Videogames case study 2 - Kim Kardashian: Hollywood blog tasks

Language

1) What is the objective when playing the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
To show you an representation of how celebrities such as Kim Kardashian life is.

2) What is an A-list celebrity? Why is it important in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
An A-list celebrity are the most powerful celebs in Hollywood right now, This is important to the game as kim Kardashian is known as an A-list celebrity.

3) How do you download the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
You can download the app from app store or play store

4) What is the narrative or storyline of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? Where is it set?
The narrative of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is that you take advice from Kim Kardashian and follow the steps she tells you to do, For example the clothes she tells you to wear, Tells you what to say when you are being interviewed by reporters.

5) What characters can you play as? What characters appear in the game?

Their will be paparazzis, famous people, your fans and Guys you'll go on dates with. You'll start of as a girl who is friends with Kim Kardashian who's life is going to change throughout the course of the game.

 

Audience

1) What audience pleasures are provided by the game? Use Blumler & Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory.

The intended audience for this game are aimed towards teenage girls who love Kim Kardashian

2) Why is the game so addictive for audiences? 
There are lots of different features and story line in the game which will be fun for kids around the ages 14+

3) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what is the preferred reading for Kim Kardashian Hollywood - how do the producers want the audience to react to the game? For the oppositional reading, why might someone dislike Kim Kardashian Hollywood?

The preferred reading for Kim Kardashian Hollywood is that of beauty and fashion and is like the reality of the Kardashians. The oppositional reading

4) Why does James Liu think Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is so successful?
Because he found Kim Kardashian: Hollywood to have merged its mechanics and aesthetics together pretty well.

5) What does James Liu suggest is the reason players keep coming back to the game?
He believes the game was well designed and addictive to play
Representations

1) What representations of women can be found in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
Women are made too look beautiful and a symbolic representation of the celebrity females

2) What representations of race, ethnicity or sexuality can be found in the game?
Women are the main attention in this game, Whereas the men are used for story lines such as dating.

3) How does the game both reinforce and subvert stereotypes in the media?
Shows representation of girl being only seen as attractive

4) What does the game suggest regarding modern perceptions of celebrity and how to get famous?

It shows a chain of events of how to become famous and how hard it is to live in the lifestyle of Kim Kardashian

5) How might someone criticise the representation of celebrity in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

That celebrities only care about being famous and money, But not about the fans. It shows that you have to always dress good if your a celebrity because their is gonna be lots of paparazzi.
Industries
Industries

1) How much does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood cost?
The game is free to download

2) How does the game make money?
The game makes money by promoting it on twitter, Instagram,facebook and snapchat and the amount of download it gets

3) What subscriptions are available to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

• Gold: 49.99 USD / month 
• Silver: 19.99 USD / month 
• Bronze: 4.99 USD / month

4) How was Kim Kardashian: Hollywood marketed and promoted?
The was promoted on twitter, Instagram,facebook and snapchat

5) How does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood use media convergence to cross-promote the game and the Kardashian brand?TV Show and social media channels are referenced in game.  Player encouraged to engage online and gain bonus items for sharing on Facebook. Game appears on Keeping Up with the Kardashians episodes.  TV Show is also referenced in game.

Videogames case study 1: Lara Croft Go blog tasks

Language

1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?
Lara Croft has been massively popular since her debut in 1996, The first game she first appeared on was Tomb Raider.
Lara Croft has been massively popular since her debut in 1996, The first game she first appeared on was Tomb Raider.

2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
Indiana Jones influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb raider 

3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?
Different features they've added towards the game, (e.g. the settings , characters)

4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
The devices you can play Lara Croft Go on are Android, iOS, Windows, Windows Phone, PlayStation and Xbox

5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
Lara Croft Go is an action-adventure video game

6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline)?
by exploring an Ancient Civilisation in the Amazon Jungle while fighting dangerous enemies, dodging different obstacles and traps to uncover the myth of The Queen Venom.

7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the sub-genre of videogame?
The deadly animals inside Lara Croft GO such as spiders and snake connotes that the place is a dangerous place for a human to be, Which means Lara is the protagonist

8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
Lord Richard James Croft A British aristocrat dedicated to archeology.

9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?
Lara Croft GO is a turn based puzzle adventure set in a long forgotten world, In 1996, Tomb Raider was set in Egypt.

10) Read this BBC article on the history of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. How has the character of Lara Croft evolved over the last 20 years?  
Starting with the obvious thing which is the visual e.g. HD, The visuals changed a lot throughout the years also with the characters looks as well, Also there has been an increase of people who are starting to play Lara Croft Go! Throughout the years the female protagonist has been made to look stronger which was a movement towards powerful feminism as the director of the National Videogame Foundation and the Game City festival (Iain Simons) said "I think she [Lara Croft] was part of a broader movement towards a new kind of powerful feminism that came about."


Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?
They could be loyal fans that have been playing since Tomb Raider that came out in 1996, Also the game is comes from an  action-adventure genre which will interest gamers that like those storylines.

2) Where and when might an audience play a game like Lara Croft Go? Think about the device it is played on and the times of the day someone might want to play the game.
Whenever they like as the game is not an online multiplayer where they have to compete against other players around the world, This game is a single player mode where they have to complete deadly missions. You can play on your smartphone, tablet etc, so basically the audience can play any time of the day.

3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?
They've added new features onto the game which will attract new players and keep the loyal players for longer. The game's visual has became a lot better and the look on the character Lara Croft.

4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?
Diversions

5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?
The target audience is aim towards young teenage and adult gamer, Also adult gamers because they've could have been playing ever since the first Tomb raider came out. 


Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?
Women are usually portrayed as damsels in distress, and need saving from the protagonist

2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
Lara Croft is sexulised so it will attract the male gamers.

3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
Lara croft is a powerful heroic female who is independent and confident

4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?

Some females may feel violated towards the game as the main character (Lara Croft) who is a female is being sexualised and not shown different towards men, There are violent scenes where female gamers might not like to play, Also men could feel left out as there are no male protagonist.

5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?
I strongly believe that Lara Croft shows an empowering feminist icon, This is because it will show men that female aren't soft and weak. The female protagonist Lara Croft is a good embodiment of women in this world who are not shown in the media as powerful but weak.

Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?
Pan European Game Information

2) What is PEGI's job?
is a European video game content rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors.


3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?
The company that created Lara Croft Go is Square Enix Montreal

4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?
Hitman and Tomb Raider

5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise? 
Indiana Jones and Hitman

OSP & Videogames: An introduction

1) What were the first videogames like?

The first video game were born upon mighty post-war mainframes: designed for rapid code breaking eg. pong

2) How have videogames changed over time?
Video games have increase in capabilities for the graphics and have many new features

3) What do the most successful games have in common? Answer this in as much detail as you can. Think about audience pleasures - what do people like about playing videogames?

The most successful games are bring recreational pleasure and are simplistic to escape form struggles in the real world

4) What criticisms have been made towards videogames over the years? Here's a good article on the impact of videogames on players that might be helpful.
Video games cause people to become distracted and some are very violent 

Read this Guardian feature from about the sensationally popular videogame Fortnite: Battle Royale and watch the original trailer below.




Now answer the following questions:

1) How many Fortnite players are there worldwide? Here's an updated article with recent figures for you.
350 million players

2) Why is it so popular? What are the audience pleasures of the game?
Fortnite is a unique fps battle royale with cosmetic dances which create excitement 

3) Why might some people criticise Fortnite?
People thought that fortnite copied a game called PUBG and a lot of PUBG players got upset about that. Also this game cause a serious addiction which could effect kids education.

4) Copy and paste two comments from 'below the line' of the Guardian article - these are comments written by Guardian readers in response to the feature. Select one comment you agree with and one you disagree with and explain why. 
It’s also possible to team up with a friend, or group of friends, and compete as a duo or a squad you can  up with random strangers around the world, All you have to do is click either Duo or Squad and fill