Evolution of game covers

Game covers for the retail copy of the game play an important part in the sale. Not only had the cover got to incite the buyer but it also has to stand out against all the other games that are on the shelf with it. Within the digital distribution market game covers still have an important role as they are part of the main advert on the sites that sell the game.

Take a look at these game covers for the series of games called Half Life, The game series is self has a number of games which progress the story. As these games were released over the years we can see the development of game covers and how the conventions have changed.

For the first example we will look at the first Half Life title. The cover of this game is quite striking and already we can see some very simple conventions;

• Title, clear and bold.
• Striking image
• Game logo on cover
• Character from the game
• Miscellaneous things (game of the year .ect)

Now with the above cover the bright colours and the way the character looks out of the cover at the viewer is a great collection of features which grabs the viewers attention. The game cover is all artistically done, the character and the background were both done by professional artists, for the era that this was released this was a very common style as it showed what the in game graphics could not. Also on a side note I think that as this was the first game of the series they made the cover such a good attention grabber to introduce the buyer and hopefully make them part of the cult following, this is supported by the cover for the second release of the series as the dramatic change in cover details is shown.

Below is the second game from the series and already we can see the vast difference in styles of game covers. We still see similar conventions;

• Title, clear and bold.
• Striking image
• Game logo on cover (if available)
• Character from the game

But also we see some new features in the fact that the character's face looks to be done via some 3d modelling engine rather than an artistic work. The background within this one compared to the older cover has far more detail and mystery. This works to entice the buyer to get the game to find out what the city in the background is like. This cover does have a very specific audience however, the character's design is quite a icon in the games industry and by having a closeup of the character's face and showing great detail of it grabs the attention of any of the cult following to the game.

This cover shows some of the vast differences between the eras and the development of game covers through the years. We can see that in older times the game covers were very stylized and arty. They have a special feel them which doesn't seem to be replicated in any of the newer covers. The newer game covers on the other hand seems to have a clinical feel, a professional appeal to them. They seem to be precisely planned and done to a almost perfect look.

For a example of something completely different compared to the valve game covers i have looked at above. This cover shows of the unique art style of the game as well as the graphical models of the characters within the game. The cover instantly tells the viewer that this is a game that is of a positive mood compared to the half life game covers i have shown. The content of the cover shows the way the game feels; happy, a sense of freedom and cuteness. From the conventions that i have written about earlier it is clear that this cover fits in with them. It has a striking cover, title, characters within it. However, it doesn't have a normal logo such as the half life's crowbar but it has the style of writing on the wooden sign which is linked to the game in very much the same way as the crowbar to half life

Just dance 3

The just dance 3 game for consoles has a very interesting advertising style where it shows the players rather than the game itself. This can be see as a new way of doing advertisements or a terrible way of showing off the game product. This way of doing game ads has been done for games consoles such as the ps3 and the Xbox360. For the console ads they would work far better with that style as it gives the feel for the console even though it is fake reaction it still makes for a good ad.

For my second tv advert i may look into doing something along the same lines as this, by having a few shots of the players to create a 'i can be like that' link with the audience

Advertising Standards Authority

In the UK advertising is controlled by the ASA, they help to make sure that advertising such as;

• Magazine and newspaper advertisements
• Radio and TV commercials
• Television Shopping Channels
• Posters on legitimate poster sites
• Leaflets and brochures
• Cinema commercails
• Direct mail
• Door drops and circulars(advertising posted through a letterbox without your name on it)
• Advertisements on the internet, including banner and display ads and paid for searchs
• Marketing communications on companies' own websites and in other, non-paid-for space under their own control
• Commercial e-mail and SMS text message ads
• Ads on CD ROMs, DVD, video and faxes
• Sales promotions, such as special offers, prize draws and competitions wherever they appear.

Are acceptable in the public eye and are properly within the UK guidance codes for advertising. The codes can be found http://bcap.org.uk/. The ASA are able to employ sanctions against code breaking advertising and also on the companies that output such an advert. The adjudications of some rule breaking can be found http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications.aspx . As the ASA deals with all types of advertising it means that it deals with different types of media, the games industry relies heavily on formal adverts and so the ASA is involved deeply with this sector of the industry.


Here are a few facts from the ASA website

• ASA has been controlling non-broadcast ads for nearly 50 years
• ASA 'one stop shop' has been responsible for regulating ads across all media since 2004
• Ads on the interent are subjected to the same rules as ads in other media
• In 2009, ASA dealt with over 28,000 complaints
• 2,379 ads were changed or withdrawn in 2009 as a result of ASA action
• Complaints to ASA account for less than 1% of total ads seen each year
• Each year, many millions of ads, sales promotions and direct mail are put out in the UK and the vast majority can be trusted
• UK advertising codes are some of the strictest in the world
• On average, 97% of ads they see each day are in line with the codes
• It can take just one complaint to change of remove a problematic ad
• 62% of all complaints to the ASA are about misleading claims
• ASA system is cost-free to the tax payer
• In 2009, on average complaints were resolved within 13 working days
• 99% of video game ads complied with the advertising codes

The last fact is interesting as there have been many news stories about violent video games and advertising of them and their effect on the viewer, this clearly shows that though the press will hammer a game for having a violent trailer although it has been approved by the ASA and been deemed safe for the general public


From reading the rules the ASA have, i have copied some of the most important rules that will apply to my main and ancillary tasks:


CPA Codes

1.1 Marketing communications should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. 

1.2 Marketing communications must reflect the spirit, not merely the letter, of the Code. 

1.3 Marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society. 

1.4 Marketers must comply with all general rules and with relevant sector-specific rules. 

3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. 
3.2 Obvious exaggerations (“puffery”) and claims that the average consumer who sees the marketing communication is unlikely to take literally are allowed provided they do not materially mislead. 

4.1 Marketing communications must not contain anything that is likely to cause serious or widespread offense. Particular care must be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. Compliance will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards

4.2 Marketing communications must not cause fear or distress without justifiable reason; if it can be justified, the fear or distress should not be excessive. Marketers must not use a shocking claim or image merely to attract attention. 

4.3 References to anyone who is dead must be handled with particular care to avoid causing offence or distress. 

4.4 Marketing communications must contain nothing that is likely to condone or encourage violence or anti-social behavior. 

BCAP codes

1.1 Advertisements must reflect the spirit, not merely the letter, of the Code.
1.2 Advertisements must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to the audience and to society.
1.3 Advertisements must comply with the law and broadcasters must make that a condition of acceptance.
1.3.1 Advertisements must not state or imply that a product can legally be sold if it cannot.
2.1 Advertisements must be obviously distinguishable from editorial content, especially if they use a situation, performance or style reminiscent of editorial content, to prevent the audience being confused between the two. The audience should quickly recognise the message as an advertisement.
2.2 If used in an advertisement, an expression or sound effect associated with news bulletins or public service announcements (for example, “news flash”) needs special care. The audience should quickly recognise the message as an advertisement.

2.3 The use of a title, logo, set or music associated with a programme that is broadcast onthat medium needs special care. The audience should quickly recognise the message as an advertisement.
2.4 Television only – Television advertisements, except for programme promotions,must not:
2.4.1 refer to themselves in a way that might lead viewers to believe they are watching a programme
2.4.2 feature, visually or orally, anyone who currently and regularly presents news or current affairs on television
2.4.3 include extracts from broadcasts of parliamentary proceedings.




The way that i will make sure that my products fit in with the asa guidelines is to check each product i have and run it against this list, if i have too many points that conflict with the guidelines i will redesign the product to fit in as much as possible with the guidelines whilst still meeting the requirements of my own
 

(source from : http://bcap.org.uk/The-Codes/CAP-Code/CAP-Code-pdf-versions.aspx and http://bcap.org.uk/The-Codes/BCAP-Code/BCAP-Code-pdf-versions.aspx )

Example of game trailer

It is a really good example of a trailer showing gamplay and what the game is like. it helps to add to the viewers interest by showing things that are added later in the game as you progress. This Terraria trailer, whilst not being made explicitly for tv it can be broken up into tv adverts and then viewed as a tv advert for the purpose of breaking down the features within it.

This trailer appeals to the demographic of the game; the newstyle retro gamers. I will look further more into why it appeals to the demographic/audience of the game in later blog posts

A breif introduction to the Games industry

The Games industry is the business side to video games. Essentially it is the making, developing, testing and selling side. It is a huge industry sector, so huge in fact that in 2007 the industry in the US took $9.5 billion and $11.7 billion in 2008. The industry encompasses so many different skills and jobs.

Example of B grade work from last year

http://a2mediadanielknights.blogspot.com/

Dan Knights did pitch number 4 which is about designing a new game and making adverts for it. his blog shows good practice and a decent example

Notes about my questionnaire

After reading through and realizing what was wrong with my questionnaire. I am currently working on the new questionnaire and after i have the results from that i shall post them on the blog