After it's release date on the 5th of September of this year, Farmville 2 has hugely taken storm on Facebook, who sponsor "The Ville" franchise, with over 60 million monthly users which I believe is down to Zynga's use of strategic viral marketing. It is clear just how effective this is, just by logging into Facebook you are thrown advertisements left right and centre promoting the new sequel to the huge successor Farmville, which has managed to keep casual gamers returning for more, with 64,700,000 people playing it every month! The main and obvious most effective technique that Zynga used to market Farmville 2, was that they aimed the release and game-play to their existing users which was a very smart move considering the figures mentioned above. This is clearly seen even by them naming the new 3D social game "Farmville 2" that is very familiar to every current active user under the Zynga name as it something that they are comfortable with and that they know what the franchise's capability to make a good game is. This is what set off Rockstar's call of duty sensation, however, that was on a much larger scale. Furthering this by using viral marketing techniques to advertise the new release on the likes of Facebook (sponsors), where typical Farmville players will notice the title, attracts a lot more users as they will recognise the franchise. From having a little play on Farmville 2, it was very obvious that the game is a social interaction driven game and they don't let you forget it. Throughout the time I played there was so many screen pop ups encouraging me to add my Facebook contacts as neighbours to allow for extra farm points/cash that you needed to buy specific features in the game. Doing this is a very smart technique, although irritating, to not just get your friends involved and current users, but to promote and expand the recognition of the game by adding and getting contacts involved that have never heard of or played Farmville before, expanding the audience and increasing users in the game and profit for their franchise.
Wednesday 31 October 2012
Farmville 2
After it's release date on the 5th of September of this year, Farmville 2 has hugely taken storm on Facebook, who sponsor "The Ville" franchise, with over 60 million monthly users which I believe is down to Zynga's use of strategic viral marketing. It is clear just how effective this is, just by logging into Facebook you are thrown advertisements left right and centre promoting the new sequel to the huge successor Farmville, which has managed to keep casual gamers returning for more, with 64,700,000 people playing it every month! The main and obvious most effective technique that Zynga used to market Farmville 2, was that they aimed the release and game-play to their existing users which was a very smart move considering the figures mentioned above. This is clearly seen even by them naming the new 3D social game "Farmville 2" that is very familiar to every current active user under the Zynga name as it something that they are comfortable with and that they know what the franchise's capability to make a good game is. This is what set off Rockstar's call of duty sensation, however, that was on a much larger scale. Furthering this by using viral marketing techniques to advertise the new release on the likes of Facebook (sponsors), where typical Farmville players will notice the title, attracts a lot more users as they will recognise the franchise. From having a little play on Farmville 2, it was very obvious that the game is a social interaction driven game and they don't let you forget it. Throughout the time I played there was so many screen pop ups encouraging me to add my Facebook contacts as neighbours to allow for extra farm points/cash that you needed to buy specific features in the game. Doing this is a very smart technique, although irritating, to not just get your friends involved and current users, but to promote and expand the recognition of the game by adding and getting contacts involved that have never heard of or played Farmville before, expanding the audience and increasing users in the game and profit for their franchise.
Monday 29 October 2012
Zynga: How do they make their money?
Zynga games are supported by direct credit card payments and business partnerships. The company develops games for social networking sites such as Facebook which are free to play, Android and also mobile platforms such as Apple IOS. A core feature to many of their games involve the gamer to resolve/become immersed in gaining "energy" to allow them to reach a final mission/goal, maybe by the help of other players' interaction can only then, they continue, or through purchasing ad-on features/extra components to aid them to carry on, through micro-transactions that Zynga generate the majority of their money from. Running out of "energy" in the games is a limiting factor for the players and this is were Zynga's business support mechanisms take advantage. Players can accept credit card offers, take surveys or buy services from Zynga's partners in order to obtain game credits. This in turn allows the player to become a holder of premium funds that can either directly helpful or be exchanged for the vital aid/ components to complete the "mission" of the game. However these game credits can also be purchased through direct cedit card payments or microtransactions through Paypal. The fee for game credits that can be bought in the game are $5.00 in exchange for 21 game credits.
Also advertising sponsorships are sold by Zynga and in February of this year teamed up with Hasbro to create products based on Zynga brands which we be available to purchase in the upcoming months to winter. Zynga also started running sponsored stories and Facebook adverts on their website. This revenue will be split between Facebook and Zynga themselves.
Wednesday 24 October 2012
The release of Skylanders: Giants!
Being a huge a Spyro nerd when I was younger, owning a Spyro game on nearly every console I owned, the new release of Skylanders: Giants looked really interesting to me even though I didn't buy or play on it's worldwide success predecessor Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, which was renowned as the No.1 kids toy of 2011. The new set to be pre-teen game success was released just a few days ago on the 19th October in Europe and October 21st in North America. The developers - Toys for Bob and n-space (Nintendo 3DS), and publisher- Activision, massively allowed the expansion of popularity of the game by releasing it on various different platforms that were clearly target audience driven (aimed at pre-teens) with the console choices being; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Nintendo 3DS, Wii and the soon to be released Christmas hit; The Wii U (as mentioned in a previous blog post). It is no surprise that this anticipated sequel is said to be even more successful which is hard to outdo from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure generating nearly £350 million and the sales of close to 30 million Skylanders toys in 2011.
The Skylanders franchise pushes the boat on new thought out technology that works so cleverly to sell the game using symbiosis by merging a line of cross-platform toy figures with a video game world. This is done through the consumer/player being able to purchase over 40 new collectible figures as well as importing characters and their progress from the first game, as they are compatible with the same IP . However, it will also include a set of interactive characters that feature new light technology integrated into the toys. These are known as Lightcore characters that when placed on an electronic "portal", called the "Portal of Power", will cause the base to light up on contact with objects etc within the game. This is possible through the integration of a microchip in the base of the figures, no batteries or power source required. This makes the game very unique and up standard as we move into the 8th generation of gaming. The symbiosis between the two platforms are a perfect profit generator as the player, as just mentioned, can still use their current "portal" and characters from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, but new consumers/players or those wishing to use the new characters must purchase a "Starter pack" or a "Booster pack". For these packs on the Nintendo Wii would cost you £49.99 for a "Booster pack" and £64.99 for a "Starter pack", and the individual characters being priced between £10-15. These figures alone just for the Wii show just how much profit can be attained easily from the combined popularity of the franchise and heavy pricing. Another unique factor of the game which I believe will mostly be apparent for the Wii, is the newly addition of difficulty modes. With the Wii reaching out to younger/family audiences with most of the games being around 3/6+ age ratings, Skylanders: Giants has opened new doors and audiences by having not only easy difficulty modes for casual gamers, but adding medium, hard and even a stage called Nightmare Mode that would appeal and be more relative to more hardcore gamers, expanding the audience further.
This also lead to the addition of game modes that can be played. Skylanders: Giants has definitely increased the sense of player individual achievement which all gamers strive for when trying to complete an RPG by adding individual toy quests to strengthen their own power. Not only single player mode is available either. Co-op, battle-mode (competitive PvP) and online multiplayer with drop out- drop in mode. This encourages social interaction and an online community for communication.
Skylanders: Giants has primarily been marketed through viral marketing with the creation of their own YouTube channel promoting different aspects of the game and their many TV advertisements. This use of viral marketing allows Activision and Toys For Bob to reach out to a much wider audience by getting them captivated in the small snippets of new exciting footage and game-play up until the day of release. Also this way of marketing is a prime technique in capturing the attention of their young target audience of 7+. This is because the largest percentage of the population who spend the most time watching television is between 7-15 years meaning they are more likely to consume the adverts, successfully attracting their target audience who will want to buy the game. Having a young target audience will allow Activision to grasp and expand their audience and popularity through may different forms of cross media convergence as an attraction.
Compared to Rockstar marketing their GTA franchise through Guerilla and viral methods, the two are carried out very differently. Rockstar spend most of their money drip feeding information to the specialist and mainstream press, co-operative marketing with Microsoft and retail, TV press and billboard advertising, whereas Activision throw a lot of their money into the productivity side of the franchise such as the production of the figurines, the add on packs (starter and booster) and making captivating advertisements boasting all of the amazing components to expect with the game. With Rockstar this is all kept very secretive and undisclosed to get their audience talking about the game before it is released. Both are very effective ways of marketing on different platforms and with the obvious triumph of the GTA franchise we can only wait and watch Skylanders: Giants gain worldwide success!
The Skylanders franchise pushes the boat on new thought out technology that works so cleverly to sell the game using symbiosis by merging a line of cross-platform toy figures with a video game world. This is done through the consumer/player being able to purchase over 40 new collectible figures as well as importing characters and their progress from the first game, as they are compatible with the same IP . However, it will also include a set of interactive characters that feature new light technology integrated into the toys. These are known as Lightcore characters that when placed on an electronic "portal", called the "Portal of Power", will cause the base to light up on contact with objects etc within the game. This is possible through the integration of a microchip in the base of the figures, no batteries or power source required. This makes the game very unique and up standard as we move into the 8th generation of gaming. The symbiosis between the two platforms are a perfect profit generator as the player, as just mentioned, can still use their current "portal" and characters from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, but new consumers/players or those wishing to use the new characters must purchase a "Starter pack" or a "Booster pack". For these packs on the Nintendo Wii would cost you £49.99 for a "Booster pack" and £64.99 for a "Starter pack", and the individual characters being priced between £10-15. These figures alone just for the Wii show just how much profit can be attained easily from the combined popularity of the franchise and heavy pricing. Another unique factor of the game which I believe will mostly be apparent for the Wii, is the newly addition of difficulty modes. With the Wii reaching out to younger/family audiences with most of the games being around 3/6+ age ratings, Skylanders: Giants has opened new doors and audiences by having not only easy difficulty modes for casual gamers, but adding medium, hard and even a stage called Nightmare Mode that would appeal and be more relative to more hardcore gamers, expanding the audience further.
This also lead to the addition of game modes that can be played. Skylanders: Giants has definitely increased the sense of player individual achievement which all gamers strive for when trying to complete an RPG by adding individual toy quests to strengthen their own power. Not only single player mode is available either. Co-op, battle-mode (competitive PvP) and online multiplayer with drop out- drop in mode. This encourages social interaction and an online community for communication.
Skylanders: Giants has primarily been marketed through viral marketing with the creation of their own YouTube channel promoting different aspects of the game and their many TV advertisements. This use of viral marketing allows Activision and Toys For Bob to reach out to a much wider audience by getting them captivated in the small snippets of new exciting footage and game-play up until the day of release. Also this way of marketing is a prime technique in capturing the attention of their young target audience of 7+. This is because the largest percentage of the population who spend the most time watching television is between 7-15 years meaning they are more likely to consume the adverts, successfully attracting their target audience who will want to buy the game. Having a young target audience will allow Activision to grasp and expand their audience and popularity through may different forms of cross media convergence as an attraction.
Compared to Rockstar marketing their GTA franchise through Guerilla and viral methods, the two are carried out very differently. Rockstar spend most of their money drip feeding information to the specialist and mainstream press, co-operative marketing with Microsoft and retail, TV press and billboard advertising, whereas Activision throw a lot of their money into the productivity side of the franchise such as the production of the figurines, the add on packs (starter and booster) and making captivating advertisements boasting all of the amazing components to expect with the game. With Rockstar this is all kept very secretive and undisclosed to get their audience talking about the game before it is released. Both are very effective ways of marketing on different platforms and with the obvious triumph of the GTA franchise we can only wait and watch Skylanders: Giants gain worldwide success!
Wednesday 17 October 2012
The Rockstar Family
The two first Rockstar owned companies were formed in 1999 known as;
Rockstar Toronto - This company was originally known as Rockstar Canada, with their most well- known work being The Warriors, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and an adaptation of the cult classic film and the Pc version of Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar Toronto has gained the most media coverage for the development of The Warriors game which gained overall $37 million world
Rockstar Lincoln - Formerly known as Tarantula Studios, Rockstar Lincoln are responsible for game testing and translating games developed by Rockstar Games who believe that Rockstar Lincoln are their dedicated quality assurance and software localistaion studio.Before becoming solely a quality assurance facility, Rockstar Lincoln developed video games, including the Game Boy Color version of Grand Theft Auto.
Rockstar then in 2002 formed two more companies to further expand their image known as;
Rockstar Vancouver - This company was originally known as Barking Dog Studios. They created the PlayStation 2 title Bully and the third game in the Max Payne series, Max Payne 3. Vancouver will be merging with Rockstar Toronto over the next six months.
Rockstar North - Previously known as DMA design, Rockstar North are probably one of /if not the most successful company owned by Rockstar Games with them being the creators of Manhunt franchises, as well as the original Lemmings games. However, Rockstar North are most famously known for being the primary developer of the Grand Theft Auto series, including Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which are three of the best-selling games on sixth-generation consoles, in addition to the best-selling Grand Theft Auto IV in the current generation of consoles.
Over the years Rockstar Games have had many successful companies, some listed above, and their most recent additions to expanding and creating convergence with these companies where in 2004 and 2005 known as;
Rockstar Leeds - Rockstar Leeds was formly known as Mobius Entertainment when it was founded in 1997. It has gone on to become a top runner in the convergence of companies ran by Rockstar Games along with Rockstar North. They created Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories for the PlayStation Portable, Max Payne for the Game Boy Advance, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and the music game Beaterator. The studio's most recent work is the Microsoft Windows version of L.A. Noire.
Rockstar Japan - Set up in 2005, Rockstar Japan is the Japanese version of Rockstar. They work in conjunction with 'Capcom' to produce versions of the original games for the Asian market.
Monday 15 October 2012
Synergy and Symbiosis
Synergy - Synergy is when two or more parts of the same company/organisation work together to produce advantageous outcomes by creating connections between directly related areas of entertainment. For instance media institutions exploit various platforms to sell various products relating to one product such as a video game or film etc. In marketing, an example of this could be when Disney released High School Musical but went on to release a film soundtrack on CD, DVD physical copy of the film and a game was also released based on the film (all promoted by Disney). Another example of this in the game industry is the release of Skyrim which was followed by a collectors edition CD named: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Original Soundtrack
Symbiosis - Symbiosis is when various different companies work together to promote a range of related products. This process happens to gain many profits through different strategies from one product. Again another example in the film industry would be that the release of High School Musical would enable a lot spin offs that other companies could get involved with, such as McDonalds using their Happy Meals to promote the film with small characters/cheap merchendise. Also products such as small toys/models, easter eggs and bed cover can also be sold to further promote the film. The distributor will agree to licensing deals for these companies to make and sell this merchendise with a percentage of the profits going back to the distributor. An example of this in the game industry An example of this is the plush toys of the Angry Birds franchise, that have been created externally from Rovio, but Rovio still take a portion of the profits, however a license is required for this to happen.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Independent Games: Case Study: Fez
Independent Games
An independent game is a game that has been developed by a individual or small team without any financial support being generated by a publisher. Mostly referred to as "indie games", they predominately rely on the use of digital distribution to be sold (as mentioned in my essay on many different platforms) and focus on innovation. These combined have lead to a sharp increase in indie games' popularity over the last few years with the most successful and obvious game choice being Minecraft, which generated over 100,000 registered users and 1000 sales in the first 24 hours of the Alpha stage released game. However, all independent games aren't always as successful and can fall flat on their face instantly.
Although in most cases "indie" games can be, and often are, considerably cheaper to create and buy than big blockbuster or AAA games, one of the main really attractive things about that games are that they are highly known for innovation, creativity, and artistic experimentation, making them a lot more visually interesting to play and in most cases this is a massive attraction to casual gamers or gamers like me that are more drawn to arty and musically appealing, classic games (such as fez). However, because there is only a small team working on the development of the games without a certain time restraint or not have controlling interests or creative limitations and do not require publisher approval as mainstream game developers usually do, it means that the game's cost would come down. This was especially apparent when in 2008 a developer could earn around 17% of game's retail price and around 85% if sold digitally. Also, with physical copies of the game not having to be shipped throughout the world, it is cheaper to distribute the game digitally, even after paying any loyalties to the platform holder, bringing the cost down.
In opposition to this however, with the elimination of financial support from publishers, it can sometimes be the case that the team may have to pay more to advertise and create the game. They rely hugely on advertising by the majority of them having a trial run where the user downloads a trial of the game to see if they like it, rather than buying it straight away without knowing what it is like, something that huge blockbuster companies such as Rockstar would never dream of doing.
Fez by Polytron
The Guardian Tuesday 17 April 2012: Simon Parkin
" Fez is at once a tribute to the joy of childhood exploration, the wonder of adolescent Nintendo video games and the adult realisation of life's unending mysteries.
Metascore scored Fez a 89/100 based on the reviews of 66 critics (May 13, 2012) saying;
" A masterpiece of a game that draws inspiration from many classic franchises in order to deliver a unique experience."
" thanks to rewards after successfully solved puzzles, thanks to detailed graphics with well-made mechanics of the game world rotating - you will gladly and constantly return to this title."
For my case study of an "indie" game I struggled to decide as I have many favourites and was debating between Limbo, the walking dead, fez or Minecraft, those being my top favourite "indie" games but finally decided with fez as I thought that not many people will have played it and it would be interesting to do something different.
Fez is a puzzle/platform game developed by independent software developers Polytron. The game was initially announced by its creator, Phil Fish, on July 17, 2007 and was released on April 13, 2012 for Xbox Live Arcade, although further release on more platforms are being considered. Its protracted development was featured in the documentary film Indie Game: The Movie and A demo of Fez was shown on 31 January 2012 at the International Game Developers Association Montreal DemoNight.
In Fez, you play as Gomez, a 2D creature who lives in a 2D world. That is until one day when Gomez encounters a strange and mysterious artifact; a Hexahedron. The Hexahedron gives Gomez a magical fez hat that allows him to perceive a third dimension. Gomez must use his new ability to save the Hexahedron before his world is torn apart. Fez features 2D/3D perspective shifts in a manner similar to Super Paper Mario and uses Echer-like optical illusions to dominate the gameplay. Fez’s 2D gameplay consists of mechanics typical to platform games, such as jumping and climbing. Fez’s unique 3D trait is the ability to rotate the world 90° around and this rotation allows the player to change the perspective, realigning platforms. Since depth is not a factor in the 2D gameplay, certain actions that would be impossible in a 3D world are still possible in 2D, from the right perspective. This feature is definitely what attracted me to Fez along with the graphics and music (sounds) as I found it really interesting and unbelievable when i played it for the first time, as I had never played or really heard of another game that held this ability which I found amazing and really enjoyable to play. The goal of the game is to collect 64 cubes and anti-cubes. Cubes are visible and placed around the world for the player to collect. The player must figure out how to navigate their way through the environment to each cube, rotating the world to enable the access to certain platforms from the different perspectives. Anti-cubes are invisible and revealed only after the player has solved a puzzle and many of the puzzles require some form of cryptanalysis.
Fez won the "Excellence in Visual Art" award at the Independent Games Festival in 2008, where it was also nominated for the "Design Innovation" award. It appeared at PAX Prime 2011 as one of the PAX 10, and won "Best In Show" at IndieCade in 2011. It also won the "Seumas McNally Grand Prize" at the Independent Games Festival in 2012.
Modes of Game Development
There are a few different ways to make video games rather than the Rockstar way. The first is;
The "Tent Pole" Business model- This has the concept that the publisher releases one "Blockbuster" game accompanied with heavy marketing and investment. Then the money made from this game supports the development of other "riskier", potentially more creative games. For example Grand Theft Auto brings in a lot of money for Rockstar which allows them to invest smaller hits. Also EA rely on their "blockbuster" hits, Fifa and Madden to create cash for the research and development of other games. ($372 million was spent on research and development).
However there are some problems involved with this mode of development. For example the companies are gambling on that one game being a huge hit/success and sometimes even big games don't return- the money. A prime situation was Spore, created by EA, sold 1 million copies in it's first 17 days, but the development costs were so big that EA only expect to make their money back with 5 years of updates and sequels.
The Hollywood Model- This idea is to contract out parts of the games design (art, car physics, assurance etc.) to other companies in order to lower development costs. So, instead of having a permanent 'in-house' team of 50+ people, the developer can have a team of just 10-20 piecing the work together undertaken by specialist external teams.
Independent Game Development- Until recently, creating games was a very expensive business, usually requiring a publishing contract in order to pay for development and a license fee required to develop the game for a particular console. However, more recently, the 'Indie Game' market have grown. Open source software's such as Apple's App store and Xbox Live Marketplace have allowed small teams and even individuals to create games and get them distributed to make money. New technology, convergence and new ways of distribution means that more abstract games are now being developed.
The "Tent Pole" Business model- This has the concept that the publisher releases one "Blockbuster" game accompanied with heavy marketing and investment. Then the money made from this game supports the development of other "riskier", potentially more creative games. For example Grand Theft Auto brings in a lot of money for Rockstar which allows them to invest smaller hits. Also EA rely on their "blockbuster" hits, Fifa and Madden to create cash for the research and development of other games. ($372 million was spent on research and development).
However there are some problems involved with this mode of development. For example the companies are gambling on that one game being a huge hit/success and sometimes even big games don't return- the money. A prime situation was Spore, created by EA, sold 1 million copies in it's first 17 days, but the development costs were so big that EA only expect to make their money back with 5 years of updates and sequels.
The Hollywood Model- This idea is to contract out parts of the games design (art, car physics, assurance etc.) to other companies in order to lower development costs. So, instead of having a permanent 'in-house' team of 50+ people, the developer can have a team of just 10-20 piecing the work together undertaken by specialist external teams.
Independent Game Development- Until recently, creating games was a very expensive business, usually requiring a publishing contract in order to pay for development and a license fee required to develop the game for a particular console. However, more recently, the 'Indie Game' market have grown. Open source software's such as Apple's App store and Xbox Live Marketplace have allowed small teams and even individuals to create games and get them distributed to make money. New technology, convergence and new ways of distribution means that more abstract games are now being developed.
Sunday 7 October 2012
Jane McGonigal - 'Reality Is Broken' (facts)
- Digital games, across most media platforms, is expected to be a $68 billion industry by the end of this year.
- The planet is spending more than 3 billion hours a week gaming.
- In the United States, there are 183 million active gamers.
- Collectively, there are 4 million gamers in the Middle East, 105 million in India, 100 million in Europe and 200 million in China.
- There are more than 10 million gamers in the UK, France, and Germany that spend at least twenty hours a week playing.
- In America, 69% of all heads of household play computer games, 40% of all gamers are women, 1/4 of gamers are aged 50+, the average age is 35 and have been playing for approximately 12 years. 97% of youth play video games.
- 5 million 'extreme gamers' in the US that play an average of 45 hours a week.
- By an average American reaches the age of 21, they will have spent 10.000 hours gaming.
- At this point in time there is a global gaming community consisting of 500 million people.
- There are now more than 6 million people in China who spend at least 22 hours a week gaming, the equivalent of a part-time job.
- Some relevent statistics from the Entertainment Software Associations annual study of game players state that; 69 percent of all heads of household play computer and video games, 97 percent of youth play computer and video games, 40 percent of all gamers are women, 1/4 of gamers is over the age of fifty and the average game player is thirty five years old and has been playing games for 12 years.
- Also, the scientific journal Cyberpsychology, Behaviour and Social Networking reported in 2009 that 61 percent of surveyed CEO'S, CFO's and the other senior executives say they take daily game breaks at work.
Modding
"The Hot Coffee" mod (Grand Theft Auto-San Andreas)
Rockstar North created huge controversy and received a thrashing from politicians and lawnmakers when a normally inaccessible mini game was released in 2005 along with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game for Microsoft Windows. Public awareness of the existence of the mini game arrived with the release of the "Hot Coffee" mod which enables access to the mini game The controversy arose when politicians prompted the game to be re-rated and pulled from some shelves due to explicit, adult themed content that the mini game encapsulated Although the "Hot Coffee" mini game was completely disabled and its existence was only highlighted after the mod's release for the PC version on June 9, 2005, the assets for the mini game were also discovered in both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and people found ways to enable the mini game via console video game hacking tools. On July 20, 2005, the ESRB announced that it was changing the rating of GTA:SA from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+, however Rockstar stated that it would discontinue manufacturing the current version of the game, and produce a new version that would not include the content that is unlocked by the Hot Coffee mod and on 20th July 2005 re-rated the game to a Mature 17+ rating. There was very little reaction in Europe. The game was already classified as 18+ prior to the release of the mod. Unlike USA, many European countries operate the same classification as they do to films- following the rule that it is an offence to sell games with adult-themed content to people under the classified age rating. Due to this, there was huge recall of the GTA:SA games that had already been released which had a massive impact on retailer sales and Rockstar North alike. On the 21st of July, the day after the rating change, North American chain stores and retailers, (which accounted for every major retailer in the United States and approximately 85% of the game's market in the country) removed the PC and console versions of the game from their store shelves, either re-stickering the box with the new rating, or returning it to the Publishers and Developers (Take Two Intertive). There was less of a reaction in th EU however. In Europe, the game was already an 18+ before the discovery of the mod. Unlike the US, many European nations operate the same classification as they do to films - it is a criminal offence to sell adult-only games to people below the age of the rating. In December 2005 after the huge issue that this mod had stirred up, Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh introduced the 'Family Entertainment Protection Act', which called for a 'federal mandate enforcement of the ESRB ratings system in order to protect children from inappropriate content'. This reaction proved how huge of a problem this mod had become - the government were even involved.
Rockstar North created huge controversy and received a thrashing from politicians and lawnmakers when a normally inaccessible mini game was released in 2005 along with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game for Microsoft Windows. Public awareness of the existence of the mini game arrived with the release of the "Hot Coffee" mod which enables access to the mini game The controversy arose when politicians prompted the game to be re-rated and pulled from some shelves due to explicit, adult themed content that the mini game encapsulated Although the "Hot Coffee" mini game was completely disabled and its existence was only highlighted after the mod's release for the PC version on June 9, 2005, the assets for the mini game were also discovered in both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and people found ways to enable the mini game via console video game hacking tools. On July 20, 2005, the ESRB announced that it was changing the rating of GTA:SA from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+, however Rockstar stated that it would discontinue manufacturing the current version of the game, and produce a new version that would not include the content that is unlocked by the Hot Coffee mod and on 20th July 2005 re-rated the game to a Mature 17+ rating. There was very little reaction in Europe. The game was already classified as 18+ prior to the release of the mod. Unlike USA, many European countries operate the same classification as they do to films- following the rule that it is an offence to sell games with adult-themed content to people under the classified age rating. Due to this, there was huge recall of the GTA:SA games that had already been released which had a massive impact on retailer sales and Rockstar North alike. On the 21st of July, the day after the rating change, North American chain stores and retailers, (which accounted for every major retailer in the United States and approximately 85% of the game's market in the country) removed the PC and console versions of the game from their store shelves, either re-stickering the box with the new rating, or returning it to the Publishers and Developers (Take Two Intertive). There was less of a reaction in th EU however. In Europe, the game was already an 18+ before the discovery of the mod. Unlike the US, many European nations operate the same classification as they do to films - it is a criminal offence to sell adult-only games to people below the age of the rating. In December 2005 after the huge issue that this mod had stirred up, Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh introduced the 'Family Entertainment Protection Act', which called for a 'federal mandate enforcement of the ESRB ratings system in order to protect children from inappropriate content'. This reaction proved how huge of a problem this mod had become - the government were even involved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)