changing technology

The effect that changing technology is having on the computer game industry

 

The Games industry continuously innovates and makes use of new technologies to gain market share. Players include digital entertainment & graphics design companies that have revolutionized the way people play games. Most recently, there are news reports covering the beta launch of Cloud-based Online Gaming Platform called OnLive that brings games on-demand, anytime, anywhere to gamers all over the world.

Computer games industry experienced profitable growth. Revenue increased for the last five years and total market capitalization is estimated to be around 49.6 billion.

With the advent of the Internet, the video games industry captured the lost revenue (of traditional consoles & PC games to piracy) by capitalizing on consumers preferences of callobarative play and the multi-user environment in the online gaming market. Although with technology advances to deter piracy (e.g. server-side security firewalls, game protection technologies and password protected logins for users), it did shift the distribution control back to the game provider, pirated PC games still continued to be sold.

More info:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23765445/Analysis-of-Technological-Change-Effects-on-the-Games-Industry 

upcoming game release

Upcoming computer game release

Just Dance: Disney Party is released on October 23rd for the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect. 

Players are required to perform specific dance moves in time with the music, following a routine indicated on-screen and performed by live dancers. If the player performs well, by dancing accurately and in-time, their score will build and a rating out of 5 stars is obtained upon completion of the track.

It is developed and published by Ubisoft and has live action dancers, the game modes (Team High Scores, Freeze & Shake, Balloon Pop), and the animated score icons and it includes a duet mode. In addition, all the songs are the original versions, not covers.

Just Dance and Disney are working together to create the greatest dance game for the whole Family.

Dance like a star to 25 songs from both the beloved classic Disney Movies and Disney Channel’s shows. Play with up to 4-players to experience the ultimate in family fun. With an amazing selection of family favorite songs, fun dances and kid-friendly gameplay, children of all ages can Just Dance along with family and friends.

The game is marketed using TV adverts with language and pictures that would engage the games target audience, which is children, and appeal to them so they will want to buy it. The adverts will usually be in between childrens programmes and especially disney ones because the audience watching them is the audience that is most likely to buy the game so it can appeal to a larger audience.

5 most important games

The 5 most important video games ever

Space Invaders

Released in 1978.  This simple blast the alien invader games is the most responsible game for the rise of the arcade game industry in the late 1970’s and early 1980s than any other game.  Over 60,000 machines were sold in the U.S.  It became the first “must have” game on the Atari 2600 and quadrupled sales of that console in 1980.  The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto who would later go on to design classic games like Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, and F-Zero.

                                                                                  

Super-Mario Bros

Released in 1985. Super Mario Bros revived the video- game industry.  It was released at the launch of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario is also largely responsible for the Nintendo's initial success.  It was the best-selling game of all time for over two decades  with over 40 million units sold.  Mario has gone on to become Nintendo’s flagship character with each new system they release.

 

Tetris

Released in 1988. The block dropping puzzle game Tetris has a history of intrigue that rival any James Bond film.  It was created by Russian computer engineer Alexey Pajitnov.  Immediately the game began to be knocked off and rights sold without Pajitnov’s approval.  Tengen, a division of Atari, produced the first and best version of the game on the Nintendo entertainment system.  Nintendo quickly sued claiming they alone had the rights.  The courts sided with Nintendo and Tengen’s version was pulled after only four weeks on the market making it a hot collectible today. It is one of the most popular puzzle games of all-time, more that 70 million copies have been sold worldwide in its various incarnations and console platforms, and over 100 million cell phone copies have been sold as well.

The Sims

Released in 2000. The Sims was unlike any other game before it, there were no enemies to defeat, no game to win, and no high score to achieve. It was a life simulator where you controlled the lives of your simulated humans.  And who would have ever thought that waking up, taking a shower, and getting dressed could be so addictively fun!  You could grow relationships with Sims of the opposite sex, get a job, and even start a family.  The Sims became the best-selling PC game of all time in 2002 and has seen numerous expansions and sequels released that allow you to take your Sims on vacation, become an entertainment superstar, and even cast magic spells.

                                        

                                                                                        

Wii Sports

Released in 2006. Wii Sports came packed with the Nintendo Wii console when it was released and because of that it is the best-selling video game of all time with over 75 million copies sold.  But more importantly, Wii Sports became the greatest social videogame, allowing friends and families to compete in sports like tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing.  Wii Sports has bridged generations becoming the game to have a strong following among senior citizens.  Wii Sports has thrived in retirement communities where golf and bowling leagues started.  It also became the game that resulted in the most player injuries due to its physical gameplay.  

                                        

structure of computer game industry

The Structure of The Computer Game Industry

The computer game industry is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sales of computer games. It creates dozens of job disciplines and employs thousands of people worldwide.

There are complex interactions of the various companies. A company focused on one of these areas may also be active in others. Publishers often own all or part of a development or distribution company and the hardware manufacterers all act as publishers for their own 1st party products. This means that an independent development company seeking to do business with a publisher may actually be approaching the owner of one of their main competitors.

 Two publishers who compete in one territory can end up working together (one may distribute the others games) in another territory. Because of this it is very important to understand the existing global relationships when doing business within the games industry.

•  The computer and video game industries have grown from focused markets to mainstream.
• Sound cards were developed for addition of digital-quality sound to games and only later improved for music and audiophiles.
• Early on, graphics cards were developed for more colors and later they were developed for  games.
•  Modern games are among the most demanding of applications on PC resources. Many of the high-powered computers are purchased by gamers who want the fastest equipment to power the latest cutting-edge games.

 Game industry value chain

1. Capital and publishing layer: involved in paying for development of new titles and seeking returns through licensing of the titles.
2. Product and talent layer: includes developers, desginers and artists, who may be working under individual contracts or as part of in-house development teams.
3. Production and tools layer: generates content production tools, game development middleware, customizable game engines, and production management tools.
4. Distribution layer:  involved in generating and marketing catalogs of games for retail and online distribution.
5. Hardware layer: or the providers of the underlying platform, which may be console-based, accessed through online media, or accessed through phones. This layer now includes non-hardware platforms such as virtual machines (e.g. Java or Flash), or software platforms such as browsers or even further Facebook, etc.
6. End-users layer: or the users/players of the games.
   
   
   
   
   6. The UK industry
      
   7. The third largest in the world in terms of developer success and sales of hardware.
   8. Fourth largest in terms of people employed.
   9. The country houses many of the world's most successful franchises.
   10. Before the tax relief was introduced there was a fear that the UK games industry could fall behind other leading game industries around the world such as France and Canada.
       
       
   
   
   More info on:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry
   
   
   

sexuality paragraph

In the establishing shot the mise en scene shows femininity which also maybe suggests homosexuality. The two girls are wearing big cream and white dresses looking into a mirror covered in grime and dirt, this connotes that her homosexual feelings have to be hidden away and their relationship she is longing for will never be. The colour of the background is dark and dusky showing that it is set in the past when homosexuality was frowned upon. In contrast the male is wearing browns and dark colours which are usually associated with the men, this connotes that he is heterosexual. Throughout the clip the women is recurringly seen wearing a white gloves this is a representation that she has to hide herself almost like a mask because she can't show her sexuality. However, when the dominant heterosexual male removes the glove this is almost like he is undressing her and forcing his sexuality on her. The two women on the bed are both wearing white this could signify purity and that they mean no harm, especially the woman who is awake, it shows she means no harm with what she is doing and her sexuality. The woman on the bed is also wearing a short dress this draws the audiences attention towards her body realising she is a very beautiful woman and the other woman is attracted to her. In contrast with the dusky establishing shot, the cut to the long shot outside is bright and colourful, this suggests that "out in the open" she will have to hide her feelings and her sexuality.

Terminology

OCR VIDEO TERMINOLOGY 
Camera shots
A variety of camera shots creates atmosphere and a specific mood for narrative
An establishing shot is usually at the beginning
A long shot helps the audience understand the relationship between character and setting
Mid shot focuses more on mise-en-scene
Contrasting represents binary oppositions eg. young and old
Close up is usually on an object of significance and works as reference for point of view shot which puts you inside the mind of the character
Extreme close up shot draws into emotions of character and is intense and uncomfortable for audience

Movements
A tracking shot is backwards and forwards, it draws the audience in or tells you that the action is over
A tilt shot is up or down and it gives a sense of height or power
Established camera shots create atmosphere and realism
Zoom is into or away and stimulates a tracking shot
Arc shot is a semi circle and it enables the audience to see the characters full emotions
A panning shot is left to right and is usually used when a character is searching a room

GENERAL TERMINOLOGY
Genre - The classification of any media text into a category or type.

Representation - The process by which an image etc may be used to represent/stand for someone or something.

Hypodermic Needle Theory - (also known as the hypodermic-syringe model, transmission-belt model, or magic bullet theory) is a model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. The model is rooted in 1930s behaviorism and is largely considered obsolete today.


Discourse - The expression of ideologies or speech used to achieve social, personal or political power.

Media Institution – The operation of a large media corporation embracing production, distribution and consumption

Mis-en-scene – Everything that is put in a TV studio or film set

Narrative - The way in which a plot or story is told, by whom and in what order.

Form – The structure or skeleton of a text

Ideology - A system of beliefs/values, which can be identified in mass media products or texts.

Denotation - The common sense, obvious meaning of something.

Connotation - Associations triggered by eg. an image or an object.

  ADVANCED TERMINOLOGY

paradigmatic elements/ codes and conventions- items that are used at construction to make a complete product.

syntagm- the completed product (such as a completed magazine or dvd cover)

bricolage- a combo of genres, e.g. action and romance, or romance and comedy.

in-house style- a company of organisation way of communication with a consistent layout.

enigma- exciting (a engimatic character, like Sylar in heroes)

direct mode of address- when a character looks straight at the camera (at the audience, indirect mode of address is the opposite)

MISE EN SCENE TERMINOLOGY

This term is used in film to describe what is in the frame and why. There are several areas to consider when talking about mise en scene:

·         Setting and props

·         Costume and make-up

·         Body language and facial expression

·         Lighting and colour

Each of these factors combines to give the shot a certain 'look' or 'feel'. What is put in or left out of a shot can make a big difference to the signals we receive about what sort of film it is and how we are supposed to feel at this point. For instance, a simple shot of a tree can be made to look threatening by adding a vulture and a storm and shooting it in darkness. The same tree can be given a very different look by having children playing beneath its sunlit branches.

EDITING TERMINOLOGY

cut A visual transition created in editing in which one shot is instantaneously replaced on screen by another. 

continuity editing Editing that creates action that flows smoothly across shots and scenes without jarring visual inconsistencies. Establishes a sense of story for the viewer.

cross cutting Cutting back and forth quickly between two or more lines of action, indicating they are happening simultaneously. 

dissolve A gradual scene transition. The editor overlaps the end of one shot with the beginning of the next one. 

editing The work of selecting and joining together shots to create a finished film. 

errors of continuity Disruptions in the flow of a scene, such as a failure to match action or the placement of props across shots. 

establishing shot A shot, normally taken from a great distance or from a "bird's eye view," that establishes where the action is about to occur. 

eyeline match The matching of eyelines between two or more characters. For example, if Sam looks to the right in shot A, Jean will look to the left in shot B. This establishes a relationship of proximity and continuity. 

fade A visual transition between shots or scenes that appears on screen as a brief interval with no picture. The editor fades one shot to black and then fades in the next. Often used to indicate a change in time and place. 

final cut The finished edit of a film, approved by the director and the producer. This is what the audience sees. 

iris Visible on screen as a circle closing down over or opening up on a shot. Usually used in contemporary film, but common during the silent era of Hollywood films.
jump cut A cut that creates a lack of continuity by leaving out parts of the action. 

matched cut A cut joining two shots whose compositional elements match, helping to establish strong continuity of action. 

montage Scenes whose emotional impact and visual design are achieved through the editing together of many brief shots. The shower scene from Psycho is an example of montage editing. 

rough cut The editor's first pass at assembling the shots into a film, before tightening and polishing occurs. 

sequence shot A long take that extends for an entire scene or sequence. It is composed of only one shot with no editing. 

shot reverse shot cuttingUsually used for conversation scenes, this technique alternates between over-the-shoulder shots showing each character speaking. 

wipe Visible on screen as a bar travelling across the frame pushing one shot off and pulling the next shot into place. Rarely used in contemporary film, but common in films from the 1930s and 1940s.

SOUND TERMINOLOGY

Acousmatic sound - sound one hears without seeing their originating cause   Acousmêtre - akind of invisible voice-character with mysterious powers   Added Value - the expressive and/or informative value with which a sound enriches a image  Audiovisual Contract - an agreement to forget that sound is coming from loudspeakers and picture from screen    Anempathetic Sound - music or sound effects that seems to exhibit conspicuous indifference to what is goingon in the film's plot  Chronography   -  the stabilisation of projection speed madecinema an art of time   Empathetic Sound - music or sound effects whose mood matches the mood of the action  Extension(of SoundSpace)

External logic - the logic by which the flow of sound includes effects of discontinuity as nondiegetic interventions   Internal logic - the logic by which the sound flow is apparently born out of the narrative situation itself    Magnetization (spatial) -  "mental pan" of the sound source  Materializing Sound Indices (M. S. I.)  - sonic details that "materialize" the sound source  Rendering - the use of sounds to convey the feelings or effects associated with the situation on screen Synchresis - the mental fusion between a sound and a visual when these occur at exactly the same time    Temporalization - influence of sound on the perception of time in the image  Vococentrism - the privilige of the voicein audiovisual media

Analysis on film

      In the establishing shot the four men are shown walking in a line in dirty green rags in a wide angle shot, this suggests immediately that they are lower class. You then see the lines of upper class shepharding the men and shouting their orders in their shiny, silver armour armed with lots of weapons, this shows the huge contrast in status as the upper class are a lot better dressed and the lower class obey all their orders. The mise en scene as the gladiators walk in is set in a dusty, dirty place with a dull, muted colour scheme consisting of browns and dark colours. This is setting us in a lower class situation. When the gladiators go out to fight, the removal of their rags reavealing the little armour underneath emphasises their vulnerability compared to the upper class who had lots of armour to protect them. The slave makes an appearance in brown coloured clothing this is suggesting she is also of the lower class but maybe slightly higher than the gladiators as they are nearly unclothed. In contrast, when the shot cuts to the rich people they are playing with their jewellery, surrounded by velvet and wearing rich reds and purples which are associated with the upper class and rich, this shows that they are of a much higher class than the gladiators and the slave. When the two men are fighting, one of them is wearing white shorts this could possibly symbolise purity and suggest he doesn't want to kill the other man, this shows that even though he is lower class he is higher than the other man he is fighting as he has power over him. Just before the weapon is thrown at the upper class people there is a shot of red curtains and a red cape in the background. The colour red directly realtes to death and danger, it signifies something bad is about to happen. This shows that he is possibly breaking the status ladder as he tries to have power over the upper class at this point and tries to kill them.

The editing throughout the clip shows a huge contrast betweent the different classes and statuses of poeple. There is often quick cuts of the gladiators fighting juxtoposed with long pauses on the upper class as they have a conversation. This shows the comparison between the two as the upper class are not bothered about the gladiators dying they are too busy talking about other things to care. This immediately persuades the audience to side with the lower class gladiators and presents the upper class as the antagonists.

When the audience is first introduced to the gladiators they can hear the non-diagetic, deep sound of drums and low trombones which are associated to the lower class. The gladiators are aggresively forced into the small cage and treat like animals, this juxtaposed with the diagetic sound of a woman laughing shows that the upper class clearly aren't bothered about how badly they are treating the lower class. The close up shot of the men showing their emotions as upset and frightened with the sound of the rich people laughing over the top shows the contrasting lifestyles of the upper and lower class.As the camera goes to a medium shot showing the two men in the cage while the other two are fighting, there is the diagetic sound of the battle outside. This emphasises the two mens faces and shows their emotions and reactions as the battle is going on. Even though they are portrayed to be animals and have no identity they still have emotions when they are about to fight till their death. The diaegetic sound of the tense music as the fight carries on makes the audience feel sorry for the fighters who are presented as the protaganists. This, shortly followed by the polite applause from the upper class as the dead body is being dragged off, makes the audience feel as though the upper class are awful people and they side with the lower class. In the second fight, that we can this time see, the build up of the frantic strings and trumpets represents the terror of the lower class fighters while the camera then cuts to a shot of the upper class where the music gets much quiter as they are talking about something else as the fight is still going on.This is suggesting that the upper class are not bothered at all that the gladiators are fighting and about to die and shows a complete difference between classes. As the fight gets more intense the diagetic music changes to harsh trumpets and builds up into a cruscendo before becoming slower again during the intense moment when one gladiator is about to kill the other.

The repeated imagery shots of the gladiators through bars or a net signifies imrpisonment and shows the lower class are trapped while the upper class can make them do anything. As the  two gladiators are coming out of the cage there is a long shot of the two gladiators who are lower down with three men stood tall above them with their shoulders back and head up, their stance and the way rhey are above the gladiators show they are of higher status than them. One of the men is further forward than the others this suggests that he is possibly of a slightly higher status than them. This shot also shows the upper class stood higher than the three men this signifies their importance and higher status than the three men and the gladiators. The point of view shot from the mans eye as he is in the cage juxtoposed with the close up shot of him giving the man opposite meaningful looks puzzles the audience slightly as to what he is thinking, it also shows how hard it must be for the lower class having to watch the fight knowing they are next. The high angle shot of the fight make the fighters look inferior as the upper class are above them. When the black gladiator is about to kill the other fighter he is standing over him signifying even though they are bioth lower class the black man has more power and a higher status.When the gladiator throws the weapon at the upper class this shows that he is transgending the higherarchy and breaking the classes because at that point he he has more power over the upper class. The long shot of him climbing up the ladder to kill the upper class shows his determination and power he wants over the upper class, he is climbing up through the social ladders to take revenge on them. The close up shot of the red blood squirting onto the upper class mans face is done deliberatley so the audience again side with the protaganists, the lower class.

Preliminary exercise report

Preliminary Exercise Report

Our preliminary exercise task had to involve filimg and editing a charcter opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character with whom they then exchange a couple of lines of dialogue. It had to demonstarte match on action, shot/ reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. 

Mine and Elise's was called Waiting. It was a romantic comedy and the audeience was teenagers. It involved a girl and a boy going on a blind date, the girl was late so was running to get there and the boy was worried that she wouldn't turn up so phones his friend. When she eventually bursts through the door the boy is shocked, she walks over to him and they exchange lines. We used a range of diferent camera shots from different angles and added music to create suspense and a better effect. 

Script

 

Boy: (on thephone panicking) Were you joking? She’s not here! You told me she’d be here 20minutes ago.

Boy: Thisisn’t funny stop winding me up.

Boy: (getting angry) Tell me the truth!

(Girl runsup and bursts through the door, boy looks her up and down)

Boy: Ohsorry mate never mind. (puts phone down)

Girl: Sorry to keep you waiting

Boy: It’s alright you were definitely worth the wait.

Storyboard 

Order of shooting

 

 Successes and Failures 

Improvements:

• The continuinity wasn't very good at some points, this could be improved by having consistent settings for example when the people were in the background.
• The Audio was sometimes a bit quiet and the talking was hard to hear, this could be improved by making sure the background music is at the right volume and fits the mood of the film. The people talking could have been recorded separately so the background niose could be cut out and it would be easier to hear.
• It could have been filmed somehwere else other than in school to make it more realistic. 
• The camer was shaky at some points, this could be improved by using a tripod more often.

Successes:

• We had a range of different angle camera shots which helped to build up suspense and add to the mood.
•  The "mystery character" worked well. We filmed the girl character from the back or side all the way through so you didn't see her face until the end.
• Editing was good in parts like the split screen and the different angles of the girl running down the stairs.

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