Robert Eastwood

Report
Audience Theory
Hypodermic Needle Model
The hypodermic needle model is a model of communications suggesting that an intended
message is directly received and accepted by the receiver. The model is also known as the
magic bullet and direct influence effects was based on early observations of the effect of
mass media and was used by Nazi propaganda and the effects of Hollywood in the 1940s
and 1930s. The magic bullet theory assumes that the medias message is a bullet fired from
the media gun into the viewers head. The Hypodermic needle model uses the same idea of
the shooting into the viewers head but it is a bit different as it suggests that the media
injects its messages straight into the passive audience. Both models suggest that the public
is vulnerable to the messages shot at them because of the limited communication tools and
the studies of the media's effects on the masses at the time. There is also the two-step flow
theory, which proposes that the media has a direct and powerful influence and
acknowledges communication is a more complex process. The hypodermic needle model
suggests that the information from a text passes into the mass consciousness of the
audience unmediated. An example of when Hypodermic needle model is used is when a
new console is being released and it is made by a famous company such as Sony, Microsoft
or Nintendo then some consumers would automatically buy it without any research as they
know that the big companies I have mentioned have made great consoles before so they
will buy a new one without any details about it.

The game I made in units 72 & unit 78 was the stealth, adventure and action game
Deadstroke. It was developed by Rockstar; it has a lot of killing (if you want to) and
stealing in it. The media reaction to this kind of game uses Hypodermic Needle Theory to
spread the message that Deadstroke is about a father called Henry whose daughter is
kidnapped by King Isaiahs army lead by his son Prince Thomas. Henry needs to rescue his
daughter and destroy the empire that the King has made. To do this he has to steal and he
can kill if he wants but it is up to the person playing the game as you can either kill everyone
would knock people out and the way you play will give you a different ending. People will
not like this game because of the violence as they could think it is affecting children
negatively because children do play these games even though there is a age rating that will
be 18 or 16; this is because most parents dont think that video games can effect someone.
Robert Eastwood

Uses and Gratifications Theory

This is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media
to satisfy certain needs. Uses and Gratifications theory (UGT) is an audience-centred
approach to understanding mass communication. UGT is about finding out what people do
with media. UGT gives the consumer power to discern what media they consume, with the
assumption that the consumer has a clear intent and use. UGT makes the audience active
and its media use is goal oriented is also has the initiative in linking need gratification to a
specific medium choice rests with the audience member. My game Deadstroke is easy to
research as I advertise social accounts for the game, which are made by Rockstar to give
fans updates about the game. Updates such as when the game is coming out, when a new
trailer comes out and even when the game is out it can reveal when the DLC (Downloadable
Content) comes out. Deadstroke is giving the audience time to consume the media, as they
will release the trailer months before when the game comes out so the audience can watch
and decide if they want to buy the game or not.

Reception Study
Reception study or reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that
emphasizes what each readers reception or interpretation in making meaning from literary
text. Reception study is generally referred to as an audience reception in the analysis of
communications models. The audience is seen as active just like with UGT. The theory
suggests that every media text has a meaning, which is not obvious or transparent, but it is
hidden. To understand it, the audience will have to be active and try to extract the meaning
themselves. How they interpret things will be affected by their individual cultural
background and life experiences. Theorists who analyse media through reception studies
are concerned with the experience of cinema and television viewing for spectators, and how
meaning is created through that experience. An important concept of reception theory is
that the media textthe individual movie or television programhas no inherent meaning
in and of itself. Deadstroke will have collectibles and Easter eggs in it meaning you will have
to search around the world, as they will not be given to you automatically; you will have to
look around in part of the map you would not need to go to for the main missions.
Robert Eastwood

Collecting these Easter eggs and collectibles will give you lore information about the world
of Glimwatch and books with stories in them.

Effects Debates
The effects that media products have on an audience have also been the subject of much
debate. Video games offer experiences that some people question if it is good to be playing
and makes the same people wonder if the aggressive games could cause mental problems.

Effects of Exposure to Explicit Sexual or Violent Content

There is an argument that the audience especially children, should be protected from
exposure to violent and explicit materials because they can be unduly influenced by the
games. The argument is that the audience is passive and not able to see right from wrong
and that they will therefore react to the games material and possibly act out its content.
Games that are suitable for children over 3 to 7 years old have an advisory green PEGI
badge. Games for children suitable for 12 to 16 year old have an orange PEGI badge. Then
games with a red PEGI badge are for people 18 and over. The law at the point of sale
enforces these age limits. People who describe why it has the age rating it did; descriptions
seen on the back of the game cover such as language, drugs, fear, sex, violence,
discrimination and gambling expand upon the age rating. The PEGI ratings include:

PEGI 3+ which are games, which do not have any violence in it but may contain
slapstick violence, which is not seen as disturbing.
PEGI 7+ are games, which may start to have some violence in them but will probably
have to be unrealistic violence.
PEGI 12+ will have violence but will probably not allow murder that much but
sometimes. In addition, it will probably have to be unrealistic again meaning if there
is killing the bodies do not stay around after they have been killed but instead just
disappear.
PEGI 16+ games are flagged for violence towards human characters who react to
being shot as they would in real life. This includes blood and bodies which remain
once they are dead.
PEGI 18+ can have loads of violence towards humans that can make the player feel
uneasy. This includes gross depictions of heads, arms, and legs being removed by
way of chain saw or shotgun. It also includes sexual violence such as rape and mass
killings of civilians.
Robert Eastwood

Some examples of games, which are PEGI 18+, is Call of Duty and Battlefield as they have
killing as the main reason to play the game. They both have modes in the game where the
only reason to kill other people is to win and to get points which could be seen as
unnecessary violence.

Effects of Advertising
The debate focuses on advertising as a very powerful media tool, which aims to persuade
people to purchase products and services by claiming that we need the products, and that
having the product will make are lives better. This approach assumes that the audience is
passive and will be pressurised into purchasing these products or services by the advertiser.
Call of Duty advertising by having posters and updating on social media but most people
find out about the newest game by watching the trailer. If you are not sign in or old enough
on YouTube, it will not let you watch it because of all the death and that fact that it will be
an 18+ rated game just like all the other Call of Duty games.

Health Concerns
There are health problems you can get from playing video games such as repetitive strain
injuries, skin disorders and more. People have had video game-provoked seizures because
of epilepsy. Also in rare and extreme cases, deaths have resulted from playing video games
for a long time. A study in 2010 found that children who spend too much time playing video
games have more trouble paying attention in school. Video game playing may be associated
with vision problems. Extensive viewing of the screen can cause eyestrain, as the cornea,
pupil, and iris are not intended for mass viewing sessions of electronic devices. Using video
games for too long may also cause headaches, dizziness, and chances of vomiting from
Robert Eastwood

focusing on a screen. Also playing video games can lead to obesity as sometimes playing
video games replaces physical activities.
Another health concern could be having a video game addiction. As a study looked at links
between gaming problems and common health problems and the study, found out that the
health factors like headaches, neck or back pain, digestive problems and sleep problems
between people with normal or no affiliation to gaming and people with gaming problems.
An example of video games leading to deaths is when a teenager in America shot his parents
after they took away this copy of the first person shooter Halo 3 in 2007. The judge in the
teenagers trail said "I firmly believe that Daniel Petric had no idea at the time he hatched
this plot that if he killed his parents they would be dead forever." Another example is the
attack from Anders Breivik and he said he trained for the attacks by playing Call of Duty
Modern Warfare.

Censorship Debates
Censorship debates are about the idea of passive and active consumption of media texts
and about our ability to decode the content of these texts and make rational decisions for
ourselves. Some people think that audiences should be protected from certain things and
that the best way to do this is to censor it in the first place; meaning it takes it away from
the consumer without a choice. Some video games may be banned in some countries as
some countries have different censorship rules then others meaning a certain amount of
violence may be too much in a place like Japan but it is okay to play in a place like USA
where gamers do not mind as much. An example of censorship is when a comment on Dead
or Alives official Facebook page suggested Dead or Alive Xtreme, a sexy fantasy spin-off of
the fighting game, wouldnt come over to the West because of how many issues with
regard to how to treat female in video game industry. This fed an ongoing fear amongst a
set of gaming purists that conversations about sexism and other sensitive topics were
scaring off some game companies. One of the biggest countries into censorship is Germany
and is probably the strictest in the world as all games that are planned to be sold there go
through a strict process of testing and classification. The main reason for these procedures
is to protect minors from harmful material, thus directly linking the social behaviour of
children and young adults with the games they play. I big thing they do in Germany is the
removal of Gore meaning when playing GTA normally there would be blood when shooting
someone but in Germany they remove blood. Call of Duty are also involved with is as in
there iconic game Call of Duty World at War they had Nazi zombies but in Germany this
Robert Eastwood

game mode was not available. Obviously, they would have removed the blood from the
mode but to remove the entire mode from the game is very extreme. However, Germany
are extremely strict with the inclusion of Nazi symbols in video games, including Hitler
himself.