 7. Media consumption
• What is Media consumption?
• What is a stereotypical gamer?
– Give Braid as an example and explain why
• Why has the audience for video games changed
over the last few years?
– Give Wii as an example and explain why
– Mention phones and technological convergence
– Prosumer: consumers and SDK
• What patterns and trends do you notice with
audiences due to digitisation of video games?
– Mention Moral panics, pros and cons of video games
– ALWAYS back it up with examples of video games
– Wider target audience due to digitisation (everyone has
phones and playing games now)

21. • What is Media consumption?
– How a media product is bought and played by the consumer.
• What is a stereotypical gamer?
– Teenage male, anti social, obese, nerd
– Puzzle game, narrative, fantasy. How can you find out about Braid?
Blogs and reviews – who will know about the game – stereotypical
gamer
• Why has the audience for video games changes over the last
few years?
– New technology, digitisation
– Wii – variety games, motion sensing, marketing appeals to families
– Exchange - Multiplayer
– Mention phones ad technological convergence – casual games on
phones
– Prosumer: consumers and SDK
• What patterns and trends do you notice with audiences due to
digitisation of video games?
– Mention Moral panics, pros and cons of video games
– ALWAYS back it up with examples of video games