I have chosen the brief of a gaming magazine and print advertisements because I enjoy playing a variety of different video games (multiplayer games, story games etc) in my spare time and therefore have a good knowledge around the industry and technology involved and what people similar to myself would be interested in reading.  Additionally, from previous NEA experience, I am familiar with the elements required for a magazine.

For some of my images, I will obscure things like faces so that I can build enigma codes (Roland Barthes). This creates intrigue for readers, who would then want to purchase what they see depicted in the magazine or adverts. The heavy use of fiction in the products creates an opportunity of audience escapism, as suggested by the Uses and Gratifications theory. Another way I can connect to this theory is by including direct address in the language of the magazine’s cover lines. Using a third person perspective on images on the cover and adverts could signify that the people present on those specific images are the heroes of the narratives, as stated by Propp. In terms of psychographic profiling, my products will likely appeal mostly to seekers, who are always looking forward to what’s next and are focused on excitement towards something (that ‘thing’ being the likes of new video games, social events and films).

My target audience will be primarily teenage boys aged 16-18, since they are the main demographic for video games. There will not be a specific level of education required for readers, since gaming is generally an activity for a large variety of people. My products will be easy to engage with, with large image, text with a simplistic design and informal language to appeal to my target audience, who wouldn’t want an overcomplicated product. I will also blend in other subjects that readers would be interested in, such as sports and films, and connect them with video games in order to maximise audiences.

My intention is to use props such as game controllers on the magazine cover in order to reinforce the genre. Because the majority of video games aren’t entirely photo-realistic, I intend to edit some of my images to appear more similar to those of screenshots from in-game to denote that the magazine follows the topic of video games less than it does the real world. Additionally, I will refer to ‘maps’ from multiplayer games on one of my coverlines so that the focus of the magazine is connoted through game-related jargon.

I will include frequent references to online material that is connected to the products, in order to establish convergence between print and digital media, since this is an ever growing market that is actually surpassing print methods in popularity.  This will include websites and social media accounts for the magazine and advertisement, as expected from traditional versions of similar products. This can also be applied to the Uses and Gratifications theory, as digital synergy allows for active readers to engage in social interaction.