1)Why, according to the news report do investors like the Video Games Industry so much? 

Investors are highly interested in the video game industry due to its strong market performance and significant growth potential. The industry has a large and dedicated consumer base, making it an attractive investment opportunity.

2) What are E sports? 

It is a competitive video game tournament where pro players and teams play out different sports.

3) How is new digital media technology changing the way that video games are accessed by consumers? 

Digital media tech is changing how we access games. Downloading, streaming, and VR making gaming more accessible and immersive.

4) What does FPS and MMORP stand for? 

FPS = First person shooter

MMOPR = Massively Multiplayer Online Role

Livingstone and Lunt’s theory states that regulation (the setting of rules) of media products is becoming increasingly difficult to do. Those in charge of regulating the media (PEGI, BBFC etc) have to work not only in the best interest of the general public (by ensuring safety and protection from harmful media) but also in the best interest of consumers (ensuring choice, value for money etc). Difficulties are caused by two main factors – the powerful status of corporations releasing products and technology constantly growing.

In the UK, the Video Standards Council issue PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) ratings for video games. Games are assigned one of 5 ratings; 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18. Physical copies of the games cannot be sold to anyone under this age, as the ratings are legally enforceable. However, with the decline in physical media sales and rise of technology, it has never been easier for children to access games not appropriate for their age group, as all they need to do is go onto a digital retailer (e.g. PlayStation or Xbox Store) on their consoles and buy the game from there, without needing to provide any form of ID.

Case Study – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2516427/Sandy-Hook-shooter-Adam-Lanza-83k-online-kills-massacre.html

Concern – We can see concern in the headline, where it emphasises the number of kills that Lanza got, and refers to the games he played as “violent” and that they were a method of “training” for his murders.

Hostility – When using a picture of Lanza, The Daily Mail comments on his weight and how he was not on medication at the time. They accompany this with an image of three FPS games claimed to be in his possession, further driving the idea that video games were semi responsible for the killings.

Consensus – The agreement that the newspaper comes to is that Lanza’s mum allowing him to play “violent” video games such as Call of Duty factored into him becoming a killer.

Disproportion – The statistics used here are intended to shock readers, due to the seemingly high amount of time spent and kills achieved on ‘Combat Arms’. However, it may be argued that E-Sports competitors would spend similar amounts of time on video games, and that doesn’t instantly determine that they too will go out and murder people.

Volatility – The comments on the article seem to suggest that at the time, the press was commonly trying to link violent video games to the behaviour of murderers, which audiences challenged.

1)Why, according to the news report do investors like the Video Games Industry so much? 

The news report Suggests that because video games get increasing engagement, Investers that are interested in the area could get big returns from it. With this rapidly growing engagement, Companies like Take-Two Interactive and Electronic Arts are increasing their sales and setting best case price targets at around $155. 

2) What are E sports? 

E sports refers to a form of competition using video games. It is usually organized; multiplayer games and the gamers are usually professional.  

3) How is new digital media technology changing the way that video games are accessed by consumers? 

Traditionally, everyone would go out to get PCs and Consoles to be able to play video games. However nowadays, mobile gaming has become popular with the percentage of time spent gaming on mobile devices has surpassed that of on console or PC. 

4) What does FPS and MMORP stand for? 

FPS – First Person Shooter. – A game that puts the player in first person whilst containing guns. 

MMORP – Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing game.  

Task 1 – Explain how Bandura’s view of media audiences is essentially different to that held by Shirky and Jenkins.

Bandura’s theory emphasises the importance of observing, modelling and imitating the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others.

The social learning theory considers how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behaviour. It is said that children learn and observe most from the people they are surrounded with, in which Bandura’s experiment highlighted this.

He created the ‘Media Effects’ theory which focuses on the idea that the media can directly ‘implant’ ideas into the mind of audiences. His research suggested that audiences acquire attitudes, emotional responses and new styles of conduct through modelling. The idea that audiences would imitate media violence is a principle of Bandura’s theory, this idea suggests that the conduct of individuals can be changed by the media.

In contrast, Clay Shirky created the End of audience theory. Shirky argues that audiences are no longer passive due to the way social media operates.

Technology has changed our behaviour; instead of just consuming media passively, we also contribute to it. In his argument, no audience is passive. For example, before new media technologies, audiences would simply consume a film and that would be it. Now, audiences consume the film and then create reviews of it or post about it on their social media accounts – they are creating media content. It is named the ‘End of audience’ theory, as Shirky believes the audience has now become the creators.

This view also differs to Henry Jenkins. He suggested that fans are devoted followers of media texts who actively engage with the products to construct their own meanings and interpretations beyond the original message.

Jenkins argues that convergence isn’t an end result, but instead a process that changes how media is both consumed and produced.

Jenkins suggested that there were at least five distinct dimensions to these subcultures:

1. its relationship to a particular mode of reception.
2. its role in encouraging viewer activism.
3. its function as an interpretive community.
4. its particular traditions of cultural production.
5. its status as an alternative social community.

Active Audience Theory argues that media audiences do not just receive information passively but are actively involved, often unconsciously, in making sense of the message within their personal and social contexts.

passive-An audience that is exposed to media/marketing material but doesn’t actively engage with the content or messaging.

What is CPS in video games?

The CP System (CPシステム, shīpī shisutemu, CPS for short and retroactively known as CPS-1) is an arcade system board developed by Capcom that ran game software stored on removable daughterboards.

According to Bandura’s hypothesis, people pick up new skills by watching others, copying their behaviours, and getting rewarded or punished. Considering, media audiences in this context, he thinks that offering audiences role models to follow, media portrayals might affect the audiences behaviour. Bandura’s theory of media audiences differs from Shirky and Jenkin’s view as their perspective is that media audiences actively share and remix the media they consume. In summary, all of them acknowledge the active role that viewers play in interacting with media, although they all do it in different ways.

1. The video game industry is continuing to grow and grow due to high engagement, leading to large financial returns for investors (this can be seen with the developer Take-Two having a 60% share price increase in 12 months).

2. Esports is the phrase used for competitions based around video games, usually multiplayer ones. They offer monetary prizes for those that win against other teams. The competitions themselves pull in higher numbers of viewers than some mainstream sport events.

3. New technological developments have meant that consumers can get games through digital stores and can play games on their mobile phones as opposed to buying a console. Additionally, cloud gaming allows consumers to play games without actually downloading anything, through the form of streaming.

4. FPS = First Person Shooter (a game centred on gun combat where the players see things from the POV of the characters) MMORPG = massively multiplayer online role-playing game (any story-driven online video game in which a player, taking on the persona of a character in a virtual or fantasy world, interacts with other players)

Bandura’s theory suggests that individuals learn by observing other, imitating behaviours , more likely to be infecund by a male. Putting this is the context of media audiences, he believes that media portrayals can influence the audience’s behaviour by providing them with models to imitate. Bandura’s view is different from Shirky and Jenkins view of media audiences because Shirky and Jenkins argue that media audiences don’t just passively absorb the media they are consuming but they rather actively share and remix it in complex ways. 

Active Audience – Engages, interprets and responds to a media text in different ways and is capable of challenging the ideas encoded in it. 

Passive Audience – More likely to accept the messages encoded in a media text without challenge and are therefore more likely to be directly affected by the messages. 

Extension: Explain the ways in which media products are thought to impact on audiences cognitively, affectively and behaviourally? 

Media products can impact audiences because they can provide them with dramaticised information that they believe is factual and real.