Presentation on explaining academic assignment for Dimitri Williams class at the University of Southern California CMGT 537 The Culture and Industry of Video Games. I'm embarking on a content analysis of Video Games journalism.

1. Term Assignment
Prepared by Bessie Chu
CMGT 537: The Culture and Industry of Video
Games
Video Games
Journalism: For Whom
and What?

2. Agenda
• What am I doing and why?
• What is my hypothesis?
• What are my theoretical basis?
• Methodology
• Initial results
• Limitations
• Wrap-up

3. Topic and Purpose
Topic: Content Analysis
of both business and
consumer-oriented
video game sites
Purpose: See what
types of titles and
topics get the most
coverage, posit why,
and point out
incongruencies and
possible opportunities
for better journalistic
experiences for
gamers

4. Hypothesis
Consumer-oriented sites overwhelming will
feature AAA titles and seem more PR than
journalism compared to the business-
oriented sites. Does a disservice by
robbing gaming audiences of potential
new titles to explore.

5. Theoretical Basis + Context from Reading
Industrial Organization Model
“If you know the structure of the market, you know how
firms will behave, how they will perform. Structure is
the best predictor of what companies will do”

6. Theoretical Basis + Context from Reading
“Hits-driven AAA business”
versus
“Science vs Art F2P business”

7. Methodology
Publications
Business Consumer

8. Methodology
Screenshots and Coding

9. Initial Results
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
11/22/10
11/23/10
11/24/10
11/25/10
11/26/10
11/27/10
11/28/10
11/29/10
11/30/10
12/1/10
12/2/10
F2P
Other News
Other News Mobile
AAA Game Company News

10. Limitations
• Sample of
publications
• Seasonality of
content (holiday
season)
• Coding issues
• No way to know
motives

11. Wrap-Up + Next Steps
Summary:
Project is content analysis on video games
journalism, is consumer video game
journalism as represented by this sample
reflective of what’s happening in this industry
by business-oriented publications in this
sample with a theoretical basis in the
industrial organization model.
Next Steps:
Continuing data collection and coding for
content analysis for the final paper.

12. Thank You
Questions?