Media Studies OCR Exam Blog - Kate Ovington

AUDIENCE PROFILE: C - C2DE A - 10-20 (average of 23) G - 75% male, 24% female, 1% non-binary E - International O - 72% core gamers, 11% casual gamers, 16% hardcore gamers. Most interested in Community (69%), Discovery and Design (both 56%) Least interested in Story (40% and Challenge (41%) Majority play it 6-7 days of the week (53%) COMPARISON TO BASELINE GAMERS: // Higher proportion of women // Younger than average // Similar gamer types // Players play it more often in the week OWNERSHIP: // When ownership changed from Mojang to Microsoft, Minecraft could synergise with large companies, like Nintendo, so the game is accessible on more platforms for a wider audience. // Diversification means that there are new ways of playing the game to enlarge audiences to those who like other aspects of games like storytelling  TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE: // Due to the original nature of the game, most players simply logged in to play Minecraft and didn't need a physical c...

KEY TERMS: //Production -  planning, developing and making a product. //Distribution -  All the processes linked to delivering the product to the audience. //Circulation -  The number of copies that are sold. //Consumption -  The way products are used by the audience/consumer. //Conglomerate Ownership -  Ownership by a company that owns numerous other companies. //Vertical Integration -  The merging together of two businesses that are at different stages of production - for example, a food manufacturer and a chain of supermarkets. //Diversification -  the process of a company enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation. //technological Integration -  When a piece of hardware takes on the functions of others, an ‘all-in-one’ device. HOW IS THE PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND CIRCULATION OD MINECRAFT AFFECTED BY IT BEING PART OF A SPECIALISED AND NICHE INDUSTRY? // The technological world is fast-moving and develop...

KEY INFO: // Minecraft is a sandbox game. // It was developed by the Swedish based Mojang Studios // There are two game modes - creative and survival. // It was created by MArkus 'Notch' Persson. HISTORY OF MINECRAFT: // He started creating it in May 2009 . // It was initially seen as a niche product for players with expert knowledge of computers and programming. // Without the commercial advertising of a mainstream publisher, and no money spent on advertising, the game relied on word of mouth between gamers. // By April 2011 , Persson estimated that $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. // In 2011 , Minecraft was released across multiple platforms. Pocket Edition was released for mobile devices at roughly the same time. // By 2012 , it was available on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. // It was created originally using Java, which ...

WHAT IS THIS MODULE ABOUT? // This tests two areas of the course (INDUSTRY AND AUDIENCE)  along with your understanding of economic and social contexts. // It is an EXPLAIN question. You will be asked to explain how Minecraft operated and operates as a part of the gaming industry. // You do not need to have played the game and there is no analysis of it. You do need a lot of information though. HOW IS IT ASSESSED: // 15 marks // Paper 2, Question 2 // Part of a trio of Industry and Audience texts, the other two being Radio and Film. // Two out of three will be chosen by OCR in the exam. WHAT DO I NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL? // You need to have KNOWLEDGE  about the video game industry's processes of production, distribution and circulation, always using Minecraft as an example. // You need to have KNOWLEDGE about the video game audience and how they are targeted and reached and how they respond, always using Minecraft as an example. AUDIENCES CRITERIA: INDUSTRY CR...