Long-term campaigns: Star Trek video game

1) Pick out the most significant aspects of the Star Trek campaign from the list above and explain why they were important in creating a buzz about the game.

June 2011

E3 announcement and teaser trailer

• This started of a buzz because the E3 announcement would be enough to get the fans of star trek excited but then having a teaser trailer released at the same time gave the fans a insight of the game which got them even more hyped. 

June 2012 – E3

Website and Twitter feed launched

Updates on Facebook

Game enemy (Gorn) announced

Gameplay footage posted online

Game producer Brian Miller interviewed

• The twitter, website and facebook updates start giving the fans more information about the game which got them excited and also kept updating them on the features, characters, and the soon coming release date. In addition to that the enemies identity and name was announced which made the fans want to play the game even more. The gameplay footage posted online gives the targeted audience a peak of what the game is like and the interview with the game producer gives the audience more information about the game and maybe a few tricks on how to get through the levels. 

February 2013Retailers post circulars online
‘Making of’ video released
UK launch event at the Science Museum

• The making of the video may reveal a few tricks to the audience on how to get high scores or get through difficult levels. Also the idea of doing the launch event at a Science Museum is really clever as the people who would visit the museum would definitely find the game Star Trek interesting as the genre of it is Sci-fi. 

April 2013Previewed in game magazines
Gadget Show live game available to play
Gameplay footage on YouTube
Interview with Brian Miller released

• The games finally released but along with it the audience is getting a chance to read reviews in the Game magazine. Also the gadget show live game may be more appealing to some fans rather than buying the game. Finally the gameplay footage on youtube will get viewed by most of the targeted audience as Youtube is the key site t view videos. 

2)Watch the following YouTube trailers and explain why they might appeal to an audience:

• Teaser trailer
• Xbox teaser trailer
• Full trailer
• Comedy trailer with William Shatner

3) How many views did these trailers receive in total?

185,792 views.

4) Why did the Star Trek videogame publisher develop the marketing campaign over such a long time?

5) What other examples can you find online from the Star Trek marketing campaign? Print? Reviews? Broadcast? E-media? Do you feel the campaign as a whole was successful?

Phone & Tablet Gaming: Candy Crush

How much money is Candy Crush Saga estimated to make each day from its users?

• Worldwide, Candy Crush Saga is estimated to make £610,000 ($1,000,000) per day from its users, according to Appdata. An estimated £550,000 per day is earned from the game in the US

How does it make this money?

• the game forces addicted players to buy gizmos which help them progress through the more difficult levels. They buy add-ons, extra lives and access to higher levels.

How many people are estimated to have installed Candy Crush?

• 500 million people have installed Candy Crush

Where do people play?

• 60% of UK gamers play to and from work; 28% play at work or during work hours

When was the game released?

• April 2012: Candy Crush released on Facebook

• November 2012: Released for iOS devices

• December 2012: Launches on Android devices

• February 2013: Most popular game on Facebook

• September 2013: Launches on South Korean Kakao messaging service

• November 2013: Reaches 500 million downloads worldwide

• December 2013: Dreamworld expansion released

• Source: Appdata

When did it reach 500 million downloads?

• November 2013

Who is the typical Candy Crush gamer?

• the typical candy crush gamer is someone that works, this is obvious because most gamers play to and from work also they play the game for stress relief, however the typical Candy Crush Saga player is a woman aged 25-45

What percentage of gamers have spent money on Candy Crush, buying in-app purchases etc.?

• £610,000 

What percentage say they are addicted to the game?

• 30% say they are addicted to the game

What is your own experience of playing Candy Crush? Have you played it?

• Yes, I really enjoyed it, however I got bored of it and didn't really get addicted. 

How women blow £400,000 a day playing Candy Crush, the most addictive online game ever

• Game has millions of people in its grip
• Women aged between 25 and 55 are the demographic most loyal to it
• Lucy Berkley, 44, calls it 'crack candy' because she's so addicted
• Jenni Weaver, 40, plays for eight hours a day
• Steph Brophy, 37, said: 'It's taking over my life'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2463636/How-women-blow-400-000-day-playing-Candy-Crush-addictive-online-game-ever.html#ixzz311FCZExm
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

This suggests that the target audience is mainly females. A source says ,"Appeals to women: Candy Crush is one of those gender-neutral games that has a 'moreish quality' that can fit in flexibly around a woman's life according to one expert" This shows that the game is mainly played by females as it suits their lifestyle and it appeals to them. Another source says "'I hadn’t heard of it until I saw that many friends - all intelligent, creative women - were playing it on Facebook." This suggests that most pfemale players have found the game via facebook, mainly females use facebook on a daily basis. 

Wobbly Bridge 

The target audience who would play this game is 6-35 however the game has different levels, for example level 10 will be more difficult for the younger audience 6-11, but levels 15-20 will be even more challenging overall. The platform you can play this game on is tablets/smartphones, e.g iPhone's, iPad's etc. 

A: How will you create marketing materials that attract audience attention to the game?

• We will create magazines which will contain a step by step guide on how to play the game, also it will contain a range of cheat codes. Their will be posters and bill boards showing a image of the game and where to download it. 

   
I: How will you generate audience interest?
D: How will you stimulate audience desire to buy the game?A: How will you promote audience action?   

Planetside 2

What is Planetside 2? 

• Planetside 2 is the same as Planetside, featuring the same world, fractions and taking place at the same time period. It is about territory control in an open world, large battles amongst three groups, The Terran Republic, The Vanu Sovereignty and The New Conglomerates. 

What genre does the game belong to?

• The genre is Sci-Fi/ action, Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter game.

Planetside 2 developer/publisher:

• Sony line entertainment. 

When was it launched?

• Microsoft Windows 
  • ^WW November 20, 2012 & PlayStation 4 
    • ^WW 2014

How does the gameplay work?

• the game works by having three different teams fighting for an area of the map. 

What are the six different player classes in the game?

1. The Infiltrator is a sniper class with special abilities of cloaking and hacking, and can use sniper rifles, scout rifles and submachine guns to deliver a devastating effect.
2. The Light Assault class is a scout who uses carbines, submachine guns and shotguns. The Light Assault's special ability is Jump Jets, which allow them to fly through the air for a short period of time.
3. The Combat Medic is a healing class. Their weapons include assault rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. The Combat Medic's special abilities allows them to heal and resurrect other players.
4. The Engineer class has the special ability of repairing vehicles, turrets, and MAX Units. The engineer also has the ability to build anti-infantry and anti-vehicle turrets. The Engineer's weapons include carbines, shotguns submachine guns and battle rifles.
5. The Heavy Assault class has light machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, batte rifles, and also Rocket Launchers, which are effective at destroying enemy vehicles. They also have the special ability of shields to help them endure heavy fire.
6. The MAX class has a mobile armored suit that allows them to take significant damage before dying. However, due to the suit they are also the slowest class. They have access to anti-infantry, anti-vehicle, and anti-air weapons. Max units cost resources to use.

Case Study 1 - FIFA14 

Print

1. Find a FIFA14 print advert and describe how it promotes the game. 

This poster which is promoting FIFA14 for Xbox shows a famous footballer Lionel Messi as the central image holding up a pair of car keys with a keyring of a controller. He is wearing casual clothes which shows the audience that anyone can play the game. The slogan is in the top left corner in the standard Fifa font which is used for all Fifa games. 

2. What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the FIFA ad? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour

Product name: FIFA14

Slogan: We are FIFA14

Central image: Lionel Messi

Colour scheme: Red and blue 

3. Find three reviews for FIFA14 that were originally published in video game magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review.

Broadcast

1. Watch the FIFA14 TV advert on YouTube. How the does the advert attract an audience?
2. Why is Lionel Messi driving the van?
3. How does the TV advert feature the FIFA14 brand? Font? Slogan? Main star?
4. Why is there a combination of famous footballers, celebrities and regular people in the advert?
5. Watch the FIFA14 trailer on YouTube. How does it differ from the TV advert?
6. Why is the trailer effective in promoting the game?

E-media

1. Visit the FIFA14 website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a FIFA14 fan?
2. How many 'likes' has the FIFA14 Facebook wall had?
3. Choose five of the posts on the Facebook page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the FIFA14 target audience.
4. Find three examples of celebrity/footballer promotion on the Facebook wall and write how they promote the FIFA14 brand.
5. What is the FIFA14 Twitter hashtag?
6. What is the FIFA14 Twitter account currently tweeting about? Find three recent tweets and explain why they would appeal to the FIFA14 target audience.
7. Can you find any examples of user-generated content on YouTube? This means YouTube videos of FIFA14 gameplay that players have created and uploaded themselves. Embed at least three videos on your blog.

Magazine Analysis

Assignment 1 Magazine Cover