Unit 6 Final Feedback forms

Assignment 1 Feedback (Pass)

Assignment 2 Feedback (Distinction)

Assignment 3 Feedback (Merit)

Unit 6 Assignment 3

Research Task Worksheet Link

Opinionated Blog Post

I believe that people have an active choice in what they do, we are not pawns in a game of Media. We have our own choices, and sometimes we don’t know why we make them but that does not make us passive it just makes us unsure. I agree that the media can have a big impact on how people act but that is not to suggest that the media is to blame, society controls us. I believe that the messages spread in the media are often negative decreasing self esteem and affecting people’s well being but it not just violent games that have that effect on people. To say that it is only violence which influences our minds is plain ignorance, it suggesting that we are all soldiers following only violent orders and following what we see. The media has an influence but it is not solely the thing that makes us act and think in a certain way. We as humans have a mind of our own we speak and think for ourselves and we have free will, games have not influenced us anymore than a film that we have enjoyed has changed us. For me I have been affected by films such as Harry Potter -growing up with them has made me find some happiness and dream of things but just because I have watched such films does not mean to say that I have been so heavily influenced that I will go around trying to kill people with wooden sticks.

I would say that I have a mixture between a preferred and an oppositional reading towards video games. I think this because it all depends on the type of game I am playing. I agree with some video games as I feel they are realistic and interesting -they entertain me. Where as some I dislike it all depends on types and a person's interests. I have a preferred reading to action and adventure games but I sometimes have an oppositional reading towards fighting or combat games.

Many games have been labelled as the cause of violent behaviour. They have been blamed on countless occasions as having heavy impacts on a person's behaviour suggesting that the Effects Model Theory is true in the cases of video games. Games such as: Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat or Manhunt have all had complaints and links to negative or violent behaviour.



Grand Theft Auto III
The complaints about GTA are that it increases violence and it has been blamed for a number of murder cases suggesting that the game is entirely to blame for these acts of crime.

Manhunt
The complaints are as follows even going as far with blame for shops to start taking the game off of their shelves.

Mortal Kombat
There have been speeches about video games being the cause of problems such as shootings this game being one of many to be mentioned as a cause.

Opinions on Video Games

"that it’s also fair to say that playing violent video games again and again does, in fact, make young people more aggressive.
Significant and repeated exposure to violent video games is not healthy for young people, especially young people who are otherwise maladjusted."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/video-games-spark-aggression-article-1.1293112#ixzz2ubitp800

I disagree with this quote and what this article is saying as there is no evidence that video games are to blame and that they actually have a big impact on people. To suggest that young people are shaped by video games is frankly absurd, yes they may have an impact but they are not to blame and people have their own mind, they can think for themselves and they are responsible for their actions not something they have played or watched.

'Playing video games could be compared to smoking cigarettes. A single cigarette won't cause lung cancer, but smoking over weeks or months or years greatly increases the risk. 
'In the same way, repeated exposure to violent video games may have a cumulative effect on aggression.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2246478/Playing-violent-video-games-just-20-minutes-day-encourage-aggressive-behaviour.html#ixzz2ubkduPFi 

I think this quote is interesting as it shows how strongly people feel about this issue -that they feel that it is incredibly serious and it is just as big as cancer. We think about the short term effects of things when this article thinks about longer effects and compares it to something which is long term and lasting. 

Video Games with POSITIVE impacts on people 

The thing with video games is that people only focus on the negative, they completely ignore the positive impacts it could have on people and our society because there are so many bad stories linked to certain video games that it sometimes outweighs the positives. Studies have shown that video games can help improve your hand-eye coordination which can benefit you in everyday life and in some jobs -shooting and targeting can improve your focus and determination. Other studies show that video games can help people with social skills and can rehabilitate stroke victims and and help them to regain their motor skills. 

Example: http://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2013/sep/04/brain-training-game-memory-older-video

The game BRAIN TRAINING has been proven to help memory in the elderly. It helps develop changes in neural aspects os a person. 

The Effects Model

I disagree with the effects model because it makes out that audiences are passive which I find insulting because people have their own mind, some people are easily influenced but that is not to say that we are all like that and that we ourselves are not responsible for how we act. To blame video games is just a way of shifting the blame and not taking responsibility for our actions. The theory is irrelevant towards video games we continuously blame anyone but ourselves because we live in fear that we could actually have the power to make our own choices and live and act how we choose. It may have slight links to cases of violence however I believe that it is more important to look at a person's background and their mentality than to blame anything other than society and the people we live amongst. 

Unit 6 Assignment 3 notes

Impacts Video Games Have On People

• What is Violence? Blood and Gore, Fighting, Swearing, Usually with weapons. 
• Violence can be classed of one of two things: Gratuitous OR Informative. 

Gratuitous= there to entertain the audience. 

Informative= to educate/inform the audience about something. 

DESENSITISATION

-Meaning less sensitive towards something, so used to seeing it that it doesn't have an impact on you, you won't form an actual response and it won't have the desired effect on you. 

Task:  Pick a clip from a media product that represents violence. Write about your response to the clip. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y60kJDuuYQo
Gladiator Scene -Maximus kills Commodes.

• I felt enticed and full of energy when watching the scene.
• I had a shocked reaction but I was glad of the violence and that it showed Commodes's death in that way.
• My reaction was the Preferred Reading as the violence was meant to shock the audience. 

Effects Model

• What Is It? It is a theory. It was made up by people from 'The Frankfurt School' and it is based on how the media effects your behaviour. 
• It is otherwise named 'The Hypodermic Needle/Syringe Theory' because they believe that the media injects you with information and the "right" behaviour. 
• In simple terms: Monkey See Monkey Do -you see it and you will copy what you see. 
• The Theory suggests that audiences are Passive meaning that they will just take in all of the information and content without questioning or even thinking about it. -Removing our common sense.
• When the media believe into this theory they create something called a MORAL PANIC. 

I sort of disagree with this theory because I believe that not everyone who sees it will go out and do it as we have common sense. However the theory could be true in the case of children as they can be easily influenced and impressionable but that said it is not always the case. The theory could also apply for those people who already have emotional or psychological/mental issues. 

Moral Panic

1. Moral Panic means creating a panic about something that is seen to be damaging to our society. 
2. It is part of a cycle -using the media as a scapegoat to blame an issue on. People are easily persuaded that this issue is happening worldwide hear bye increasing the panic but never solving the problem. 
3. Violent Films and Violent Games are blamed the most for bad behaviour or issues that have happened gaining a big amount of blame.
4. The latest Moral Panic is that: "Video Games Breed Violent Behaviour" -henceforth blaming the people who MAKE the video games. 

The problems with this are that: Society just look for someone or something to blame. There is no concrete proof or evidence to suggest that the theory is true. Also the theory are based on rumours, suggestions and allegations making it biased and opinionated.  

Uses And Gratifications

• What Is It?  It is another theory. It is the opposite of the Effects Model theory, this theory focuses on why people use media products. 
• Suggesting that audiences are Active meaning that they choose to use the media product for a purpose.
• Reasons why they may choose to engage in the product could be; for entertainment, to inform them or to create an identity. 

List Of Video Games That Have Been Linked With Violence:

1. Mortal Kombat
2. Doom
3. Final Fantasy VIII
4. Grand Theft Auto III
5. Grand Theft Auto Vice City
6. Grand Theft Auto IV
7. Manhunt
8. Lineage II
9. Counter Strike
10. Modern Warfare 2
11. Call Of Duty
12. Mass Effect 

Research Task Worksheet Link

Unit 6 Assignment 2

Unit 6 Assignment 2

Focus Group Video

Improvements:

• Analyse a section of the game and explain why you know it targets this age, gender, socio economic and psychographic

The section of the game I chose was this part where the character is running on the tracks as it is simple and it shows why we target certain audiences. This part of the game is very colorful and it looks easy to get ahead in. The game looks colorful and bright which attracts a younger audience -children both male and female. 

• Get one or two research links about who are typical gamers and summarise the information in your own words.

http://kotaku.com/5857864/which-of-these-27-gamer-classifications-do-you-fall-under

The information on this website basically categorises people who play video games into different stereotypes due to how they play or what they like to play. It shows that gamers can be broken down into even further types not just the age or gender of the person or people. 

• Which way of describing an audience is more useful in your opinion (demographic, psychographic or socio economic scale)? Why do you think this?

I think that describing an audience in psychographics is more useful because you are getting to know the people a bit better and to find out why your game would appeal to that type of audience and what the different categorisations of audience like and what would appeal to them. 

• Summarise the common answers to each of your focus group questions and explain what the typical audience of this game is like.

The common answers for our focus group questions were that people play for a small amount of time on the game as a way to pass the time but not as a hugely addictive game. That people play it because it is free but they might not pay for it if it cost money. We found that people generally liked the game and that they didn't find it particularly challenging.

• What were the positives and negatives of your focus group?

The positives of our focus group were that it helped to see why people play the game and to get other people's opinions. I feel that the negatives of our focus group were that there weren't a lot of people to collect the feedback from. Another negative was that the opinions weren't very big so you didn't get enough feedback to know a lot about a gamer or the enjoyment of the game. 

• Why is a focus group useful for the industry?

A focus group is useful for the industry because they allow you to get personal opinions of the target audience and they help you find ways of improving and will allow productions to progress by gathering information and basing the games or media products on a specific audience. 

Unit 6 Assignment 2 (Notes)

What kind of games do Women play? (Stereotypically)

• Dance games -'Just Dance' 
• Body games- 'Wii Fit'
• Animal Games -'Nintendogs', 'Pokemon' or 'Animal Crossing'
• 'Super Marios' 'Sonic'
• Lifestyle/Cooking games -'Sims' or 'Cooking Mama'
• Educational games -'Brain Training'

What kind of games do Men play? (Stereotypically)

• Action Games
• Shooting Games
• Sports Games 
• SOME Animal games - 'Pokemon' or 'Spyro'
• Examples: 'FIFA', 'Grand Theft Auto', 'Call Of Duty', 'Assassins Creed', 'Battlefield' , 'Lego Games', 'Skyrim' or 'Temple Run' 

-Elderly People 

-Not Stereotypical

-Could play for a long time as they have a lot of time.

-Playing Wii Games -Team games or group games 

- E.G> Mario Karts

Unit 6 Assignment 1 and final feedback sheet

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BzjVcOxZw3pISkxJdndSWTdrd28&usp=sharing

unit 6 notes

• Genre -type of media, the category/style of a product. 
• Target Audience- who the product is aimed for, broken down into categories: age, gender, lives/income
• Mode of address -how it speaks to you- tone
• Oppositional reading -what you're not supposed to think or feel about the product. NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. Someone who disagrees or doesn't like the product. 
• Preferred reading- what you are supposed to think/feel about a product. People who like/agree with the product. NOT ALWAYS THE TARGET AUDIENCE. 

Technical Codes (things we learnt in the film studios unit)

1. Cinematography (shot, angle, movement)
2. Editing (shot length and transition)
3. Genre
4. Mise en scene (costumes, props, setting, lighting, movement and facial expression)
5. Narrative
6. Sound (Diagetic/Non-diagetic)

Generic Conventions of a 'Sci-fi Film' (listed below)

• Space themes/Narrative
• Aliens and spaceships
• Advanced technology and 'weapons'
• Sound effects and keyboard sounds -electronic
• CGI (computer generated image)
• Hero VS Villain
• Fast panning and tracking shots which create tension
• Explosions, saving the world, invasions

EXAMPLE- Star Trek meets the generic conventions of a Sci-Fi film but it also challenges the conventions too. It has conventions of an ACTION film such as: the desert setting, having a normal/modern car and a slow motion dive. 

BY CHALLENGING CONVENTIONS IT MAKES THE PRODUCT MORE INTERESTING. 

Narrative Structures

• Means Storyline and structure.
• Narratives have CHARACTER TYPES -Hero, Victim, Villain.
• LINEAR (things happen in a chronological order)
• NON-LINEAR (breaking the order of the narrative)

• Types of Structures: 

1. Single Strand (1 Plot Line)
2. Multi-stranded (Lots of different characters with lots of different story lines) e.g. Love actually

Enigma Codes (Puzzles we need the character to solve -they keep us interested)
When characters think back it is called a Flashback when these happen the narrative becomes Non-Linear. 

Unit 6 Notes -Audiences

Video Games

1. Which games do you play?
2. Do you think games are gender based? (Give examples)
3. Do you think video games influence people's attitude and behaviour?

• I play a few different types of video games, such as: Spyro, Pokemon, Harry Potter, Simpsons, Skyrim, Animal Crossing, Crash Bandicoot, Sonic (The Hedgehog) and Far Cry. 
• Yes I believe that video games are gender based because they try to appeal to stereotypical views, as more people within the stereotypes will want to buy the sort of games made specifically for their gender. Most video games are made to appeal to one gender or the other. Examples are as follows: most adventure or action games such as: Call Of Duty are preferably for boys where as games such as; Barbie or Sims are more suited for girls.
• I think that video games could influence attitude as they change your temperament generally making you angrier and for you to become more short-tempered as your frustrations and concentration go into playing the game. It may influence your ability to work and stay awake which would then have an impact on your progression and your school work may be affected as your concentration won't be focused enough due to lack of sleep.