Video games (Assassins Creed)

 First Video game

• Spacewar! (1962) First game on video screen
• Drafts (Nimrod Computer, 1952) First game technically although no video screen but instead with lightbulbs
• Computer Space (1971) First Commercial video game 
• Pong (home version, 1974) First game available at home 

Arcade

Japanese Arcade Boom - Game called Space invaders released in 1979

American Arcade Boom - Centipede and Asteroid 

Bedroom coders and UK micros 

1980s video game crash

Japanese console BOOM - Mario comes out and Street Fighter 2 (1991)

 

Playstation/Sony would advertise at Ministry of Sound 

Doki Doki got talked about on the Sun about its extreme themes 

Games are mainly digitally distributed 

Specialised - does one thing very well 

What makes it specialised?

• Exclusivity to certain platforms 
• Has a specific audience of a core gamer 
• Interactive form of media 
• Often competitive 
• Specific goals/achievements
• You can play with other people 
• Immersive - provide escapism 
• More expensive than other media forms 
• Freemium games - "Free" game with micro-transactions
• Longer length spent on games 

Pre production:

• Core concept of the game - target audience, gameplay mechanics, story 
• Proving there is a market - making sure there is an audience for your game who would be interested in playing it 
• Figure out the game mechanics
• Market Research 
• Story planning 
• Planning and designing 
• Making a timetable - establishing a deadline for certain tasks 
• A prototype is made - usually to show investors 

Production and Post-Production:

• Source code is developed 
• Character models are designed 
• Voice actors are hired and assigned to roles 
• Coding 
• Use engines (Unreal, Premiere Pro, Unity)
• People get contracted in 
• Animations are made 
• Mo-cap (motion capture) make realistic movements in the game 
• Game is tested for bugs 
• Alpha and Beta builds are made 
• Patches are released to fix certain issues 
• Maintenance 
• If a game is never finished... it gets stuck in development hell 

Marketing and Promotion:

• Games are shown at trade shows like E3
• Teaser trailers 

Assassins creed Valhalla:

• 17.2 million views on trailer 
• Costumes connote viking theme 
• Narrative of battle 
• Binary opposition of how the king presents the vikings of how they actually are 
• Dark lighting gives it a gritty feeling 
• Fantasy setting - escapism and wish fulfilment - the opportunity for audiences to live out violent fantasies 
• Historical references - appeals to history fans - history mode included 
• Intense soundtrack, dark electronic pop music which allows the game to appeal to a larger audience 
• Highly immersive using film techniques with a range of cinematic shots
• The king casted as the villain through dark lighting around him and their smug facial expressions 
• The viking hero is represented as the underdog  
• Makes many intertextual references to films - garners a larger audience 
• No gameplay 

Xbox one:

• Dashboard full of games 

Assassins Creed Unity:

• Hybrid genre of science fiction and history 
• Game gives several disclaimers 
• Was developed by Ubisoft Montreal 
• Lets the player know that it saves automatically 
• Game starts off with a tutorial 
• Provides settings allowing the player to adjust visuals, audio and other things 
• Barriers to entry with people struggling to play 
• Soundtrack is suitable for action 
• HUD
• Stealth 
• Uncanny valley of faces looking realistic but not quite
• High production value
• Escapist 
• Multiplayer aspect 
• Rated 18 

Fallout 4:

• The pad vibrates to create tension
• Post apocalyptic game 
• Offers character customisation 

Video games are highly polysemic - offer a variety of responses 

How does Ubisoft guarantee financial success? 

• Mainstream - high production values 
• Cinematic cutscenes 
• Open world 
• High budget 
• Advertising and promotion 
• Pre orders 
• Early copy reviews from streamers or influencers 
• Pre-made audience 
• First game was not a critical success but sold very well 
• Genre: Historical, Action, Stealth, RPG, Open world, Sandbox, Sci-fi
• Offers escapist fantasy 
• Social interaction (fomo)
• They all look the same except location changes and sometimes the character as well 
• Continuation of the story 

Ubisoft 90s

Rayman:

• Platformer 
•  Android, Atari Jaguar, iOS, Microsoft Windows,
• Children 
• It was praised for level design 
• Loved by fans 

Assassins Creed Brotherhood:

• Action adventure, Open world, Stealth

Ubisoft are a conglomerate that focus on games 

• Just dance is a family game that people who don't play games might play 
• Output a variety of games for different audiences 

David Hesmondhalgh - Cultural industries 

• Ubisoft have minimised risk and maximised profit at every stage 
• Horizontal integration is when a company acquires other companies in the same sector 
• Ubisoft are highly specialised 
• Their movie allowed them to diversify to a larger audience 

Ubisoft facts:

• 4th largest company 
• Established in France 1986 
• Focus on producing AAA games 
• Publishes game in variety of genres 
• Horizontally and Vertically studio 

Curran and Seaton - Power and media industries

• Media is controlled by small number of companies driven by profit and power 
• Media concentration limits variety, creativity and quality 
• More diverse patterns of ownerships can create more varied and adventurous media productions

Ubisoft suck

• Milk their games 
• Provide high barriers of entry - limit competition
• Games are extremely similar 
• Games are too big 
• Ubisoft offer a standardised and generic product 

Explain how ownership shapes media products. Refer to Assassins creed 

• Ubisoft 
• Ubisoft montreal 
• Circulation 
• Ideological implications 
• Curran and seaton
• Funding 
• Political bias 
• Funding 
• Hesmondhalgh 
• Multiplatform 
• Major, multinational publisher

How does Assassin's creed being made by a really big company make it what it is?

• Big budget means more money for resources 
• High production value 
• Brand loyalty from other games 
• Extremely detailed open world offers audiences escapism 
• English to appeal to international audiences 
• Multiplatform release 
• Iconography of assassin on front cover 
• Extreme hybrid genre 
• Appeals to many audiences 
• Sold a million copies 
• Game is bland
• Game is boring 

The effective of regulation of media products is largely impossible due to digitally convergent technologies 

PEGI is an advisory regulation:

• Not very effective regulation in the UK 
• Can get parents to purchase game for you 
• Can download it digitally 
• Some game shops might sell it either way 
• Pirate games to get the for free 

Why is Assassins creed offensive:

• Depicts Christianity as the bad guy 
• Actual racism in the game 
• Discriminatory language 
• Lots of killing 
• Fantasy violence
• Sexualisation
• Sexual threat 
• Blood (however audiences are given the option to turn it off)
• Swearing 
• No choice to be male or female 
• No options for non binary
• Imitable behaviour 

Grand theft auto murder in Thailand 

Manhunt game about snuff film 

Doki Doki suicide cases 

Moral Panic - story blown out of proportion 

Hypodermic needle theory:

audiences were passive. One of the reasons for this is because of Albert Banduras. EEF media has a direct effect on audiences. Audiences accept whatever they see

• A doll is not a person. Its a toy]
• Children are watching a role model 
• Children are more easily influenced 
• Those with cognitive disabilities might be vulnerable 
• Those with mental issues are more likely to be affected by certain depictions 

Henry Jenkins - Fandom

George Gerbner - Cultivation 

Stuart Hall - Reception - an assumption that there are many ways in which an audience can receive ideology of producer 

Reception:

Preferred 

• To be successful or powerful, you must kill 
• To become powerful, you must become the strongest and most dominant 
• Violence is normal 
• That thinking and acting fast should be rewarded 
• That violence is in fact essential 
• Being an assassin is an acceptable occupation 
• Sometime takes an anti-monarchy and anti-establishment ideology 
• Story is complicated and involving and audiences should concentrate really hard to understand it 

Oppositional

• Violence is bad 
• Assassins are bad 

Negotiated

• Violence isn't good but if it's to beat the monarchy then its acceptable 
• I hate violence but I love playing the game for story
• I hate the story but I love the violence 

Aberrant

• I play assassins creed to become an assassin in real life 
• The game is actually real 

Cultivation:

Seeing something over and over again reinforces an idea 

Fandom: 

People make video games a social interaction 

Violence in assassins creed is fantasy violence 

Fandom:

• Create their own media products from it such as fan edits 
• Share their love for it on fan forums and discuss things about them
• Create their own fanfic of it 
• Cosplay to find other people that like the thing they do and get to be their favourite character
• Textual poaching - when fans view a media product, they're taking it and doing something very different with it 
• Deciphering secret language found in games. By including this language they are appealing to the super fans 
• Fan music videos
• Fan pony edit of assassins creed genre hybridity 
• Nintendo always takes down fan made things 
• Allowing fans to interact with media products allows free promotion

Clay Shirky - End of Audience 

argues there is no such thing as audience anymore as we create our own 

• audiences writing their own version of the game's events 
• creating weapons from the game
• Experts recreating parkour moves from assassins creed 
• Reaction videos 
• Create own fan trailer for a WW2 assassins creed. Borderline professional choreography with decent editing

A lot of fan created stuff lets them show off their artistic and editing skills 

Introduction to the Radio Industry

 Why is radio relevant/irrelevant?

• Still reports the news while driving
• Gives real time traffic updates 
• Daily weather forecasts 
• Repetitive music 
• Changes in format
• Rise of streaming options 

What do the BBC do?

Create distinctive, world-class programmes and content which inform, educate and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.

How was the BBC set up?

Established by a Royal Charter.

How does it make money?

The BBC is principally funded through the license paid by UK households.

Who regulates the BBC?

Ofcom. They make sure the people don't get scammed and are protected from bad practices and in general look after the airwaves 

What is the BBC mission and values?

Mission Statement:

"to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain"

Public Purposes:

1. To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them


2. To support learning for people of all ages


3. To show the most creative, highest quality and distinctive output and services


4. To reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions and, in doing so, support the creative economy across the United Kingdom


5. To reflect the United Kingdom, its culture and values to the world

Our values are:

• Trust is the foundation of the BBC. We’re independent, impartial and honest
• We put audiences at the heart of everything we do
• We respect each other and celebrate our diversity
• We take pride in delivering quality and value for money
• Creativity is the lifeblood of our organisation
• We’re one BBC. Great things happen when we work together

Task 1 

Task 2

Interactive radio 
PC, smartphone or tablet allows audiences to open apps and allows more control over the radio station. They can listen to pre recorded broadcasts instead of live. 
podcasting 
episodic shows similar to radio shows
traditional and DAB
FM / AM services
digital radio increase potential audience 

Task 3

Task 4 

Who is their target audience? Try to apply audience theory

Radio 4 
- 50/50 male and female 
- 56 years old average, older audiences 

- teachers

- middle class 

Radio 1
- 15-29 year olds 

 

How are they targeted? Give specific details

Radio 4

- news

- factual content 

- women's hour 

- no music 

Radio 1

-  new music and speech

- young future artists 

- mainstream hits music 
 

What range of programmes are offered on each station? Think of genres, content etc. GIve examples

Radio 4
- covid 

- ghosts, sci fit

- tv shows

- facts 

- education

Radio 1

- dance 

- pop

- rap

- podcasts with celebrities 

 

 Which programmes are most clearly fulfilling their mission - inform, education and entertain. Give specific examples

Radio 4

- news informs 

- facts five education

Radio 1
- entertainment podcasts with celebrities 

- music 
 

How do the stations help BBC to achieve it five public purposes. Give specific details

Radio 4

- mixed speech service, offering in-depth news and current affairs and a wide range of other speech output including drama, readings, comedy, factual and magazine programmes

Radio 1
- entertain and engage a broad range of young listeners with a distinctive mix of contemporary music and speech.

Lesson 2

Task 2

1.  What type of content did Woman’s Hour cover in the early days?

Backstreet abortion 

Introduction of the pill

Fight for equal pay act 

Work and Marriage 

2. Jenni Murray and Jane Garvey

3. 2pm midday after domestic chores and children arrival 

4. It was found patronising as it focused on women's tasks 

5. Honest debate on topics in feminism 

6. 

Task 4

1.  Thursday 28th January 

2.  Not wanting children 

Gender price gap

Makeup on public transport 

Male/Female friendship

Modern Slavery 

Task 5

1.How does Laverne introduce the show and engage the audience?

engages the audience by referencing game of thrones and talks about home which is a topic that usually is found interesting by women 

1.What do the range of guests tell us about the audience of LNWH? the BBC’s role as public service broadcaster and how the BBC offers diversity and equality?

They're all women and have a range of professions offering a wide range for the audience. They're all different ages and have different backgrounds.

1. How does this part serve to ‘educate’ as stated in the BBC’s mission statement?2. In what ways does Laverne manage the discussion?

Defines what hygge is and the concept behind it. Lauren asks questions that the audience watching might be thinking

1. How do the references to British culture during this segment reflect Radio 4’s UK audience?2. How do other references reflect a potential global audience for this programme?

BBC content is sold around the world via iplayer

Radio audiences

Blind medium – lack of visual image relying on the audience’s imagination.


The companion medium – it offers interactive opportunities (shout-outs, phone-ins, social media, texts etc.).


The intimate medium – radio is very personal often using a direct mode of address. Sense of personal identification between audience and presenter.

   
The undemanding medium – you can do other things whilst you listen – convenient.

In what ways does the BBC meets the needs of its audiences?

• Escapism
• Excitement
• Entertainment
• Information 
• Sexual gratification 
• Identification and relating to the characters/presenters
• Modes of address and lexis 

Why does the BBC have to meet the needs of so many audiences?

• The BBC is publicly funded by the British public through the license fee. It is not for profit, PBS (public broadcasting service). The vast majority of broadcasters worldwide are funded through advertising and/or monthly premium subscriptions. The BBC also has a legal remit to provide informative and educational content, to be free from political bias, and to schedule regular news bulletins, local news, and a plurality of voices, accents, languages, creoles and opinions  

BBC Sounds

• Colourful website 
• Series of thumbnail images demonstrates the range of different shows and 
• Simple and effective and clean layout 
• Functions as a web portal to a range of different services 
• Can be accessed from any device such as computer or mobile phone 
• Audio quality is superior 
• Appeals to younger, digitally connected audiences 
• Digital hosting allows audiences the opportunity to rewind, fast forward, download and listen to in their own time

Lazarus Heist

• Quite formal 
• Talks about hackers and technology
• North Korea is being suspected of being behind the attack as this seems the type of thing they' d do 
• They're brining in a range of experts to talk about past events and make speculations 

How do audience responses to the product demonstrate socio-historical circumstances?

Socio-historical: what was happening at that time of history

Racist Trapdoors

• Have a writer, author on it
• Intersectionality means there is different layers of oppression that women experience 
• Mention white privilege 
• Mention another podcast based in the US who talked about not liking black men who don't act "black"

Preferred reading - agree with the message of the episode of woman's hour, and will feel that feminism and issues surrounding feminism will have a big impact on their lives 

presenter criticises broad statements and statements made by a podcast hosted by two white women 

feminism can challenge a patriarchal hegemonic society 

Negotiated reading: while the issues raised in this episode are important, they are clearly not the biggest issues in the world 

Oppositional reading: the brand of feminism in this episode is argumentative and divisive 

audiences may be upset by and disgusted by 

 

• late night women's hour follows ofcom regulation through talking about controversial topics for educational purposes and not actually saying anything but instead quoting. 
• Women's hour has a niche audience and isn't very inclusive
• Protect audiences from offensive material 
• Protects audiences against infringement of privacy 

Clay Shirky - End of audience 

Audiences are no longer passive: they interact with media products in an increasingly complex variety of ways - No longer exist basically

Late night woman's hour is a traditional form of media

How do