Media industry: How
the media industries’ processes of production, distribution and circulation
affect media forms and platforms.
Media audience: How
media forms target, reach and address audiences, how audiences interpret and
respond to them and how members of audiences become producers themselves.
Digitally convergant media:
Video games consoles are an excellent example of a digitally convergent device,
you can not only play games but access social media, surf the internet, stream
films and TV content and upload content into cloud based servers. Cross-media
content helps maximise profits
and also improve reach to new customers.
Production:
This
refers to all phases of designing, developing and making the media product;.
Distribution:
This
refers to all processes linked to delivering the media product to audiences
both through tangible (disc) and digital (Cloud based) media.
Consumption:
Explores
the way in which the media text is used by audiences for pleasure but also
explores the rise of user generated content across several platforms.
Marketing and Distribution
"Don't mine at night" is a mineecraft song parody created by the YOGSCAST who were very popular minecraft youtubers, it gained 138 million views in its 7 years, the video makes the game look fun to promote it to young children, and also people who enjoy the original song 'Last Friday Night' by Katy Perry.
Minecraft
is the second most successful video game of all time behind Tetris.
It
was created and designed by Markus Persson (Notch), a game programmer, who also developed and published the game through his
company Mojang. A full version of the game went on release in November 2011.
To
date, well over 121 million copies have been sold across all platforms,
including over 27 million PC copies, making it the biggest selling PC game of
all time.
The success of the games market.
The
UK’s US$4 billion;
China,
US$24.4 billion
America’s
US$23.6 billion.
A
recent report by the UKIE1 suggests that the global games market is
now worth in excess of US$100 billion.
In
comparison to traditional media like film, radio, print and television, video
games are much younger, exponentially growing since the 1970s
Minecraft’s
Swedish creator, Markus “Notch” Persson started creating the game in May of
2009 having been inspired by similar games such as Dwarf Fortress, a single-
player construction and management game; his goal was to produce a Role Playing
Game variation.
Minecraft’s
initial reception wasn’t commercially viable, seen more as a niche product for
players with expert knowledge of computers and programming.
•Without
the commercial backing of a mainstream publisher, and no money spent on
advertising revenue, the game relied on word of mouth between gamers and
featured on sites such as the Penny Arcade web comic to generate interest
amongst gamers.
by
January 2011, the beta-version of the game had passed over one million
purchases in just only a month, and
by April 2011 Persson estimated that US$33 million of revenue had been made
In
November 2011, prior to the game’s official release:
Minecraft
had
over 16 million registered users and
4
million purchases.
Due to its popularity, Minecraft was released
across multiple platforms, becoming a commercially viable franchise with
increased interactivity.
In
particular,
Minecraft: Pocket Edition was released on Sony Xperia Play, available on Sony Xperia
smartphones.
Minecraft
also become available on Android and iOS devices shortly after.
It
was this ability to strike a franchise deal with an existing technology
company, in this case Sony, to distribute the game that was a key feature of
its success.
This commercial
deal helped secure Minecraft ’s place in the video game market. Its
significance was twofold: It
was released on multiple platforms and increased audience interactivity and it was packaged as a game brand for a wider global audience and not just for gamers.
Synergy- interaction or co-operation of two or more organisations to produce a combined effect greater than the single entities (e.g. minecraft and lego)
Minecraft Education is an effective way of teaching things to young children as a using a fun and interactive method to teach them, for example they offer a lesson about extinct animals with interesting buildings and a rollercoaster to keep users entertained while they learn.
with
physical copies from June 2016 and most recently for Nintendo Switch (May 2017)
and Nintendo 3DS (download
only from September 2017). The Minecraft:
Story Mode -
Minecraft has evolved from just a sandbox game to have narrative versions on Story Mode where characters are introduced that someone can gain emotional attatchment to and thereofore find a new love for the game. It costs £29 for a season pass of the storymode through X Box.
Action (call of duty), arcade (pacman) , adventure (minecraft), fighting (street fighter), racing (Dirt 3), first person shooter (CS:GO), thrid person shooter (GTAV), MMORPG
Minecraft youtubers: Pewdiepie (103 million subscribers), YOGSCAST (7.21 million subscribers), Sky Does Everything (previously Sky Does Minecraft, 11.4 million subscribers)
Beta version was released in 2011, official version of the game released in 2013/14 after help of gamers who played the beta version. They also created mods and resource packs to make the game even better.
The introduction of the Minecraft Realms service in 2013 was an attempt to give the producers more control over the distribution and circulation of the game. Realms are servers that are created specifically for players and are intended to keep players’ Minecraft world online, accessible and safe to allow them to create, survive or compete. This invokes a sense of belonging, community and play amongst its users.
Minecraft has also exploited the use of YouTube as a broadcast platform to promote its products, introducing game trailers and encouraging a video community willing to share its craft online. This prosumer community has aided online discussion of the game and improved viewers’ abilities to play, create and share in it. Minecraft gamer celebrities have also emerged via YouTube, which in itself has attracted attention to the way the game is played and popularised it with online young, video-savvy media audiences. For example, reviews of games by popular YouTube vloggers such as PewDiePie are important for the future production of games as their feedback influences producers’ thinking for future releases. This is exemplified in the game’s survival mode, in tips on how to find food or how to stop the threat of creepers (exploding zombie-like creatures).
Minecraft Wiki is a free-to-use website referenced by Minecraft users to find out how to craft an item or realm in Minecraft . Users ask for help in the online forum; This networked community of users exchanges ideas, finds free game resources and asks questions in relation to problemsolving and creativity. Minecraft reddit is a forum widely used and lists websites for add-ons and game features.
•2010
Minecraft was developed as a multiplayer game using JAVA code.
•Gamers
were able to contribute to the development of the program eliminating bugs and
facilitating multiplayer capability
•In
September of 2013, Microsoft bought all rights to Minecraft from Mojang for
$2.5 billion dollars.
–in
November 2014 of that year, plans to work on a virtual reality version of
Minecraft in Partnership with Oculus
Mincraft film set to be released on March 4th 2022
Curran and Seaton. 1. - The idea
that the media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by
the logic of profit and power. ...
- The idea that more socially diverse
patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and
adventurous media productions.
Is it inevitable that independent media
producers, such as Mojang, will be bought out by conglomerates like Microsoft?
It does seem that in the history of the media there is a recognised pattern of
diversification of interests by leading commercial companies in the takeover of
independent producers – a pattern that has been long established in, for
example,
Film making.
If enough money is offered to small, indpendent companies such as Mojang was, they end up with no choice but to take the money so that they can afford to take care of their families for life. However, they may be certain companies that will reject the money if they believe they can make the same amount of money on their own.
Once the Better Together Update hits in the summer, the game’s editions on Windows 10, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile, and VR will simply be called ‘Minecraft’. They will share DLC – and players – in fulfilment of a plan the publishers have been working towards since they bought out Notch in 2014.
These 5 different platforms will all have access to the same original Minecraft game with the 'better togther' update. PlayStation is not included in this due to Sony not agreeing to be part of the change. This allows for cross platform playing, Sony are concered that small children will be in danger due to the people who can play.
