Minecraft
Minecraft is sandbox video created by a Swedish developer, Notch a.k.a Markus Persson. Minecraft is the single best selling game of all time and has sold over 176 million copies worldwide.
The Cost: The game was entirely made by Markus Persson so the cost to make and develop the game are pretty much his living expenses since he quit his job to work full time on the game. Since 2011 Mojang has been developing the game and in 2014 Minecraft was bought by Microsoft Franchise? It is a franchise with currently 5 different games: Minecraft (2009), Minecraft bedrock edition (2011), Minecraft Education Edition (2016), Minecraft Earth (2019) and Minecraft Dungeons (2020). |
Lara Croft mobile game
Video Game representation
The gaming is largely dominated by males and barely has any females. This is due to the representation of women in video games in general. For example in Super Mario, princess peach is the damsel in distress that Mario has to save (Propps Theory).
Male:
Female :
Female representation in video games:
Usually females are oversexualised in a lot of games made by Japanese game companies
Male:
- Video game characters appeal to males
- Dominate the gaming industry
- 18-35
- Play more console or PC games
Female :
- Not interested in video games
- Not very involved in video games
- 30s usually
- Play more casual games
Female representation in video games:
Usually females are oversexualised in a lot of games made by Japanese game companies
Media Representation
Good vs Evil
The game portrays good through Lara as she is the main character and evil is portrayed through the use of common fears. Most people are afraid of the common household spider or an occasional snake, so the villains in the game are portrayed as animals that people are mostly scared of. Since the villains also do damage, the player will develop a hatred for them.
•Why have these settings (ancient landscapes, jungle, etc) been chosen in the game?
The settings chosen in the game are common themes that appear in various Lara Croft themed media such as the movie which was filmed in an Asiatic jungle.
•What intertextuality exists here and why do you think that they have designed the game like this?
The game devs have clearly taken inspiration from past movies such as Indiana Jones or even the tomb raider film itself. They fit in the same genre and setting and work well together. The game devs have also taken inspiration from the game secret of monkey island which features the same style of game play and setting
The settings chosen in the game are common themes that appear in various Lara Croft themed media such as the movie which was filmed in an Asiatic jungle.
•What intertextuality exists here and why do you think that they have designed the game like this?
The game devs have clearly taken inspiration from past movies such as Indiana Jones or even the tomb raider film itself. They fit in the same genre and setting and work well together. The game devs have also taken inspiration from the game secret of monkey island which features the same style of game play and setting
Gameplay
Narrative
The game features Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series in an ancient abandoned civilization and she explores the ruins to discover well kept secrets as well as face off deadly challenges.
Iconography
The game follows the same concept of previous Lara Croft games and movies. Lara is also wearing the iconic outfit that she wears in all Tomb Raider related media. The enemies are sinister enlarged versions of basic human fears (spiders, snakes, salamanders)
Characters
The game features Lara as the heroine and the enemies are the snakes, spiders,etc. It all builds up to the final boss the venom queen which is harder to beat.
Settings
The game is set in a rain forest (nowhere specifically), similar to other Lara Croft related media.
The game features Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series in an ancient abandoned civilization and she explores the ruins to discover well kept secrets as well as face off deadly challenges.
Iconography
The game follows the same concept of previous Lara Croft games and movies. Lara is also wearing the iconic outfit that she wears in all Tomb Raider related media. The enemies are sinister enlarged versions of basic human fears (spiders, snakes, salamanders)
Characters
The game features Lara as the heroine and the enemies are the snakes, spiders,etc. It all builds up to the final boss the venom queen which is harder to beat.
Settings
The game is set in a rain forest (nowhere specifically), similar to other Lara Croft related media.
Aural Codes
Lara Croft Go is a turn based puzzle mobile game which means that the game would require a lot of concentration in order to advance in the game. The game devs decided to work with a studio in Montreal to come up with a mix that would atmospheric but wouldn't impede your capacity to think.
Target Audience
3 main audiences:
Blumler and Katz theory (uses and gratifications):
- Someone that comes across the game in the App store and thinks it is interesting and tries it out
- Someone who enjoys the fact that the main character of the game is a female and feels empowered by that
- Someone who enjoys the sexualisation of the main character
Blumler and Katz theory (uses and gratifications):
- I need to be informed and educated
- The need to identify with the characters and situation
- The need to be entertained
- The need to use media as a form of social interaction
- The need to escape
Advertising and Marketing the game
1996/2000s:
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2015
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Pros and Cons
Pros:
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Cons:
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Tomb Raider franchise
What is a media franchise?
A media franchise is a collection of connected media products derived from a single original source
When making a game, why is making a game for an existing franchise advantageous to a games producer when compared to developing a game for a brand-new character?
It would be advantageous because the existing franchise sort of leaves behind a template of what type of game to produce, for example - Tomb Raider is an adventure game that features Lara Croft as a main game character and is set in the jungle, so if you were to make a new Lara Croft game for the already existing Lara Croft franchise, all you'd have to do is base it around the same idea, whereas making a brand new game with no existing franchise would require a lot more thinking and creativity as you would need to come up with your own character name, features, etc as well as a setting for the game. However, Tomb Raider takes inspiration from a lot of other films and game like Indiana Jones and such, so you could probably take inspiration from other media as well.
A media franchise is a collection of connected media products derived from a single original source
When making a game, why is making a game for an existing franchise advantageous to a games producer when compared to developing a game for a brand-new character?
It would be advantageous because the existing franchise sort of leaves behind a template of what type of game to produce, for example - Tomb Raider is an adventure game that features Lara Croft as a main game character and is set in the jungle, so if you were to make a new Lara Croft game for the already existing Lara Croft franchise, all you'd have to do is base it around the same idea, whereas making a brand new game with no existing franchise would require a lot more thinking and creativity as you would need to come up with your own character name, features, etc as well as a setting for the game. However, Tomb Raider takes inspiration from a lot of other films and game like Indiana Jones and such, so you could probably take inspiration from other media as well.
Critical and Commercial Reception
Lara Croft GO was well received by critics. Metacritic awarded the game 84/100 which is a really good score. Other critics awarded the game with similar ratings. The game also won a few awards (IGN best of 2015, Apple best design of 2016, Apples best of 2015, and The game awards) and was nominated for 3 more.
Lara Croft GO is a multi-platform game available on PS4, PS vita, Windows, IOS, Android, Linux and MacOs
Advantages to multi platform games:
Disadvantages:
Lara Croft GO is a multi-platform game available on PS4, PS vita, Windows, IOS, Android, Linux and MacOs
Advantages to multi platform games:
- bigger audience
- creates brand loyalty
- generates social buzz
Disadvantages:
- expensive
- only big studios can do it
- only certain licences carry multi platforming
- not exclusive
- longer to develop
PEGI
Pan European Game Game Information is a European game rating system that informs customers about the game and whether or not it is appropriate. It came to use in April 2003 and has been used in over 30 countries
Kim Kardashian
- Rob gains fame for the OJ Simpson trial. Dies and leaves wife Kris with a lot of inheritance money.
- Kris remarries Bruce Jenner , a former Olympian.
- Kim determined to become a star
- Kim becomes friends with rich girl Paris Hilton. Hilton makes a sex tape
- Kim stars in sex tape with Ray j. Allegedly released by Kris Jenner
- Hilton and Kardashian star in a show
- Keeping up with the Kardashians launched
- Kim on dancing with the stars
- Kim marries Kanye and fame explodes. One picture broke the internet
- Kardashian business empire consists of their own clothing line, cosmetics, apps, books, jewelry, credit cards, talk shows and a range of reality TV shows
Main aim of Kardashian game is to replicate the behaviors and action of the Kardashian family eg. release reality shows
Characters
- Kim Kardashian: One of the first characters you meet after she has a fashion emergency. Kim will be your mentor and friend
- Kourtney Kardashian: Character that you meet during the opening collection in Miami. She is a sister to both Khloe and Kim. Kourtney is the eldest
- Khloe Kardashian: Khloe is a character you meet after she opens her K star collection in NY. She works on several more projects with you. She is the youngest sister of Kim and Kourtney
Media Convergence
Media convergence is the merging of different media texts together. The Kim Kardashian game offers a great deal of media convergence:
Media convergence can broaden your market as well offer free advertising
- The TV shows as well as social is referenced in the game
- The game was advertised on Keeping Up With The Kardashians
- The game was advertised on social media through a tweet by Kim Kardashian
Media convergence can broaden your market as well offer free advertising