On my previous course I had to investigate the importance of audiences. I did this by looking at how video games are designed in order to appeal to their target audience. I decided to revisited and build upon the research done.
To begin, I want to firstly understand what an audience is. An audience is a collected group of individuals who consume any type of media. They are the people the product appeals to and are the ones who will purchase it. If there was no audience, companies would have no one to sell to and so there would be no profit. Companies must learn to adapt with the times, meaning they must always put the audience's needs first in order to have a successful product. An example of this is news papers. With the rise of technology, news paper companies have had to find a way to digitize their paper in order to keep up with their audiences needs. You no loner have to travel all the way to a shop and pay for a physical newspaper and can instead access it form any device through the internet. To further capitalize upon this many if not all news companies have their own, easy to use app, which has been further developed to send personalised articles to the user. The constant engagement with the audience ensures sales and views towards the company, making them more successful.
There are also different types of audiences a product will appeal to, mass and niche. Mass audiences are products which have a great demand due to their popularity. An example of this is the PlayStation 5. The PlayStation 5 had to be preordered months before its release to ensure the consumer would be guaranteed a unit. This is due to Sony realizing the popularity of their console and so making it available to preorder early to get an understanding of how many they would have to make.
A niche audience however is products targeted towards people interested in something very particular which many not necessarily be popular among many. The lack of demand normally means that the product is more expensive or that there are less of the products on the market. An example of a niche product is train simulator. This as quite a specific audience but those who enjoy it are very passionate. The company has managed to make a lot of money from this product by creating many DLC (downloadable content) for the consumer to buy additionally.
I then went on to look at how video games appeal to their specific audiences and identify the differences.
An example of a game targeted towards a younger audience (specifically 7+) is Splatoon 2 for the Nintendo Switch. Splatoon 2 has the player control an Inkling, which is a humanoid squid, as they attempt to cover the map in their teams colour. The player is competing against rival Inklings (other player) which can be 'splatted' meaning they will respawn after 10 seconds. This gives your team enough time to cover as much of the map as you can. There are also additional game modes which again pits two teams together and may have them either pushing a tower, collecting clams and collecting points with special items. As I mentioned before the game has a rating of 7+, an age where children are old enough to be in full control of the character, however they are too young to be exposed to the violence and gore normally associated with the 3rd person shooter genre.
Below I have listed the main points which define the game to a 7+ audience.
- Bright colours
- Fun characters which are not scary
- Quick games to maintain short attention spans
- Simple puzzles
- Easy to learn games and objectives
- No gore. Characters instead explode into ink
Next I looked at a game aimed at a very young audience to see what sort of methods where used to ensure it was suitable and engaging. I chose to look at Buzz Monster Rumble, a 2007 game released for the PlayStation 2 with a age rating of 3+. Buzz Monster Rumble utilizes its special buzz controllers in order to create an array of different mini games. The controller is very simple, consisting of a large red button (the buzzer) and 4 additional distinctly coloured buttons below it, which are blue, orange, green and yellow. Each mini game has the player focus on the red buzzer or selecting the correct colour in order to score points. This makes the games very easy to understand from a visual standpoint as all the player has to do is click the same colour they see on the screen on the controller. The controllers are also built with their audience in mind by making them able to withstand impact and using buttons which sit flush in the design. This should minimalize broken controllers in the hands of a young person. The wires to each of the controllers is also very long in order to prevent the console being pulled.
Each of the minigames are short and very interactive to ensure the player is constantly engaged. The monsters featured in the game are brightly coloured and fully customizable with silly designs. This inspires the player to be creative and add personal touches to their character. The mini games all feature a short tutorial beforehand and usually have a cutscene of the monsters interacting with each other in a slapstick comedy type of way. The game features no blood or gore and the monster are cartoony and fun rather than looking scary. Finally there is a narrator who helps guide the players, offering words of encouragement to those who are falling behind. This keeps the flow of the game going and adds to the enjoyment of the player by reminding them its just a game.
Below I have listed the main points which define the game targeted towards a 3+ audience
- Very visually active characters
- whacky levels
- Big expressive faces
- Slapstick Comedy
- Bright colours
- Easy Controls
- No Blood, Gore or Violence
- Short, fun levels
- Funny noises
- Game is on a rail, meaning the game will playout without any additional inputs needed
The next game I looked at was The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild, which released in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch with an age rating of 10+ Everyone. Nintendo were able to capture the interest of all audiences by taking a beloved franchise which debuted in 1986 and revolutionizing it into a modern day game. They turned a once linear style game into a fully open world experience, bringing back old character in new ways and adding in new characters for them to interact with. By modernising the graphics but still staying true to what a Zelda game is, Nintendo managed to grab the attention of gamers whether they were returning to the franchise or completely new to it.
The gameplay is a mix between classic Zelda gameplay and more modern open world survival games. The player is free to do whatever they want, with no objectives restricting where they can and cant go. The light survival game elements which require the player to keep warm/cold and eat, are not too intrusive to inconvenient the player but instead add an additional layer of depth to the gameplay. The game is as hard as the player makes it, based on what gear they decide to use and areas they decide to tackle first. The game encourages you to explore the environment in order to gain an understanding of how to tackle certain enemies.
Below I have listed the main points which define the game targeted towards a 10+ Everyone audience
- Massive open world which the player is free to explore at their own pace
- Puzzles which can be challenging at times but are doable by the average person
- Combat which is easy to learn and hard to master
- Colourful cartoony graphics
- Same Zelda formula with a modern day twist
- Light Survival elements
- Atmospheric music
Finally I looked at a game which is targeted towards teens and adults (18+), 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2. Red Dead Redemption 2 uses its deep plot and diverse characters to completely immerse the player into 1899 American wild west. The game follows a gang of outlaws as they try to outrun the law and the world they no longer fit in. The game has very dark themes and a gritty setting. Not only is it not suitable for anyone under the age of 18, but it also would not hold their attention due to its slower paced story and complicated controls. The game does not try to glorify the wild west in any way and shows how the harsh change from the wild to civilization effected people.
The player will spend the majority of the game robbing, hunting and shooting people as they take control of one of the gang members. The player is constantly forced to make moral decisions which will eventually have an impact on the outcome of the game. As an adult you are able to distinguish between the gaming world and real life, knowing what is right and what is wrong. By exposing younger audiences who are not ready and may have not developed this understanding it could have consequences on their life.
Below I have listed the main points which define the game targeted towards an 18+ audience
- Realistic
- Dark and gritty
- Use of strong language
- Use of alcohol and drugs
- massive open world
- Extremely detailed environment, characters and story
- 60+ hour storyline
- Cinematic story
- Use of guns
- Murder
- Complicated controls
- Survival elements
- Historically accurate
- Atmospheric music
Below I have compared two different types of heroes and villain's who are aimed at two different types of audiences.
By looking at how video games are design around the needs of their audience, it has allowed me to understand the importance of the audience as well as how to effectively appeal to them. I can now use this knowledge to further develop my own work.
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