Task 1: What do these posters have in common? Why is this important?

What about these ones?

Characters and Marketing

LO: To understand the significance of how the main character is represented through the use of generic conventions.

Your task: by the end of this presentation and after completing all tasks you should be;

• Able to explain and provide examples of why the marketing of a character’s representation is heavily influenced by its gaming genres

• Have a list of common generic conventions for each genre of game

• Offer reasons as to how a characters representation might influence a consumer to buy a game And/or what targeted audiences of specific game, find appealing about the ways in which the main character(s) are represented.

• In the your exams, be confident in coming up a treatment for how you would represent a character whatever the genre of a game. Justify your ideas by providing examples taken from at least 3 similar marketing campaigns

Example character analysisUncharted 3: Drake’s DeceptionGenre: Action AdventureMain character name: Nathan DrakePlayer controlled character: YesRepresentation:He looks tough and rugged with his battered casual clothes.

Resourceful with the equipment and ammo straps. Stylish because of the scarf, hair and clothes. Looking out of frame away from the plane crash, he is not bothered by the explosion or flames so he is brave. Casually holding the AK47, can take care of himself but not really eager to use it.

Marketing value:Nathan Drake embodies the sort of casual charming hero the male

audience want to be. By featuring him on the poster, the publishers are saying that ‘you can be this hero if you play this game’

Task 2• Use PowerPoint to make your own example of a character analysis.

• Describe how the characters are represented and what value this has for the marketing campaign.

• Choose a game from the categories on the next page to analyse.

• If you cannot think of appropriate games, look through amazon for ideas.

Extension: If you complete the marketing value section, start a new paragraph on how the representation of the character continues in the background, title font and other elements of the poster.

Start with any of these categories

- An overly sexualised female- A game aimed at women- An action game- A childrens game- A Sims game- A poster with 2+ characters- A war game (historical)- A war game (contemporary)- A sci fi game- An adventure game

- An N64 game- A PS4 game- A Mobile game- An MMORPG game- A game with the antagonist on the poster- A game with a Child on the poster- A sports game- A story based game- A stealth game

Task 3You are now going to all move around by 2 chairs clockwise.

Example evaluationUncharted 3: Drake’s DeceptionGenre: Action AdventureMain character name: Nathan DrakePlayer controlled character: YesRepresentation:He looks tough and rugged with his battered casual clothes.

Resourceful with the equipment and ammo straps. Stylish because of the scarf, hair and clothes. Looking out of frame away from the plane crash, he is not bothered by the explosion or flames so he is brave. Casually holding the AK47, can take care of himself but not really eager to use it.

Marketing value:Nathan Drake embodies the sort of casual charming hero the male

audience want to be. By featuring him on the poster, the publishers are saying that ‘you can be this hero if you play this game’

Is he attractive to a female audience?

He is dressed like a typical soldier of fortune - genre convention of action games

He is stuck in the desert - survival theme?

• Switch back to your old seats.

• Make sure your work is saved properly and log off.

Now

• Think of a way in which a character’s representation might indicate a games genre

• Think of how a characters representation might influence a consumer to buy a game

And finally...Why might some posters not feature a character?