Assassins Creed

Question 1

Vertical integration

Answer 1

When an industry expands through its own means.

Assassins Creed 3:
Ubisoft > Assassisn creed franchise > 3: liberation

Question 2

Horizontal integration

keyword

Answer 2

When an industry combines with others (at the same level)

E.G. Disney , Pixar = industry work together

Question 3

economic contxt

Globalisation

Answer 3

The interconnectedness within society
The process by which business develop international influence

Global market games have expanded.

This benefits their franchise to grow use as they spend more disposable income in developed parts in the world

• japan and USA

Question 4

Economic context

Answer 4

• Video games hold substantial cultural and financial importance in Japan, Europe, and the USA. = across these regions is valuable.
• The global video games market was valued at $140 billion in 2021, with mobile gaming experiencing rapid growth.
• Various revenue-enhancing strategies, such as production and distribution models, complement game sales.
• Ownership also plays a crucial role in the financial success of a game franchise.
  .

Question 5

keyowrd

Convergence

Answer 5

• coming together of two or more distinct entities .

Question 6

Synergy

Answer 6

• working together with another company, to achieve something that benefits all involved.
• Ubisoft have a synergistic relationship with Sony, producing the game.= presence in Asia.

Question 7

Diversification

Answer 7

• where a media company moves from producing (e.g. a TV company moving into film production)

They produce:
- video games
- books
- merch
- movie/films industry

Question 8

keyword

Conglomerate

Answer 8

A collective of companies.

Question 9

ASSASSINS CREED LIBERATION

Answer 9

• A spin off from assassins creed franchise
• Ubisoft are very large and powerful company that published AC3 = also made a lot of successful video games over the years. (meaning alot of resources, money and staff)
• Have plenty of money to spend on marketing and are able to distribute their market in a global competitive way

Question 10

Marketing

Answer 10

• promo for tv
• Use of convergent technology to allow wider access of additional content and to play the game on a variety of devices
• The convergence between social media platforms promotes gamer engagement and identification with the game across the fan community.
• filmic section in the trailer = to appeal more epic and to reach the wider audience
• variety of poster: lots of intertextual references to the other AC games (SIMILAR POSES & STYLES)

Question 11

The game

Answer 11

• the game was released exclusively on the PSVita (a handheld console)
• increased demand for the other product
• handheld gaming has been a big indusrty over the years, so this would have been a good way to attract the gamers that wanted to be part of new technology
• unusual as it had a mix-raced female main character (Aveline) = women, particularly ethnic minority women, are either underrepresented or represented in stereotypical ways e.g. sexualised and objectified & often the ‘damsel in distress’.

Question 12

Aveline - the character

Answer 12

• unusual as it had a mix-raced female main character (Aveline) = women, particularly ethnic minority women, are either underrepresented or represented in stereotypical ways e.g. sexualised and objectified & often the ‘damsel in distress’.
• Aveline is portrayed as strong, powerful and dominant = she just majority of the killing.
• this would appeal as a unique selling point for particularly female gamers who are making out a large part in the gaming market.

Question 13

ubisoft

Answer 13

• they also released a range of video on YouTube that targets the audience that spend a lot of time online.
  things like:
• Gameplay
• tips and hints on how to play on AC Wiki
• social media content
• interviews from around the world

this maintains positive relationships with these fan communitiies = essential for the success and the mareting of the game.

Curran & Seaton supports this as AC company are trying to maximise their profit with new technology which means alot of dedicated fans will buy.
- Hesmondhalgh - Ubisoft is now also in competition with tech companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon who have recently become major players in the games industry backed by huge financial reserves.

Question 14

gaming conventions

Answer 14

• Comicon, where you can meet up with fans
• AC3 obstacle course where fans can join in as if they are playing. = a good way for free marketing, fans will put it on YouTube.

Question 15

violent players - Bandura & the Media effects

Answer 15

Banduras experiment can be applied to video games because a young player can imitate the violent behaviour/fighting as they may feel that this acceptable and rewarded.
Several games in the franchise have received an 18 rating from PEGI due largely to violent content
- audiences likely to imitate the behaviours portrayed in the games
However, his theory is outdated = Ubisoft regulated Assassin Creeds rated it 18+. hard for young gamers to play.
A useful discussion might be had in relation to the active role adopted by a player of video games. Question whether Bandura’s conclusions are invalidated or made more relevant if audiences are choosing to commit acts of violence in a video game rather than watching/imitating violent acts.

Question 16

facts AC3L

Answer 16

• rated 18+ = lots of violence within the game, motiveless killing
• VSC - regulation board
• social interaction = people can play regularly with their friends

Question 17

Narrative for AC3L

Answer 17

• HISTORICAL EVENTS
• BASED AROUND SLAVERY = AUDIENCE MAY FEEL ENGAGE/ INTREST AS IT MIGHT APPEAL TO AN ETHNIC MINORITY AUDIENCE or an Educated audience who are interested in politics and historical events)

Question 18

fandom - jenkins

Answer 18

• Through the evolvement of video games and the development of the Internet, naturally players interact on many levels and thus, develops online material, such as ‘walk-throughs’ and reviews.
• the idea that fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual menings fans appropriate texts and read
  them in ways that are not fully authorised by the media producers
  (‘textual poaching’) the idea that fans construct their social and cultural identities through borrowing and inflecting mass culture images, and are part of a participatory culture that has a vital social dimension.
• The Assassin’s Creed franchise has a strong and developed fan-base, which is also reflected in the use of ‘cos-play’ at franchise and games conventions, such as Comic-Con.

Question 19

Uses and Gratification: With assassin’s creed

Blumler and Katz’

Answer 19

Information: Historical references, set in the 19th century, colonial America

Entertainment: action game, one of the most popular in the market. Also played on a handheld console (can play anywhere)

Social interaction: Multi-player functions allows for interacting with others.

Escapism: Engagement with extraordinary environments.

Personal identity: female protagonist, encouraging more females to purchase the game as they feel represented- uncommon in videogame industry.

Question 20

End of Audience with AC

Answer 20

• UBISOFT nteract with fans on social media platforms like twitter by retweeting fan fanart.
• active Participation culture gives people the opportunity to adopt new identity. = reddit, streaming sites like twitch,
• The player can become characters
• The player can change or adopt a different identity when playing
• The engagement with fantasy or ‘alternative worlds’ - AC3: Liberation has ‘open world play’, which allows the player to have freedom to explore the virtual world
• The participation in gaming communities and forging relationships

Question 21

theorist to consider

Answer 21

• Blumler and Katz – Uses and Gratifications
  Audiences make active use of the media to fulfil certain needs
• Bandura – Media Effects
  Audience reflects behaviour taken from a media product
• Jenkins - Fandom
  Fans are active participants in production and circulation of media products
• Livingston and Lunt – Media Regulation
  The role of regulation on both product and audience

Question 22

social and cultural context

Answer 22

• Profile of gamers has changed over time
• Gamers are diverse in age, demographic and gender
• Assumptions that the vast majority of gamers are young adult males is a myth
• In recent years there has been the rise of multi-player which broadens experience and brings audience together
• Gaming is now a global phenomenon
• Playing of computer games taken more seriously
• The representation of female characters, under- representation of women in video game development and an assumed minority of female video games players are areas that could be explored.
• The Assassin’s Creed franchise has made adaptations over the different versions of the game to address changes in society and culture and audience expectations.
• There are examples of female protagonists in the later games (Aveline and Kassandra).

Question 23

How might audience interpretations may reflect social and cultural circumstances:

Answer 23

• The unique interactive and escapist experience provided by video games influences interpretations as gamers are part of a fan community made up of participants from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
• Players may also make choices about video games selecting those that reflect aspects of their identity, for example in relation to the Assassins Creed franchise, those that feature a female avatar, or that take place in a particular historical setting that is of interest to the gamer.

Question 24

AUDIENCE

Answer 24

• in relation to GENDER ISSUES
• Representation of female characters: often** sexualised and used as secondary characters e.g. gta**
• Represented through costume and body shape rather than personality.
• Through the character of Aveline, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation were seeking to subvert the stereotype:

1. Through costume
2. Through action
3. Through ethnicity
   - the creators of the game are attempting to not only change the perception of a female character, but to also potentially make the game appealing to a female audience? This would, again potentially, **widen the demographic. **

A further gender issue to consider is the under-representation of females within the gaming industry. This may have some connection to the representation of female characters and players within the industry and wider gaming community

Question 25

How has technology impacted vid3o game industry

Answer 25

Ao1:
* improved graphics have enhanced the visual and gameplay aspects of video games

AC:
x The game was developed by Ubisoft, was the latest version of the game at the time of its release, incorporating new technological features.
x The release on the Sony PlayStation Vita, a handheld console, reflects technological
developments and the influence – and popularity - of mobile gaming.
x The ability to connect this device to the internet allowed users to play online and** engage in the multiplayer version of the game**
- As a result of developments in technology, the games are distributed across a range of different media platforms which facilitate the targeting of diverse audiences.

Question 26

regulation

Answer 26

• livingstone and lunt
• Video Standards Council (VSC) = the protection of children
• use the PEGI system = moral panic
• video games and violence, bandura, graphic playing as an assasin creed.
• Consider the impact of convergence and
  diversification in media on regulatory practices. New technology opens up new opportunities and arguably new risks that complicate regulation.
• Questions that might be discussed in relation to Livingstone and Lunt include:
  o Should regulation be more flexible? o Should industries self-regulate?
  o Should individuals be empowered to
  make their own decisions about the
  products?
  o How might regulation become
  problematic where individuals lack the required media literacy to make informed decisions?
  o How can the consumer-based and citizen-based regulatory model be applied to the video games industry?

Question 27

curran and seaton

Answer 27

• to minimise risk and maximise audiences:
• The video games industry is designed to make a profit, they operate in a competitive market.
• One of the ways they minimise risk is through genre-formatting, this is evident in the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
• The marketing of a new game uses audience recognition of the game and the brand as part of the franchise. Audiences therefore know what to expect.
• but enough differences through themes and setting to ensure anticipation and buzz around the launch of a new game.

Question 28

how the producers of AC franchise target, attract, reach, address and potentially construct audiences:

Answer 28

• The brand identity of the Assassin’s Creed
• franchise is a key strategy for targeting audiences. A fan community already exists and gaming audiences have a preconceived idea of what to expect from a game in this franchise. This will be used in the marketing of a new game.
• As a result of developments in technology, the games are distributed across a range of different media platforms which facilitate the targeting of diverse audiences.
• Games in the franchise may attract audiences through creating a sense of identity, for example through identification with characters in the game or interacting with online fan communities.
• Games producers construct audiences through the decisions they make about characters, narratives and gameplay. For example, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offers players a choice between playing as a male or female character.
• Games in this franchise have broadened their appeal, by, for example the inclusion of female protagonists and different historical settings.

Question 29

Consider the interrelationship between media technologies and patterns of consumption and response:

Answer 29

• The distribution of games in the franchise across
• different platforms is a strategy to increase audience consumption. This might be also considered as an attempt to draw gamers from different platforms to purchase additional hardware and adopt new gaming habits.
• Gamers might be being encouraged to have a more complete or satisfying experience by using a range of interlinked products that offer exclusive downloadable content. This is only made possible through convergent technology and gamer “buy- in” to the value of the exclusive content.

Question 30

Consider the relationship of recent technological change and media production, distribution and circulation:

Answer 30

• Video games develop and expand to reflect
  advances in technology.
• The PS Vita was designed with many features usually associated with smart phones (touchscreen as well as Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth capability).
• Other games in the franchise have also adapted to technological developments. For example, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released in 2020 to coincide with the launch of new consoles including PlayStation 5and Xbox Series
• Newer games in the franchise have introduced cross- generational gaming enabling data to be transferred from earlier generation consoles and cross-play and progression carrying progress between different platforms.
  , leading to increased revenue for the franchise.
  The games themselves have also developed in line with changes in technology. For example, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey offered a more immersive experience for players than previous games.
  In 2021 it was announced that the new game to be released in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Infinity, inspired by the success of games like Fortnite, would be a fully live service game. This would expand the franchise and enable the games to time jump and include multiple historical settings rather than the single setting of the existing games. This would also ensure the longevity of the franchise and the ability to add new content rather than launching a completely new game.