MEST 4-Research & Production: 2012

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 1^st 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 30^th 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.”

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/fifa-12-breaks-record-for-first-week-sales-knocks-out-gears-of-war-3/#ixzz24yOlZz8u

“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.”

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/05/fifa-12-scores-3-2-million-sales-within-first-week/

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.

MEST 4-Research & Production

Monday, 5 November 2012

GAMING

Monday, 15 October 2012

Year 13 Critical Investigation proposal form

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Summer Research