Video Games: Call Of Duty

Video Games: Call Of Duty 

Ownership 

- Published and owned by Activision 

- Developer: Infinity Ward 

Franchising- Activision franchises the call of duty brand to a number of different companies (merchandise Etc) - CONVERGENCE 

Marketing & Distribution

- Activision places more focus on billboards rather than digital platforms (made fans feel physically connected and involved on the ground with the COD community) - uses and grats (QR codes which gave various codes that could be cracked)

- Released trailer of game on live stream (website, twitter, instagram) 

- Billboards put up in London, Paris, New York, LA (tourist attractions) 

Advertising 

- Above-the- line (traditional advertising) BFI Imax (Gains mass exposure)

- QR codes on billboards in popular areas (combination traditional- digital advertising)

Website: drop-down menu for different incarnations of game, BUY NOW button always on page when browsing , trailer embedded, colour scheme linked to game, 'community' section- linked to different games(social interactions; uses and gratifications)

Forum/ Blog} forum: conversation with others, blog: updates 

Audience & Regulation 

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-technological-convergence.htm

How might convergence effect video game users? 

Convergence might effect video game users as devices can interact with a wider array of media types therefore allowing gamers to access the games on different platforms, modern video game developers may create consoles primarily for playing games, but they also design them to play back video and music and to connect to the Internet. 

Regulators: VSC - PEGI 

Questions: 

1. Who are the VSC?- Video game regulators 
2. What does ‘PEGI’ stand for?- Pan European Game Information
3. What does PEGI do?-  to inform consumers about the content and age suitability of games prior to purchase, to protect minors from unsuitable content.
4. What are the different PEGI ratings?- 
   

1. Name a problem with the current PEGI ratings relating to violence.- 
   
2. Which of the theories we’ve studied could you apply to this article?- 

THEORIES

Moral Panic- media creates fear in the population over an issue that appears to threaten or harm social order (S.Cohen) } BBC creating moral panic through deadline 'video games cause 

Hypodermic needle- media messages are injected directly into the brains of passive audiences. In this theory the media is seen as powerful and able to 'inject' ideas into an audience who are seen as weak and passive and could be influenced by a message. 

Desensitisation- the idea that exposure to violent images numbs the effect of them. The more you watch something, the less likely they are to have an impact on audience 

Age rating: 18 

What kind of legal/ethical issues does it raise? 

Legal and ethical issues raised may be the ethical issues of the over graphiced content and may raise concern for children playing as they may want to reenact the content. Legal issue such as the lack of security on playing the game for younger audience may be a main concern as anyone can play the game and it is not necessarily disallowed. 

What are your thoughts on this type of first person POV shooter game and it's societal effects? 

I believe this type of first person POV shooter game may raise some queries for parents allowing their children to play this game however i feel it is acceptable for those of a younger audience as some people wan't to feel what it is like being in this environment. These games may raise a moral panic for society which means they may feel as though these games may make children more violent. The games may cause the Hypodermic needle effect where media messages are injected directly into the brains of passive audiences and able to 'inject' ideas into an audience who are seen as weak and passive which could be influenced by a message (making them more violent in society).

How do the micro-features create reality (verisimilitude) for the audience

MES- 

- Trees, vines, guns, river, knives, hands, fish in water , checkpoint (coordination), camouflage outfit, blood 

CAMERWORK- 

- pov recreates soldier with gun in hand 

- hand held creates realism 

EDITING- 

-Continuos editing 

SOUND- 

- jungle noises, footsteps, rain, muffled sound underwater (diegetic)

- colleague speaking, dramatic/tense/eery music (non diegetic)

The micro- features create verisimilitude for the audience due to its eye-catching, clear graphics. The mis-en-scene of the trees, river, fish in the water, vines and hands on screen create the reality of a tropical rainy jungle. The guns and knife visuals allows the audience to feel as if they are involved in the gameplay. The diegetic jungle noises, footsteps and muffled sound underwater support the realistic jungle themed set.

Anders Breivic- played video games as a way to train for a shooting spree that killed 77 people last summer- shooting practice 

Adam Lanza- Killed mother, killed kids at school, game used to train 

Hyperdermic needle theory 

Audiences are passive and will readily absorb messages relayed to them by the media (negative influence) - passive audiences unable to reject media messages

Texas chainsaw massacre - Banned in Uk from 1975 until 1999 (with the boom of vhs- films were often banned)

Psycho- earlier audience might be considered naive by comparison

Moral Panic- Stanley Cohen 

- Encompassed ideas of folk devils in society 

- Research based on mods and rockers in 1960s - been applied to media 

emerges when 'a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests'

Stages of MP

- Someone/something/group are defined as a threat to social norms or community interests

-The threat is then depicted in a simple and recognisable symbol/form by the media 

-The portrayal of this symbol rousers public concern 

-There is response from authorities and policy makers 

-The moral panic over the issue results in social changes within the community  

The consequences of MP

Jamie bulger case- focuses public attention on screen violence 

Mary Whitehouse - Spearheads a campaign against screen violence 

BBFC starts to censor films/ ban them 

Fewer people are able to consume violent films 

New book argues that the concerns over violent video games are a moral panic 

- Historical psychologists blamed violent games for violent agressive behaviour 

- Moral combat 'Why the war on violent video games is wrong - Markey + Ferguson 

Key Point: 

Concern over violent video games is just another 'moral panic' about youth 

Same as violence in comics, hip pop music, drill

The american psychological association maintains there is a link between violence in games and agressive behaviour + desensitisation.

Folk devils: moral panic around time of London riots - many clubs,pubs and shoppiong centres have banned hooded tops

Desensitisation: suggests that audiences reactions are weaker towards their exposure to extreme violence, sex and death - this decrease in fear and sensitivity links to the extreme rise of societal violence and behaviours 

Mulvey & The Male Gaze: 

Gaze refers to how an audience views people that have been presented 

Mulvey believes that audiences have to 'view' characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male and that the camera is always of that viewpoint (cameras linger on female curves and female body)

Anderson & Media violence and youth 

- Says exposure to media violence increases the likelihood of agressive violent behaviour 

in young people. 

- The study was based on research carried out oon effects of violence in TV,Film,Music and video games

- 2 main ways agressive/violent behaviour is seem in young people: desensitisation and imitation 

- Degree to which media effects aggression and violence in young people can depend on other factors e.g social environment 

- No one is immune to the effects of media violence 

(goes against hypodermic) David Gauntlett: 'exposure to media violence leads to violent behaviour' 

He is a huge advocate for media studies and challenges the media affects model and its respected theories

States there is '10 things wrong with media effects model' 

The effects model tackles social problems 'backwards' 

There is mistake of looking at individuals rather than society in relation to mass media- should not generalise that ALL youths are violent 

The effects model treats children as inadequete 

It undermines childrens capabilities

The effects model assumes superiority to the masses 

Wrong to believe that undereducated, lower cladd individuals are more heavily affected by media content 

The effects model is selective in its critisism of media depictions of violence