Assassin's Creed Industry Flashcards
what’s the historical context?
video games are a new media form with exponential growth since the 1970s, the rapid technological development, the contruction of the gamer and the difficulty of regulating or monitoring the impact of a fast pace industry.
what can be said about regulation?
it’s a sensitive issue and there are regular reports regarding the suitability of the content of video games and the easy accessability by young people. the media are blaming violent behaviour and lack of sociability on video games.
what’s the VSC?
Video Standards Council. its role is to regulate and classify games using the PEGI system to give games a rating and additional information to help consumers (parents) decide upon suitability.
what rating is assassin’s creed been given?
it’s an 18. an 18 can feature gross violence - motiveless killing towards defenceless characters. glamorisation of drugs, gambling and sexual activity.
how did government tighten rules on regulation?
PEGI became the only video game rating system, where it was illegal to sell a video games to someone underage. additional information aimed to guide parents. also retailers could be fined or imprisoned for failing to abide - the intention was to make them more responsible for giving access.
what is assassin’s creed?
an open world action adventure stealth game, published by Ubisoft. it is about the struggles between assassins and templars. the player controls the assassin. first released in 2007. it’s 3rd person where the protagonist takes down targets, there’s freedom to explore the historical setting.
what is assassin’s creed liberation?
a spin-off, released on the sony hand-held device PlayStation Vita, an advance in the new gaming technology. it’s a multinational development.
who was it developed by?
Ubisoft, a french global computer game publisher, one of the largest game publishers.
best selling game in the UK in the week of its release on the PS3, it was the biggest launch of Ubisoft.
what’s different about how AC liberation was released on?
the game was created for a hand-held device PS3 Vita and was aimed at on the go gamers. the vita had dual touchpads, motion detection and built in camera to enhance the interactive experience
what was the game about?
it’s a realistic, life-like world giving an immersive, interactive experience. the main character Aveline De Grandpre, a young women living in New Orleans during the american revolution. gamers collect supplies and tokens to enhance the experience.
how are trailers a good marketting strategy?
trailers offering tastes of the interactive experience. game-playing videos on youtube introduced newcomers to the game and suggesting different playing techniques.
how many copies got sold in the first week?
3.5 million
what’s early reveal (marketting strategy)?
anticipation for a game can be built up and ensure that there is a significant interest on the release of the game.
what’s co-release across platforms (marketting strategy)?
the availability of the game ensures audiences are not excluded.
how is social media a good marketing strategy?
interactive sites can increase involvement of the audience and also encourage them to share amoungst fans.
how is continued presence through other creative industries a good marketing strategy?
the franchise having products across a range of media leads to more focus on the product.
how is interacting with fans on Ubisoft forum a good marketing strategy?
fans of the franchise feel that their input is being taken on baord and feel a part of the development of the game. this made add to their desire to own and play the game.
what happened in January 2014?
it was re-released as a high-definition re-work. no longer confined to only the PS Vita but available on Xbox and PC. oppotunities became more complex, cinematics were remastered and the HD elements made the game more impressive.
how did the re-release contribute to the success?
it allowed backwards compatibility, allowing gamers to play on older game consoles. it allows the game to have greater longevity and maintain competitiveness.
how does the availability on Steam contribute to success?
makes it accessable to a broader audience range. steam is a multi-player platform used to distribute games. it includes social features and access to fan groups.
what are the economic contexts?
it’s a competitive market. PS Vita was released to compete with the Nintendo 3DS. it was originally exclusive to PS Vita but later was availiable everywhere
what was the purpose of releasing this game?
it was an attempt to bring high game production values to the new mobile gaming arena.
what have newer ACs been introdruced to?
they’ve been introduced to cross-generational gaming enabling data to be transferred from earlier generation consoles and cross-play and progression carrying progress between different platforms.
what have been the problems surrounding video games? (social context)
in june 2018 the world health organisation classified gaming addiction as a medical disorder. it was so announced that the first patients in the UK were being treated on NHS for this disorder.
how has the inclusion of a female character reflect a cultural move?
the main protagonist in video games are male. when females do appear, this tends to aim at a younger audience. females are underrepresented. there are assumptions that females don’t play video games.
what’s the impact of digital technology on video games? (8 marks)
the game was exclusively to a particular platform (PS Vita) but was rereleased across multiple platforms to ensure greater economic success. the diverse range of platforms caters for the broad range of gamers. Valhalla is available on Windows, Xbox 1, PS4 + PS5. backwards capability and additional gameplaying elements have extended distribution. each game has an accessible website to bring fans together.
