1.B | Video Games Flashcards
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla successful
Builds on an already successful franchise
—>films, tv shows, comics alongside video game series
—>synergetic
Very active fanbase
—>comiccon
—>fanart
—>forums
—>gameplay on twitch + YouTube
PEGI
Regulator: Age classifies video games for 38 countries in Europe
Rated 18
Very violent- blood, battle scenes
Ratings based on age and maturity not difficulty
Livingstone and Lunt: balancing needs of citizens and consumers
—>citizens- what is good for everyone
—>consumers- what we want to do individually
Self regulating industry
Bandura- Bobo Doll experiment
Do video games cause violence?
Adult would hit the bobo doll for ten minutes straight in front of a young child
—> child would imitate this behaviour when the adult leaves
—>children copy behaviours that they see
Experiment repeated with violence on tv
—>children repeated the behaviours
Problems
Only testing on really young children instead of a wide range of people- young children learn by copying
Children can recognise that.the bobo doll isn’t a real person- is it really violence?
Most people don’t imitate actions from video games; people are so used to the media format today
Concord
Sony’s failed game
$400million spent on the game
—> Sony is a huge conglomerate so it wouldn’t suffer from major losses unlike if it were independent
Curran and Seaton: a few huge companies running the industry chasing profit and power= limited creativity, variety
—>similar to already made games
—>people not willing to pay $40 for a game that is similar to one they already own
Costs would be too high to maintain the game (millions a month) for minimal players
Game was take off all systems, people refunded only weeks after release
—>apology released to prevent a decline of Sony audiences
Ubisoft
1986: 5 brothers
Known for assassins creed franchise + just dance
Top 10 indie producers globally
Vertically intergrated
45 studios across 30 countries +20000 employees
—>Ubisoft Montreal lead production studio for AC- 15studios worked on game
Attempted make products in other industries
- films (Ubisoft Motion Pictures)
Hall Reception theory
Audience Position
Dominant position - encoders intended meaning is fully understood and accepted
Negotiated position- encoders meaning is acknowledged but adapted to fit decoders experience
Oppositional position- encoders message understood but decode disagrees
Jenkins’ Fandom Theory
Textual poachers
—>exploring media texts, reinventing/reinterpreting them
—>blogs, fan art
Fans become active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings
Shirky End of Audience Theory
Audiences are prosumers
—>input in production of a product
—>every consumer is also a producer
Media is much more active
—> ore people share content
Seasonal Pass
Paid DLC for extra content that would be unlocked seasonally
Game is mmorpg, persistent world story mode game- many people would complete it and never play again after completion
—>creates extended interest for the game for at least 2 years post release
—>more profit as it’s another selling point of the game
Some audiences disagree
—>feel like they are only paying for part of the game
Assassin’s Creed Franchise
13 incarnations of the game (+ spinoffs)
Action adventure, persistent world
- each game set in a different historical setting
2022: +200million copies sold since 2007
- Valhalla sold more units in its first week than any other game in the series
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Released in 2020
- coincided with launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X
Lead production studio- Ubisoft Montreal
- worked alongside 15 studios- huge!
Budget- $100-500million
Eivor playable as either male or female
- targetting new female audience
New technology
2014: AC released in HD across range of consoles + platforms
- creating more immersive experience
Cross generational gaming enabling data
- transferred from earlier gen consoles +cross play + progression
- carried progress from different platforms
2021: AC Infinty would be a live service game
- expand franchise
- multiple historical settings
- adds new content regularly instead of creating a whole new game
Social media- marketing
Likeaviking
- clickable content
- leading to similar posts about the game
YouTube
- long form content
- show gameplay
TikTok
- short from content
Instagram
- livestream feature
- audience participation (feedback)
- Shirky- ‘prosumers’
Adverts- marketing
Trailer
- ‘drop dead gorgeous’
- connoting how good the game’s graphics are
- displaying immersive experience
Articles- marketing
YouTuber JorRaptor
- ‘Valhalla learns from previous mistakes’
- franchise improved
- repairing will with old fans
Article in PC gamer magazine
- game available on a range of platforms/ consoles
Article from historian about Viking culture + women warriors
- Valhalla allows you to play as female
Product tie-ins
Creates synergy
- Hesmondhalgh- maximising audiences
Dark horse comic book series
Releasing game’s soundtrack
Charli Cohen tshirts
Novel
Reebok trainers
Gameplay
Edited
- received backlash
- people felt like it was inauthentic
Apology issued
- attempting to keep audience
Beta version
Early access to the game
Given to YouTube channels, news outlets and community members
‘Co-opt critics’- paid to review game
- Hesmondhalgh- reducing risk to maximise audience
Sisterhood tattoo
Revealed on social media pre launch of game
Displays female power + strength
Eivor can be played a either male or female
- targeting new female audience
