Assassins Creed: Liberation

Who made the game?

Ubisoft

Ubisoft

• A very large videogame company

• Have made other powerful and successful games

• Lots of resources and staff

• Able to distribute the game on a global level

How does the game have a presold audience?

AC3 Liberation is a spin-off from Assassins Creed

What did the promo vid show?

• Game-play footage - essential as people know what the game will look like.

• Appeals to fans of big-budget triple A games.

• INTERTETXUAL REFERENCES TO OTHER GAMES

Where was the game first released on?

PS VITA

who made the PS VITA?

Sony

PS Vita lack of profit reasoning

Had limited games.

However, collaborating with SONY meant increased demand of both products

Aveline

• First female playable character

• Mixed race

• Strong, dominant and does most of the killing

USP

Aveline is the new USP due to change in stereotypes as women are becoming a bigger part of the videogame market.

Typical stereotypes of women in video games

• Damsel in Distress

• Sexualised

• Victims

How is social media used to engage audiences?

Youtube - videos to engage their younger target audience with tips and hints

Instagram, Facebook Twitter - Can spread and share content, creating communities and chat forums

Comicon

• Had the game there with an obstacle course from the game

• Fans could create a fanbase/ community

• People would film and share on social media

Hesmondhalgh

A few years later, technology had developed so they re-released the game in HD for dedicated fans

Released to a pre-sold audience

Problems with XBOX Arcade and Play Station Store

You can pirate 18+ games which makes regulation harder

Albert Bandura

Playing videogames with repeated violent behaviours will make a younger audience more violent.

Situations in the past where videogames have been blamed

VSC

Video Standards Council

Use the PEGI rating system gave the certificate

What rating is the game?

18+

Reasons for the rating

Motiveless killing and violence

What historical period is the game based on?

American Revolutionary period

Reflecting slavery, freedom, resistance and colonial conflict

PS VITA wifi connections

Allowed social interaction so people could play more regularly with others.

Downloadable activity

Allowed extras

If they finish the game, they could play as additional characters from the franchise.

Examples of other popular hand-held gaming devices

Nintendo Switch, Gameboy, Phones

Target audience

Primary: Men, avid gamers, presold audience, 16-30 year olds

Secondary: Female gamers, history enthusiasts

Uses of Gratifications Theory

• Escapism (immersive historical world)

• Entertainment (action gameplay)

• Identity (playing a rare female assassin)

Cultivation theory: George Gerbner

• Repeated exposure to violent action games may shape perceptions of violence as normal

• Historical violence in the game may blur fact and fiction for some players

Reception theory - Stuart Hall

• Dominant reading: empowering representation of women in gaming

• Negotiated reading: positive, but still shaped by male-dominated franchise

• Oppositional reading: tokenism or limited feminist progress

When was the game released?

2012

what features does the PS VITA have?

touchscreen

Wi-Fi

3G

Bluetooth capability

why are videogames regulated?

To protect audiences and control access to potentially harmful or inappropriate content, especially for younger players.

convergence

Where different media platforms, technologies, and content come together and overlap.

Multiplayer versions of the game

promote gamer engagement and identification with the game

Regulation - Livingstone and Lunt

Different international standards

Downloadable online, content is easily accessible through streaming

Rating don’t control interpretations

Handheld device benefits

available on the go

portable

good for commuters

Mix of downloadable content and special features

Fans are encouraged to download for a better experience

Change in consumption patterns

Fandom Theory - Henry Jenkins

Fans can create their own content about the game

Fans have communities and discussions

Fans interpret and change meanings depending on how they recieve them

Distribution

the strategies used in the marketing, release and promotion of a product

circulation

the amount of a particular product which has been distributed

buzz marketing

word of mouth advertising where consumers interact with positive associations

situated culture

affects individual response to a text

What percent of US households own a device that can play vide games

67%

sensitization

responding to a certain stimuli in a sensitive manner

catharsis

releasing and relief from strong repressed emotions

disinhibition

the inability to withold inappropriate unwanted behaviour

When was it released?

2012

How was it advertised?

with territory specific advertising

Aveline types of social stealth characters

Assassin, woman and slave

Curran and Seaton applied

• Large company that’s horizontally and vertically integrated

• Made to generate profit