Friday 29th October: Research

Today I did some research on game front covers to see what detail has to be done to make sure that my game front cover would be able to sell if real. My game game front cover must cover the main rules of other game front covers to ensure that it is realistic and able to sell.

Here are some of the covers released in the past 5 years:

Halo Reach

Fable 2

Left for Dead 2

Bioshock 2

Naughty Bear


I have noticed that all of these games have detailed but basic backgrounds so that all of the concentration is set upon the main picture at the front. This is to make sure that the picture is the feature that catches the customer's eye and makes them want to buy it from the incredible detail in the main picture. Another thing relevant to a game front cover is to label the age rating in the bottom left corner. The covers I have shown above are all american ratings but in the UK the ratings will vary from 3+ to 18. I intend to make a 16 rated game.

25th October 2010: Research

Today I spent my lesson doing research on different TV ads for games on any console. After looking at many different TV ads i realised that there are a few things that are needed within making a TV ad for a game. These are:

• Music: There must be relevant music which suits the advert best, the music must suit the game which has been chosen.
• Dialogue: Some ads include dialogue into the ad, the dialogue must be clear and loud enough to be heard and it must be relevant to the game without any indecent language.
• Genre: All game ads must state the genre from the very beginning to draw the attention of the viewers, this is best done with music or video, whether it be gloomy music for a thriller or a bright scene for a fun family game.
• Separate advertisements: All of the game ads I have looked at so far have included a separate advert at the end to advertise the console in which it can be played on.
• Age: The ad must always include the age group that the game may be played as some viewers may be too young to buy it.
• Game footage: In the ad you must always include at least one piece of game footage to show that it is a game otherwise viewers may become confused and ignore it. Also when showing game footage you must state that it is game footage in writing or if it isn't real game footage you must also state that as well.
• Ratings: It is also best to show ratings in your ad as it makes the viewers believe that the game is good enough to buy as it has been reviewed already by experts.
• Release date: You must show the release date of the game so viewers know when to buy it.

THE introduction.

I have created this blog to show all the details of what I am going to be doing towards making my promotional package for a new computer/video game, which is my aim for my Advanced portfolio in Media Studies A2 level.

In this portfolio I am going to include a cover of the game's package which has to be designed and then produced via computer. I am also going to create a magazine advertisement for the game which has to be at least two pages long.

I will be regularly updating this blog showing the progress of my work. This blog will be following the work towards my end product and i hope to keep it updated regularly.