Videogames: Kim Kardashian

Language:

1) The objective of the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game is to create your own star, with the ability to customise your look and outfit with a vast array of style options. You can star in a huge interactive adventure as you encounter other celebs, dedicated fans, persistent paparazzi and even hang out with Kim herself. Climb up the social ladder to become an A-list movie actor, cover model, fashion designer and more. Take over L.A. in a virtual world complete with exclusive clubs, upscale boutiques, and luxury homes; you can also travel to New York City and Miami.

2) An A-List celebrity is a movie star who is very well known and who is usually considered extremely bankable by the movie industry, whose name is frequently recognised and associated with success and fame. This is important to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood as the primary aim of the game is to achieve that status.

3) The narrative of Kim Kardashian Hollywood involved working your way up the celebrity scale from Z-List to A-List. As you play you will interact with a range of real and fictional characters in the United States and around many of the world’s most glamourous and famous locations. As you progress, there are collectibles and missions that will allow you to develop the status of your customisable character. Your ranking is determined by your position on the Top Stars list in Hollywood. They are sorted into six different lists, with 'Unlisted' being the lowest rank to the 'A-list' being the highest rank. You rise up in ranks by gaining fans. The goal of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is to gain as many fans as possible by doing well on projects, getting attention from StarNews, and dating to get to the A-list.

4) Characters are NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) that appear in goals, locations and the storyline as you progress in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. These exclude NPCs you meet in the game that you can date or network with. These types of contacts are randomly generated according to each individual game. The characters in Kim Kardashian Hollywood are a mixture of real VIP characters and fictional characters.

5) In your pursuit of becoming an A-List celebrity, some of the fictional characters work with you and some actively try to ruin your journey by beating you to A-List. Special Events are temporary goal arcs that are available only during Weekend Events in the game. By completing them, players can not only earn Cash Cash, XP XP, Energy Energy and Star Stars, but also Special Event stars. These regularly happen and keep the game fresh.  It also means established players keep coming back to the game to see what the latest updated events are. By collecting Special Event stars, players can unlock exclusive rewards and Kustomize items. The Kustomize screen, also known as your wardrobe, is the screen where you can customize your character to your liking. You can purchase tops, dresses, pants, skirts, shoes, hairstyles, facial features, nail colours and fashion accessories like bags, jewellery, and tattoos.

Representations:

1) Representations of women in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood are perceived as quite controversial - it has been criticised for offering a representation of women focusing on appearance, modelling and dating as a way to be successful, rather than raw talent.

2) The game has been praised for its representation of race, ethnicity and sexuality – with the game offering a diverse range of characters many of whom are a part of the BAME community.

3) Representations are reinforced in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood through the idealistic, excessive manner in which women are conveyed, for example having prominent body figures and being interested in clothes and make-up. Another way is through the flirtatious and provocative depiction of women, as one of the main motives of the game is to develop intimate relationships with A-List celebrities. A way in which representations are subverted is through the fact that members of the BAME community prove to be famous and successful, which serves as a stark dichotomy to the formerly white Caucasian-dominated industry.

4) In Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, celebrity is represented as something to aspire to even without an obvious talent or ability.

5) The representation of celebrity may be criticised as it suggests that obtaining that lordly status requires minimal effort or hard work - rather it is entirely built upon the manner in which you present yourself outwardly rather than your actions.

Audience:

1) The intended audience for the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game may be pre-existing fans of Kim Kardashian and her work, which serves as brand loyalty as this may cause people to be more interested in the game. Also, the game may appeal to a female audience more due to the fashion, make-up and lifestyle aspects that the game has to offer.

2) Audience pleasures offered by the game includes personal relationships, as some may feel as though they have developed a friendly bond with Kim Kardashian. Also, it may provide diversion/entertainment through the glamourous Hollywood celebrity lifestyle, which may be fascinating to the audience and unlike anything within their usual daily lives.

3) The game could perhaps be addicting towards an audience due to the glamourous, wealthy lifestyle that serves as one of the most notable aspects of the narrative. As well as this, audiences could become rapidly fascinated with choosing new outfits or styles and meeting new characters, as well as playing with others if they wish.

4) James Liu believes that star power plays a huge part in the overall success of the game. This is because Kim is a major brand-name and she has a curated and sustained following which allows this game to have a significant advantage in visibility.

5) James Liu believes that people continually come back to the game due it being a

completely self-paced game. Also, it works hard to satisfy the need for social recognition and fantasy adventure in being a celebrity. It has good retention because it doesn't break emergence.

Industry:

1) Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is free to download, therefore making it accessible for everyone.

2) It makes huge amounts of money from in-app purchases and subscriptions. Players need to buy energy to complete tasks (or wait 30 minutes for energy to replenish). They can also buy subscriptions.

3) Subscriptions that are able to be purchased in-game include:

Gold: 49.99 USD / month (or local equivalent)

Silver: 19.99 USD / month (or local equivalent)

Bronze: 4.99 USD / month (or local equivalent)

4) Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was developed by Glu Mobile, a highly successful mobile game developer and publisher. It was released in June 2014 and was marketed heavily using the Kim Kardashian brand. With social media promotion, the game quickly shot to the top of download lists and iTunes app store charts.

5) The game design means that there is a large amount of media convergence. For example, social media channels are referenced in the game. The player is encouraged to engage online and gain bonus items for sharing on Facebook etc. The game appears on Kim’s actual social media platforms. The game features in Keeping Up with the Kardashians episodes. The TV Show is also referenced in the game.

Videogames: Lara Croft Go

Language:

1) Lara Croft's initial appearance was in the 1996 Eidos Playstation game Tomb Raider, which was the first computer game to feature a female protagonist rather than as a supporting role.

2) Tomb Raider's narrative and the creation of Lara Croft as a character was significantly influenced by the classic Indiana Jones films.

3) Lara Croft has long since moved past being just a videogame character. She has featured in blockbuster films, the original was released in 2001, starring Angelina Jolie as Lara; the character was rebooted with the release of a new Tomb Raider movie in 2018. As well as this, Lara Croft has been featured excessively upon magazine covers, to the point where she has appeared on them more times than any supermodel. There have been advertising tie-ins, merchandise, comic books and  spin-offs featuring the character. The franchise has had numerous incarnations before Lara Croft Go in 2015. 

4) Lara Croft Go was released in August 2015 for Android, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone devices. Versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Steam were released in December 2016.

5) Lara Croft Go comprises of many action-adventure elements, therefore it's a hybrid genre. Also,  this game is a ‘turn-based puzzle’ which involves by-passing enemies and unlocking paths in a sequential manner which suits the ‘short timespan’ that people can sometimes commit to mobile gaming. It faithfully preserves element of original Tomb Raider game and brings the original adventure up to date.

6) The three-act narrative structure proceeds from an orientation stage through various complications and blockages to a simple resolution.

7) Lara is depicted as athletic with brown eyes and hair, frequently tied back in a plait or ponytail. Her costume is usually a blue tank top, light brown shorts, calf high boots and long socks. Accessories and props include gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters and two pistols. Most stories feature her being stranded on a mysterious, far away island, therefore emphasising the action-adventure genre.

8) Lara comes across opponents including lizards, snakes and spiders. There are not many different enemies as memory is key.

9) Lara Croft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Amazon Jungle. This differs from previous games, which are set in four different zones: Peru, Greece, Egypt and the lost continent of Atlantis.

10) Originally, Lara Croft was depicted as a sex symbol in an attempt to appeal to young men, who made up most of the videogame fanbase. She was shown to hold an unrealistic, over-exaggerated standard of beauty which some believed defied the entire point of her being an independent, strong female protagonist. Now, Lara Croft has grown to become much more than an object of sexual desire, but rather her own individual, fearless being.

Representations:

1) Women in videogames are typically presented in an excessive, sexualised manner in order to appeal to the male-dominated fanbase. Their body features and figure are particularly exaggerated to make them appear more desirable and they are rarely perceived to be independent, strong-willed characters but rather a source of attraction.

2) Lara Croft reinforces stereotypes as she is conveyed to be an object of sexual desire. Her body features were particularly exaggerated in early versions of games. She is also deliberately designed, from her body figure to the revealing clothes she wears, to appeal to a wide male fanbase by having features which most men would perceive to be "perfect".

3) Lara subverts stereotypes through her being an action hero, which is usually typical of male characters in videogames. She is also an empowering female heroine who solely operates independently, which is atypical of most female representation within the media.

4) A reason as to why many believe that the video games industry is overtly sexist and requires change is due to the representation of women within these games. They are typically portrayed in unnecessarily revealing clothing, as well as their figure and body type being made very prominent. Contrastingly, male characters within video games are almost always covered and their bodies are not depicted in an exaggerated way in order to draw attention to them as opposed to the design of female characters within videogames. This is seemingly representative of how male-dominated the industry is as female characters are intentionally designed to appeal towards the likes of men, therefore the industry must change and become more inviting towards new female fans.

5) I feel as though Lara Croft serves as an empowering, inspirational woman towards the minority of females in the video game fanbase, however due to the superfluous, sexualised way in which she was designed in order to appeal towards the male-dominated fanbase, some may perceive her to be an object of sexual desire.

Industries:

1) PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information.

2) PEGI is a European video game rating system established to help consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps, through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors.

3) Lara Croft Go was created by Square Enix in 2014.

4) Lara Croft Go is the combination of two successful franchises - Lara Croft Tomb Raider and the Hitman Go mobile game.

5) Tomb Raider is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Square Enix developed Hitman Go in 2014 based on the successful Hitman game franchise.

Audience:

1) An audience may enjoy playing Lara Croft Go due to the imaginative and elaborate storyline. Also, the fact that you can play it from your phone may be appealing to some players as it allows them to play at any time, whenever they desire.

2) An aspect of Lara Croft Go that makes it immensely appealing towards consumers is its phone-based gameplay. They would be able to play the game whenever they feel like it, whether it's after work/school, whilst travelling, or before bed. This eradicates the need for a gaming console e.g. a PlayStation in order to play the game; they have complete liberty to do so from the comfort of their own phone which can be moved around, meaning that they can play the game outside of their home.

3) Acrobatics and platforming are key features of a Tomb Raider adventure, therefore her animation is based upon the adventure genre of the game, in order to align with the abundant settings and complex narrative. She was also designed to have a provocative figure and dressed in overly revealing clothes in order to appeal to the male-dominated videogame fanbase.

4) Personal relationships applies to Lara Croft Go as audiences may feel as though they care for Lara's character and may be concerned about her outcome and survival. Lara Croft Go also offers diversion/entertainment due to the captivating narrative of the game which may deviate an audience away from their normal lives. Surveillance could perhaps be a prominent aspect of the game as it educates the audience on survival skills and allows them to view exotic settings.

5) The target audience for Lara Croft Go consists of the following: those interested in the quality of the innovative gameplay. those with brand loyalty to the Hitman Go series, those with brand loyalty based on the feminine empowerment displayed, those with brand loyalty based on nostalgia or even the sexualisation of Lara Croft (especially if they played older Croft games when at a formative age). Brand loyalty contributes to the overall target audience as many may feel more inclined to play the game if they have a pre-existing connection towards it.

History of Videogames

1) The first videogames were designed for rapid codebreaking, based on post-war mainframes. They were fairly straight-forward and consisted of relatively simple gameplay.

2) Over time, videogames have changed immensely. This includes high-quality graphics, advanced narratives, diverse representation, a vast range of genres, different consoles used to access these games and the many ways in which they are played.

3) Most successful videogames offer a captivating and exhilarating experience; from the gameplay to the narrative as well as the genre. A lot of these videogames also include a main protagonist, such as Mario or Link. This provides an array of audience pleasures, such as personal relationships (caring about the game characters), diversion/entertainment (being drawn away from real life). As well as this, the complex gameplay is something which may also appeal to audiences as it requires them to properly think and use their mind to progress in the game.

4) It is argued that videogames desensitise players to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. Many believe that playing violent video games causes more aggression, bullying, and fighting - as well as quickly becoming a form of addiction.

5) At the time of which the article was published, there were more than 200 million players worldwide on Fortnite. It has now amassed over 500 million players in more recent times.

6) Fortnite is popular due to its gameplay which may be different and not have been seen previously. This includes 100 players partaking in a mass online brawl, using weapons and resources to survive until only one winner triumphs. Audience pleasures may include diversion/entertainment, due to the captivating and daunting experience of trying to become the last one standing, personal identity as much of the audience may have been pre-existing fans of fighting games and surveillance, as it may teach audiences survival skills.

7) People could perhaps criticise Fornite due to the obsession of which young children quickly developed with the game. It could instil a strong addiction into the minds of young people and deprive them of more worthy, efficient activities that they could be doing instead. Not only this, it could cause an added increase of violence within children.

8) "I've watched my 14 year old play this. It's like Minecraft meets The Hunger Games with a touch of Laser Quest chucked in. It seems straightforward and enjoyable. They at least learn to be strategic and adaptable from it." I agree with this comment as I believe that though videogames may prove as detrimental towards the wellbeing of children in some instances, it also allows them to develop a tactical way of thinking as well as the ability to use resources to stay alive.

"Games like this are good for developing social and emotional intelligence along with a glut of other valuable skills to develop in to adulthood." I disagree with this comment as I believe that some videogames which include fighting aspects may desensitise children towards violence and deprive them of developing social and emotional intelligence as they are glued to a screen a lot of the time.

Newspapers: Final Index

My Newspapers Final Index:

1) Introduction to Newspapers

2) December mock exam: Learner Response

                    

3) Daily Mirror: Language and Representations

    

4) Daily Mirror: Audience and Industries

5) The Times: Introduction

6) The Times: Language and Representations

7) The Times: Audience and Industries

The Times: Audience and Industries

Audience:

1) The primary readership demographic for The Times newspaper is older with over half the audience aged 55+. In terms of social class, they are overwhelmingly in the ABC1 social classes - 62% from social group AB. This means that The Times readers are likely to be professionals, managers or company owners. They are inclined to be in the "succeeder" psychographic group.

2) This is evident due to the front cover consisting of mainly more text than images, which talk about serious news such as climate change (hard news), using more advanced language. This means that readers are more interested in reading up on hard news rather than soft news, e.g. gossip or scandals.

3) The Times readers are typically over the age of 55 due to the type of news they showcase on their newspapers, which is usually hard news like politics, which may not interest younger people. Also, most younger people access this news online through social media and so they have no need for print newspapers.

4) Surveillance/Information - allows us to find out what is going on in the world around us, including news, different opinions, or information about current affairs. This includes British politics and Britain's place in world politics and economics (patriotic). The Times focuses on hard news that we expect from a broadsheet newspaper - politics, economics, world news etc.

Diversion/Entertainment - one of the main reasons newspapers are read is for entertainment. The Times has evolved over recent years to contain more stories that provide entertainment or diversion. It also targets people with disposable income and an interest in culture/status and how they are perceived.

Personal Identity -  The Times newspaper seems to endorse the Conservative party and show their strong affiliation with the political party by the way stories are constructed. The way businesses are represented also shows that The Times values private companies over working class people.

5) A reader may enjoy this edition of The Times newspaper as it openly exhibits its support for the Conservative Party, which most readers would likely also support. This is an example of how The Times offers personal identity to its readers. As well as this, it educates readers upon worldly issues, therefore providing surveillance/information.

Industries:

1) The Times is owned by News UK (a subsidiary of News Corporation). News Corporation is a conglomerate mostly owned by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian media mogul with many business interests worldwide, for example the Fox network in the USA.

2) In 2019, The Times' circulation was 376,000, which was down 12% in a year and much lower than the high point of over 800,000 during the 1990s.

3) In order to counteract the decline in print sales and growth of the internet, the Times has moved towards a multi-platform landscape. This means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms. Some newspapers (e.g. The Times) have a paywall on their online content. The Times has had a hard paywall since 2010, but it often experiments with making content available for free. It also created a social media strategy in collaboration with the digital team to drive growth of their Twitter and Facebook profiles. In 2018, Times and Sunday Times hit 500,000 subscribers as digital outnumbered print for the first time, at an initial cost of £1 per week for a digital subscription.

4) Newspapers are regulated by IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation). The role of IPSO is to: regulate 1500 print and 1100 online titles, listen to complaints about press behaviour, help with unwanted press attention, advise publication editors, provide information to the public, provide a journalist whistleblowing hotline.

5) Some people argue that the newspaper industry cannot be trusted to regulate itself using IPSO and that stronger, statutory regulation should be introduced instead. This would also implement the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry which followed the phone-hacking scandal of the PCC (Press Complaints Commission).

The Times: Language and Representations

Language:

1) The main story on the cover of The Times CSP edition is about the risk of climate change and political leaders at COP26. This may appeal to readers as they are in favour of these political leaders and support their beliefs and ideas.

2) The kicker focuses on the super rich and their struggles to find staff. This is sympathetic to very rich people, also suggesting to Times readers that the upper-class are important and should feature on the front cover. It also reflects the Times' position as patriotic and a traditional supporter of the Conservative party, with a story about a row with French President Emmanuel Macron.

3) The climate change story is surprising and subverts what is usually expected of the Times. The headline is commiserating to young people and suggests that they are 'right to be angry'. The image depicts Alok Sharma (Conservative) as powerful and authoritative with a low-angle shot and the globe in the background. The second story is about travel delays due to a storm - a link to extreme weather and climate change. The main image has an advert in the background saying 'No time for delays' - this is satirical (the passengers are all delayed) but also a reference to Boris Johnson's message to COP26.

4) The Times front cover and inside pages reflect a typical broadsheet newspaper through the distribution of text and images. For example, the page is dominated with miniscule text and fewer pictures, as opposed to that of a tabloid newspaper. This is because it focuses more on hard news, and it also includes more advanced language.

5) The news stories convey The Times newspaper as right-wing and in favour of the Conservative Party. This is evident due to their clear support of the political leaders such as the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as well as many others.

Representations:

1) The Conservative Party is represented on The Times front cover through the pug (the image of Boris Johnson), which portrays him as reliable and authoritative, as well as the article which follows it displaying support of his speech.

2) Britain is represented on the front cover of The Times through the kicker, which demonstrates those higher up in society. Aside from this, there is also a small section about the Queen along the bottom, which serves as familiarity as it is culturally close to us in Britain.

3) The super rich are depicted on the front page through the kicker which speaks upon the crisis of the lack of staffing for upper-class families. This further accentuates the desired target audience for The Times.

4) Climate change is represented as an issue in both The Times and The Daily Mirror, though they are expressed relatively differently. In The Times, Boris Johnson is commended for speaking out upon the issue and is made to appear as dependable, though The Daily Mirror proves to do the opposite; opting to convey him in a hostile manner. Also, The Daily Mirror includes the views of non-political leaders, instead showing environmental protestors such as Greta Thunberg, which implies that The Daily Mirror is more concerned about the interests of normal, lower-class people rather than upper-class members of society.

5) Representations of young people are conveyed through the inside pages of The Times newspaper. Their resentment is openly expressed through the voice of Alok Sharma, due to many flight delays which may have impacted them immensely.

The Times: Introduction

1) The Times newspaper was founded in 1785. It was renamed The Times on January 1st, 1788 - three years later.

2) John Walter suggested that the paper "should contain something suited to every palate". This includes politics, foreign affairs, matters of trade, legal trials, advertisements and “amusements”. Walter reserved the right of the newspaper “to censure or applaud either [political party]” and to cover contending issues with respectful “fair argument”.

3) Today, The Times is owned by Rupert Murdoch following 1981. It is a part of News UK.

4) In 2010, The Times introduced digital subscriptions to help ensure a sustainable future for their journalism.

5) In 2018, The Times was named Britain’s most trusted national newspaper by the Reuters Institute for Journalism at the University of Oxford.

6) In terms of newspaper regulation, The Times is committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that Ipso enforces.

7) The Times is published by Times Media Limited, wholly owned by News UK & Ireland Ltd. The current editor is Tony Gallagher.

8) The average daily readership of The Times is 1.04 million. The Times readers have a mean family income of £55,885 and 62% of readers are social grade AB.

9) The different range of sections of the newspaper outlined on the page (e.g. entertainment, travel, education) indicates that The Times audience are perhaps wealthy and interested in many aspects of lifestyle.

10) Entertainment - 280,000 Times readers visit the cinema more often than once a month.

Travel - 342,000 Times readers went on 4 or more holidays in the past year.

Education - Times readers are twice as likely to have a university degree of doctorate.