Unit 6 Assignment 3

There are a lot of violent and graphic video games currently widely and easily available across the world. For example some of these games are:

• Dead Space
• Mortal Combat
• Medal of Honour 
• Call of Duty Black Ops
• Assassins Creed : Brotherhood
• Halo
• Grand Theft Auto V

There is no way we can get solid proof that video games that have violent content cause people to be violent themselves. Games such as Call of Duty, Medal of Honour and Halo are all army/war games. These game feature graphic scenes of battles, people being shot/blown up etc. and you can shoot people yourself. People see these games as violent because for example, when you shoot someone you seen them fall to the ground, there's blood on them and even sometimes you can hear them scream in terror.
There was a quite recent story in the news of a man who had claimed to have trained himself on Call of Duty to kill 73 people in Norway and also bomb government buildings. I do think that this is possible because of how realistic the game is. When you're are playing the game you are effectively looking through the eyes of a soldier, you see what they see so it would be easy to learn how to for example become a sniper, you could also learn how to creep about, hide and make a get away.
I think this man has responded in a violent way to call of duty because he had mental health issues but for someone with those health issues it is very easy to be influenced by a video game of this nature because the games are made so realistically.
But video games aren't all bad, consoles such as Nintendo Wii can be very educational and good for your health. The Wii has games like Wii sports and Wii fit where you can do yoga, boxing, running and general sports. As well as fitness games Nintendo have created educational games as well such as Brain Training where you do different games to test different parts of your brain to effectively make you a better learner. I think that people have responded very positively to these games and has altered the way they feel about video games by realising they aren't all completely bad and actually quite beneficial to children and adults.

Oppositional Readings to video games: http://neuronetlearning.com/blog/video-games-autism-a-source-of-problem-behavior-in-boys/

This artical does not suggest that the effects model could be a fact becvause it contains a study on 169 autistic boys aged 8-18 and it found that playing video games does not effect their behaviour. "The findings support that the amount of time spent playing games is not associated with problem behaviors in boys."

The effects model is a theory that when you watch/read media it can affect your behaviour and beliefs. I don't agree with it because i think that you should of been brought up to understand that copying things that people do in media products isn't always right, people should teach their children that scenes on games like call of duty are dramatised and it doesn't make it okay to kill people. People should be intelligent enough to know that television does need to show graphic, violent etc. things not because the media are bad but because some issues need to be highlighted people need to be educated on those kind of things. This doesn't mean in the slightest that we have to or we should copy negative media.

The uses and gratifications theory is an idea that people are not influenced by the media and what is shown on TV and in films. I agree with this theory because i think that people have their own minds and they can choose for themselves what they will and will not do that is shown in the media. Parents should teach their children that they don't have to copy the negative things shown on TV because sometimes the negative and graphic things shown on TV are to inform and portray what can happen in real life and not to put ideas into peoples minds.

Some video games can be educational and beneficial such as: 

• wii fit
• brain training
• nintendogs
• call of duty

People have used these games to keep healthy, keep their brain active and help with brain development, learn how to look after pets and love animals and also call of duty had been proven to help eye sight. 

Oppositional readings to video games:

http://www.parentsagainstviolence.org/

• This was written by parents who want to protect their children from use of violence in video games . They think that violence in the media has influenced children and put ideas into their heads about violence more okay than it really is. They talk about the Sandy Hook shooting where a man massacred children and teachers. He already had existing metal health issues but also learnt how to use a gun through playing video games. These parents think that games where you are the first person shooter are the worst kind because it could be used in a realistic situation.

http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2013/01/17/video-games-ethan-gilsdorf

• This article suggests that we should be keeping violence that occurs in video games in our imaginations. This article believes that the media blame game developers for gamers becoming more violent after playing their games and that the excitement and kicks we get from playing these games can be the reason for more violent behaviour in gamers. It also mentions that gamers use violent games to let out anger but by doing this on a video game they could want to do it in real life.

http://www.apa.org/research/action/protect.aspx

• This article is about the effect violence has on children. It suggests that children have become less effected by violence, seeing people in pain or suffering and has made them more passive. It says violence has desensitised people and we no longer find it out of the ordinary and sometimes can even find it comical. The article tells us how in an experiment, those observed going into adulthood and had watched violent TV programmes from as young as 8 were more likely to be arrested for criminal acts when an adult due to the stuff they had watched having such an influence on them.

These articles could suggest that the effects model could potentially be fact and not just a theory but I don't believe in the effects model so I don't think it could be fact. 

I don't believe that video games can make people violent. There are lots of other factors in a persons life than can effect the way they behave and i believe that if people have chosen to use video games to do violent things then its down to the way they have been brought up and the beliefs that they have. I don't think that violent videos should be banned because even though some people believe that they cause people to be violent I also think that if people don't see these kind of things how can they ever learn that they are wrong. 

unit 6 assignment 3 worksheet

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3_6IklGZ6OdRUlaOXFXeWZhWVk/edit?usp=sharing

Unit 6 Assignment 2

play station lifestyle review

this review is useful because it is very detailed, it has screen shots from battlefield so its easy to know what the reviewer is talking about. People can also comment on the review and and share their views on the game.

push square review

this review is also quite detailed but it doesn't use actual screenshots from the game it uses imaged that were used to advertise the game.

spong review

MetaCritic review

this website is useful because it has a over all rating out of 100 and then has reviews from game developers and also fans/ people who want to be heard and for us to see their opinion of the game.

battlefield review

this website is good because it is the main page where you see all the ratings from every website that has reviewed it and it has a quote from what they said about the game and you can click on it to get the full review.

Games rader review

this website is good because it gives a full depth review of the game, it also has a star rating to give a overall rating and at the bottom there is reviews fro  the people and the fans of the game giving their opinion of the game which the game developers do value because they are the consumers of the game.

COMPARISON All of the website play a vital part in the rating of the game games radar and battlefeild.com both have star ratings and ratings out of 10 from different websites where as matacritic has ratings of each asset i the game e.g. graphic, campaign etc. pong, push square and playstation life have full in depth reviews of the game including pictures of the game where as metacritic doesn't have pictures of gameplay games radar also has pros and cons of the game. overall each website has different aspects to the rating of the game and i think its good because not every website is the same so you can get a wide range of opinions to help someone make a secession of purchasing the game or not.

Gamer profile

AGE

I know that battlefield 4 targets over 18s because of the violence and scenes of war. As we can see here, you are doing things like shooting other soldiers. Also when you get shot, blood will appear splattered all over the screen. This could be distressing for someone of a younger age. 

The age rating for this game is 18 over because of its graphic violence and bad language. PEGI said "The content of this game is suitable for persons aged 18 years and over only.
It contains: Extreme violence - Violence towards defenceless people - Strong language
This game allows the player to interact with other players ONLINE"

Battlefield gameplay trailer

People who play battlefield are mostly men. This is because all the game characters are male, there are guns explosions etc which men tend to take interest in more than women. For example gameplay battlefield this clip shows explosions, weapons and all male characters which would be more appealing to man. I know that people who play battlefield are mainly male because almost every character on the game is male. As we can see at the start of this clip the the soldiers are all men and throughout all of this clip there are no female characters. Also you can't play the game as a female soldier.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC SCALE

I think that people who play battlefield could be anywhere between A and D on the scale. This is because the people in these categories are more likely able to afford a console and game to play it. I know this game is for this socio economic group because the game is only available on expensive consoles and the game itself is quite pricey.

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

The psychographics for battlefield 4 are mainstreamers and aspirers. I know that it is aimed at aspirers because the game is about being a soldier, shooting people and being in a war thats dramatised and unrealistic. Aspirers will play games like this because they like the idea of being someone they can't be in real life. It will appeal to mainstreamers because it is a very high profile, well known game that is very popular and this is the kind of thing that a mainstreamer would like the most. 

FOCUS GROUP AUDIO

The positives of out focus group were that the opinions were all different and everybody gave different answers, also everyone who we asked had played the game and were keen gamers. The negatives were that all the people who were in the focus group were male and of the same age so we couldn't get the opinions of females or older players and made the results from the focus group too specific.

Write up

I think that the most important way of getting information would be through focus groups and online reviews. I think focus groups are important because you can see if you have gotten the game right for your target audience and you can see if people are going to like it or not. They can also ask questions to the focus groups giving detailed replies about improvements needed for the game, whats worked and what hasn't. Reviews from websites are also important people who want to buy the game will read reviews because they are the best way for people to find out whether the game is good or not. Also the game makers can act on the reviews because they give detailed explanations about the good things in the game and the faults in it. 
In my opinion the focus group was more valuable because it was up to date and you could hear what they have to say about the game which the company many not see or read so hearing from people who play the game and have a opinion is good also like online people may be bribed to say good things about the game so more people will go out and buy it so having a up to date and a honest opinion i believe is more valuable than something else like a website

the typical gamer of battlefield is someone who seeks something different to call of duty they like the realistic gameplay that is completely different to call of duty and maybe in some ways better than call of duty. They prefer, the bigger maps, more weapons, different game modes and the ways of transport than can be used. They just think the game has been put together better than call of duty and this is why more people have started playing also for the players on call of duty like camping is what frustrates players and could push them to battlefield. questions what do you like about battlefield 4?- its completely different to call of duty this telling us that the gaming rival of battlefield is in a different ball park to battlefield and mainly in a good way because of them saying about the buildings blowing up and the guns being realistic would you say battlefield is better than call of duty?- i like how the game is put together and two people said its better than call of duty but the campaign is two short and more people play call of duty this is showing that both have positives and negatives to the game so the company could act and change it what do you think of the campaign?- its to short the campaign and they prefer the call of duty campaign this taken into account when/ if EA make a new battlefield they might change the campaign and make it longer do you think it is worth the money?- its too expensive is what most of them said so this may put people off because of the price but it is the same price as call of duty and what's your overall rating of the game? 5+ is what it ranged from so it overall having a decent rating but at the same time there is still room for improvement describing an audience The best way to describe the audience is by psychographics because it sums up the gamer well for mainstreamers are the people who have always played it are used to it and have always enjoyed playing the game whereas the aspires seek something new, something they haven't seen before and is different to any type of game they have ever played. positive of focus group new data from consumers of the game its not from other game developers wide range of answers different peoples views of the game negatives of focus group some of them don't play it often some of them were not 18 some of them didn't like the game short answers A focus group is useful because they give there opinions of the media product and if the company was to hear this then they would take it into account and if enough people said the same comment e.g. the game needs a longer campaign the company may act and change it in the next game to improve the game and make the consumers happy.

Typical gamers

http://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-7-stereotypical-gamers-we-hate/

• This article suggests that there are 7 different typical gamers. It uses images to show what these gamers would typically look like and it tells us the type of games they played. These gamers are: Frat boys, RPG snobs, Non existent gamers, PC Elitists, Devil children, the 'takes-it-to-far' guy and obsessed forum guys.
•  It suggests that these stereotypes are rarely true but are what people see as stereotypical gamers 'that definitely shouldn't be used to describe any actual person ever'.

http://www.lazygamer.net/editorial/gamer-stereotypes/

• This artical says that the same stereotypes of gamers have not changed much in the past 15-20 years. It says that stereotypical gamers are seen to have no lives outside of the gaming world and they are ugly looking people. It also suggests that a lot of people believe that video games add no value to society yet it is a multi billion dollar/pound industry which gives people jobs.
• It also suggests that typical gamers like to troll the internet but it argues that most comments and 'abuse' are just said in jest.
• Typical gamers are said to have no social skills because they play games for hours and seclude themselves but this article highlights the fact that a lot of gamers have become gamers and used gaming as a way to develop social skills by talking to and meeting other gamers.

I think that the best way to describe an audience would be through pyscographics because they are more specific and focus more on people's social sides and personalities and I think that these things are a big part of gaming whereas demographics are more about where you fit in depending on your job and sometimes wealth.

unit 6 assignment 3 notes

why do you play video games?
- i don't
some people play video games to pass the time, to be competitive and they like the banter, it can be social(virtual), entertainment, accomplishment, virtual reality, do things you can't do in real life.

The effects of video games on their audience

write an opinionated article on what you think
- find stuff about why video games are said to make people violent
- talk about the effects model
- look at all stuff we do in lessons about effects model
- make a list of video games that have links to violent behavior, sexual content etc. find out what the complaints have been
- find out the oppositional reading for video games
- news articles, MPs, media rights campaigners, parents

Negative effects - call of duty

- when they first come out of the list and shoot a load of people at once
- people crawling around on the floor
- the screaming of women and children
- police shooting
- grenades
- dead bodies in pools of blood

WHAT VIOLENCE CAN YOU RECALL SEEING IN MEDIA PRODUCTS?
man being hammered to death in the film eden

WHAT DO YOU DEFINE AS VIOLENT ACTS?
killing, shooting, stabbing, fighting, any form of physical harm to people.


gratuitous - there for your entertainment

informative - give information about violence

desensitisation -  you have seen that much violence it doesn't bother you anymore, you stop caring about it could possibly find it funny

HUNGER GAMES

HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN WATCHING IT?
a bit startled and taken back

HOW DID YOU REACT AFTER WATCHING IT?
didn't really bother me because i knew it was fake

Theory is an idea

The effects model is also known as the hypodermic needle theory

frankfurt school thinks the media injects ideas into a passive audience

is the effects model the media

maybe for some people they can be more prone to the passive behaviour and be subject to effects model

Moral panics: means creating a panic about something that is seen to be damaging our society

- wii fit : keeps you healthy
- brain training : educational
- nintendogs : teaches you how to look after dogs
- call of duty: improves eyesight
oppositional reading film box review