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.

Daily Mirror: Audience and Industries

Audience:

1) The Daily Mirror's audience typically consists of predominantly older people, with almost half of the audience being over the age of 65. Most would be in the C1, C2 DE social classes. Their psychographic groups would likely be the "struggler", the "resigned" or the "mainstream".

2) The Daily Mirror stories may appeal to its audience as they focus on social, left-wing values and issues which affect the working class, therefore readers may feel as though their struggles are being addressed through this newspaper. They also do not hold members with higher statuses in society - the Royal Family for instance - up to a high standard, instead portraying them in a bad light which may please people who do not support them.

3) A reader may enjoy reading The Daily Mirror due to surveillance. This means that they are able to educate themselves on worldly issues and events taking place within the UK and around the world, whether it is politics or celebrity gossip (also serving as entertainment).

4) Print adverts are usually read more by older audiences as younger readers are now able to access stories and video content online or through social media, allowing new generations to personally engage with the stories.

5) The inside-page story of the CSP pages are specifically constructed to appeal to The Daily Mirror readers through the distribution of text and images. For example, images dominate most of the page, leaving little space for much text. The text is also bold and large in size, which is typical of a tabloid newspaper as they are usually read for entertainment and gossip. This may attract The Daily Mirror readers, who tend to be a part of the lower classes. The pictures provided of government leaders and the Royal Family are also quite unflattering, therefore indicating that The Daily Mirror and its readers are not in favour of them.

Industries:

1) The Daily Mirror is owned by a conglomerate named Reach. More recently, they are struggling due to the influx in usage of the internet; The Daily Mirror audience is much older now for this reason.

2) From 2018-2024, The Daily Mirror editor was Alison Phillips. The Daily Mirror exposed the Partygate scandal, which brought down the ex-PM Boris Johnson. This is when a series of allegations indicated that a party was held in December 2020, during a time in which COVID-19 restrictions were still viewed as a necessity in order to prevent a mass outbreak. The public were outraged due to Boris publicly issuing a ban on large gatherings, as a result "cancelling Christmas", though he ended up going against his own words.

3) The Daily Mirror's circulation has decreased immensely since 1990, from selling 3 million a day to 250,000 a day in 2023.

4) In order to counteract the gradual decrease in print sales and the growth of the internet, The Daily Mirror has created the mirror.co.uk website, as well as social media accounts on all major sites. The move towards a multi-platform landscape means that it publishes and synchronises across its print, desktop and mobile platforms, providing this online content for free.

5) Familiarity - it is culturally close to Britain as the effects of climate change will have an immense impact on Britain.

Amplitude - it involves a large number of people as the whole world will be affected by the effects of climate change.

Elite nations and people - it depicts a number of political leaders and their efforts to overcome the issue of climate change.

Negativity - the story is quite saddening and may upset people, as it is a crucial issue, however these stories tend to grab the attention of audiences more.

Balance - the front page includes multiple other stories, e.g. the 'Pride of Britain Awards' in order to balance the stories upon distressing issues such as climate change.

Daily Mirror: Language and Representations

Language:

1) Masthead: the title block of the newspaper

Pug: something to catch reader's eye

Splash Head: the lead story

Slogan: sums up ethos of newspaper

Dateline: date newspaper was published

Kicker: story at the top of the newspaper to draw interests in the content

Byline: gives the name of the journalist/writer

Standfirst: introductory paragraph usually in bold

2) A copy of the Daily Mirror costs £1.20 to purchase today.

3) The main stories on the CSP edition of the Daily Mirror revolve around the issues of climate change, and how time is running out to prevent it. They also focus on Boris Johnson and his warnings about it; following the UN's indication that the last 7 years have been the hottest on record.

4) The news choices and content on the Daily Mirror is specific to a typical tabloid newspaper as it provides a distinct balance between hard news and soft news. It also portrays many different images which take up most of the space on the newspaper, and it does not include as much writing as opposed to a typical broadsheet newspaper, which includes more advanced language.

5) There is an unbalanced distribution of images, headlines and text on the front page of the Daily Mirror - with the images dominating most of it. This is typical of a tabloid newspaper, which usually includes less writing and more photos. As well as this, the splash head headline is purposely written in huge, white sans serif font, in order to make it appear all the more captivating towards the reader and stand out in the midst of the other stories on the page.

Representations:

1) The Daily Mirror is in favour of the Labour Party. This is evident through the way in which they voice the problems of the working class and criticise the rich - including the Conservative Party - shown by the unflattering photos displayed of Boris Johnson, the ex-leader of it.

2) The Daily Mirror 'Pride of Britain Awards' represents ordinary British people by presenting awards to members of the British public for their inspiring and extraordinary efforts, which provides a sense of community within British society.

3) Climate change is represented as an issue within The Daily Mirror through its splash head - which demonstrates an extensive article which revolves around the risk of climate change, as well as the pug which depicts a forest fire with the phrase 'Heat is on' in bold, white, capitalised sans serif font - captivating the eye of the reader.

4) Environmental protestors such as Greta Thunberg are represented in The Daily Mirror through articles which are included within the inside spread, conveying their concerns regarding the issue of global warming and climate change, as well as criticism of politicians and government officials across the world for their incompetence on tackling this issue. She is shown to almost be more superior than these politicians for speaking up on issues which they remain quiet about, therefore indicating that she is respected by The Daily Mirror.

5) Political leaders are dishonoured within The Daily Mirror, an example of this being the pictures provided of the ex-PM Boris Johnson, which portray him in an unflattering right, suggesting that The Daily Mirror does not support him or his ideas. The same goes for King Charles II, which implies that The Daily Mirror are not in favour of the royal monarchy, which subverts typical representations of aristocratic British society shown in the media.