There are many various techniques used Electronic Arts better known as EA, a company who develop sports video games. From the very start of the advert there is a use of the sonic logo, the Play station logo which makes the viewer associate with the iconic sound of Play station, this is a very effective technique used by EA to grab and hold the viewers attention as straight away anyone who has a Sony Play station product would be interested in this advert as they can relate to it.
At the very end of this media text, again there is the use of this same technique however, in this case it is the use of the Electronic Arts logo which again is a very popular logo recognised by millions of people. This logo associates with one the most iconic slogans in the gaming history and if asked by any owner of an EA product they would instantly relate ‘It’s in the game’ to EA. This is very effective as EA is the most popular developers of sports video games and everyone recognises that they deliver quality to match the owner’s expectations.
There is also the use of music which is very effective, as well as showing the Play station logo they also play the sound associated with it Sony Play station, in doing this they could be gaining the attention of audiences with a viewing disability or simply those who do not have their eyes on the TV or the screen of any other electronic device they may be viewing it on. The selective music used is one of the most popular and famous Christmas carols jingle bells, this gives a very Christmassy feeling to this advert and makes it feel as if it is almost part of tradition to buy FIFA for Christmas, it could be considered that EA are using religion to promote their product.
The famous footballers in the advert have not been chosen at random, they are no average footballers, they are all world class footballers who would be idols and icons for youngsters. This is very effective because the fact that youngsters look up to these players EA showing that these players want the game FIFA instead of socks, a puppy or any other typical Christmas present it would encourage the youngsters that look up to these footballers to do the same. The make FIFA seem more than just your ordinary Christmas present and the fact that these footballers are different nationality it can appeal to a wider audience on a more international region.
Media Representations
There are many things being represented through all these
trailers, from fans to footballers to FIFA itself. They are all being
represented in a positive way and this leads to a positive representation of
FIFA 12. There are various footballers but these footballers were not picked at
random, they were specifically chosen as they would be recognised by most, if
not all, people who have an interest in football. Another aspect being
represented is ‘Football life’ it shows no matter who you are from the average
to big celebs or even footballers that FIFA should be a part of your life no
matter where or who you are. The footballers are also shown to have exceptional
skill and technique which is a positive representation of the footballers. FIFA
is also represented in a positive manner as they show different aspects of the
game making it more realistic and fun.
The representation of FIFA 13 is fair and accurate, having
played the game myself I have had 1st hand experience of the new
features. However, some may argue that these new features have made the game
more realistic has had a negative effect on the fun aspect of the game. Also
the players represented in the game are fairly accurate however; some players
may have exaggerated attributes to what they are capable of in real life. There
is also the matter of the football brain, how some players lack the ‘football
brain’ to take a certain action but in the game you control them and vice versa
as some players may be able to take the best action and you might not be able
to. This is something that the game intends to do as the best players of FIFA
will be able to take the best action, making them better than their opponent.
Media
Languages and Forms
The costume of the players in FIFA 12 is their official
‘Home’, ‘Award’ and ‘third’ kit. The lighting in the game itself either comes
from the sun or the stadium flood lights. FIFA 12 features 29 licensed leagues from 22 countries this
includes most, if not all players at a team. There are 56 stadiums in FIFA 12,
including most of the larger stadiums from Europe's most prominent leagues.
Martin Tyler and Alan Smith are the English commentators for FIFA 12, Alan
Smith replacing long-term FIFA contributor
Andy Gray following the controversy surrounding him earlier in 2011. The
official soundtrack for FIFA 12
was announced on 12 September 2011. The game features 39 established and
breakthrough artists from 15 countries and covers a variety of music genres. I
believe Rooney has become one of the most associated characters when it comes
to FIFA; he has been on the cover of FIFA from 2005-12 but will not feature on
the cover of FIFA13. Having Rooney is related to FIFA as he is British and he
is one of the best players in the game. Rooney will not feature on FIFA13 as EA
released this statement, “After seven successful seasons working with Wayne,
we have mutually agreed not to renew our partnership”. The FIFA 13 will now
feature ‘Lionel Messi’, arguably the best player in the world, and two young
English stars, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Hart. The graphics in FIFA12 are
at a very high level and each player has been created with great detail, almost
life like. The default camera view is specifically chosen as it is the same
view used during real football matches. The sound from the crowd creates a life
like atmosphere within the stadiums and the sound made from when the ball is
kicked takes the realism to another level.
Media
Institutions
FIFA 12 was developed by EA Canada and published by
Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. FIFA 12 is the nineteenth game in EAs' FIFA series of football video games;
this means they have many years of experience about the sports gaming industry.
EA would know all the pros and cons of their previous title hence, improve on
the upcoming FIFA. Being in the sports
gaming industry has given them an advantage over their competitors of Konami
with ‘Pro Evolution Soccer’. Having produced 8 more football video games than
their rivals has made EA sports superior to their rivals Konami in: game play;
licensing and most importantly, sales. FIFA 12 features 29 licensed leagues
from 22 countries whereas, Pro Evolution Soccer 12 has 3 fully licensed leagues
and only 2 licensed teams from the Premier League. The dominance of FIFA over
PES was shown by EA saying it was outselling PES 2012 within the UK by a ratio
of 25:1 (November 2011). On the worldwide scale PES 2012 has sold around 3
million copies to FIFA 12s 10 million (February 2012). This may be due to the
reputation of EA influencing the sales or it may just be that FIFA12 is better
than PES 12, depends on how you see it. FIFA12 was released on consoles for PlayStation
3, Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 2; on handhelds for PlayStation Portable, 3DS,
Xperia Play and iOS; and on computers for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. In
the United Kingdom, an "Ultimate Edition" of the game was available
at Game and Gamestation stores. It included four monthly Ultimate Team gold
packs, with each pack containing 12 items, including players, contracts,
stadiums, managers, staff, fitness, healing, footballs, kits and badges. Each
pack contains one rare item, such as enhanced player attributes, longer
contracts and the most coveted players.
The release date of the FIFA 12 demo was announced at the Gamescom event in Germany on
August 16, 2011; the demo was available for Xbox users on 13 September 2011, the
PlayStation 3 demo was not available in Europe until the next day. FIFA 12 was
officially released on 30th September but was available three days
early to purchasers of the EA Sports Season Ticket.
“FIFA 12, has
supplanted Gears of War 3 as the
highest-selling game of 2011 in its first week of release. Selling over 3.2
million units between September 27 and October 2, the game also set a record
for the highest first-week sales of any sports game ever made.”
“Other
stats from the publisher include FIFA 12 for iPhone and iPad selling
879,000 units, and October 1 being the busiest day for online gaming in EA
Sports history. 10 million EA Sports game sessions were played, with eight
million of those being FIFA 12.”
Media
Audiences
The main target audience of FIFA 12
is males presumably between the ages 12-25, in other words early teens till
about late 20’s. The game also targets female viewers as it might get them to
buy FIFA12 for their brothers, boyfriends etc. as a present, maybe a
‘Christmas’ present? It is mostly a target for someone who is employed as it is
a luxury not a necessity. FIFA12 would attract great attention from those who
have an interest in football or “soccer” as it is the only licensed football
game in the world. In my opinion FIFA is one of, if not the, best game to have
around when playing with friends together at a place so it is definitely
something to purchase for those who socialise a lot or have siblings to play
FIFA12 with. The main characteristic of the audience that we can understand is
their interest in football, this is pretty obvious as I don’t see someone
buying this game if they have no interest in football what so ever. Another likely
assumption we can make is that the person who will play the game/ purchase the
game is most likely to support a football team no matter which part of the
world they are from or in. FIFA12 touches on a few areas of the Blumer and Katz
theory of uses and gratifications. It provides escapism as it lets users escape
from everyday problems and routine. Also as seen during in one of the adverts
above, Kaka is seen talking about how he played FIFA while he was injured so
not only does it provide escapism it also touches the aspect of ‘personal identity’ as some
teenagers who have aspirations to become a footballer can create themselves in
the game thanks to the ‘virtual pro’ feature. FIFA also provides entertainment
for both the users and audience. Being an owner of FIFA12 I personally enjoy
this game very much as I have an interest in football. I play the game for
entertainment purposes or with mates for a bit of fun.
Genre
The genre
the text, FIFA12, belongs to is sports.
FIFA is the only licensed football game making it one of a kind; it
pretty much sets the guideline/standards for the other football games. Being
able to celebrate is one the latest conventions and EA sports were the first
ones to introduce this and now another feature introduced in FIFA12 is being
able to change the anthem the fans are singing. This new feature has just been
introduced and it may be introduced in other games to. The major theme to
FIFA12 is pretty obvious, football however when you choose your team the
background for all the menus becomes the colour associated with your team. The
characters in the game are all created to a life like effect as seen in FIFA11
some players looked nothing like what they did in real life but this has been
fixed for FIFA12. I believe the main characters associated with FIFA12 are
likely to be among the very best in the world but personally I do believe Messi
and Rooney would be most likely as they have been on previous FIFA covers.
Media Values and Ideology
One of the major values promoted from FIFA would be the
‘Fair Play’ this is shown in an indirect way, Pro Evolution introduced the
feature of ‘diving’ however, FIFA did not go down this road as they believed it
was against the ‘fair play’ aspects of football. There is also a football league for women
however, there is no female in FIFA12 or in any other FIFA as a matter of fact.
This shows even a male dominant society. I believe EA sports have not done this
intentionally but have more focused on what is more beneficial for them to make
maximum profits. One of the assumptions that could be made from the text is the
love for football. It’s almost trying to say no matter where, who or what age
you are, if you love football you will love FIFA. One of the adverts where it
talks about ‘A GAME’ not only uses repetition but uses a middle aged man
showing FIFA can be played by anyone and it’s also showing a lifestyle or a way
of living, that football fans must buy a football game, in this case FIFA. The
game could also aspire youngsters to become footballers or having a role in the
football industry as a manager, coach, etc.
Narrative
The audience is positioned at many different angles from
close ups to how real football matches are shown on TV. The close ups are used
to show the detail and effort EA sports has put into this game as well as
showing how life like they have made this game so that the audience feel as if
they are watching a real game. The characters are shown to be skilful and this
is pretty obvious as being footballers they must be shown skilful in the
position they play. The defenders are shown to be big and strong, strikers are
shown to be accurate and clinical, midfielders are shown to be precise and
quick and goalkeepers are shown to be tall and athletic. These 4 positions key
to the game of football and in both real life and FIFA the characters are shown
to their ability. Heroes and villains are created in a different manner in the
game of football, you can be a villain if you consistently have bad games, miss
a crucial opportunity, commit a dangerous tackle, have an attitude or even
worse commit physical offenses during the game. A perfect example in the game
of football would be Joey Barton, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ASkfY-1gjM
this video perfectly sums up Joey Barton. His most recent antics were in the
final game of the Barclays Premier League season for Queens Park Rangers
against Manchester City in which he assaulted not one, not two but three
players and then has the dignity to claim it was not a red card! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/queens-park-rangers/9263330/QPRs-Joey-Barton-assaults-three-Man-City-players-then-claims-it-was-never-a-red.html
The features attached to the game not only make the game more realistic and interesting it also takes the audience away from the real world. Beating a mate in FIFA12 can seem like an accomplishment, it gives the player a sense of joy. FIFA12 doesn’t make you think you are playing the game, it makes you believe you are in the game.
The features attached to the game not only make the game more realistic and interesting it also takes the audience away from the real world. Beating a mate in FIFA12 can seem like an accomplishment, it gives the player a sense of joy. FIFA12 doesn’t make you think you are playing the game, it makes you believe you are in the game.
