Easter homework: Independent case study research

Name of game:

Hitman: Absolution

Release date: 20 November 2012

Institutions behind the game (game studio/publisher): developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix.

Print

1. What print adverts were used to advertise the game? 
2. What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the example you have chosen? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour? Product name, trademark font, colour scheme of red, black and white for HITMAN series as well as the protagonist of the game's narrative as the central image.
3. Find three reviews for your game that were originally published in videogame magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review. 1) http://www.computerandvideogames.com/374416/reviews/hitman-absolution-review-vintage-47-successfully-remixed-review/ - "most of the game, we did it with a big smile on our face."
4. Did your game feature on any videogame magazine front covers? Find examples and explain why a front cover feature is so successful in promoting a game to its target audience. 

 

A videogame featured on the front cover of a magazine would be assumed successful as it will be the highlight of the issue and have a significant few pages to promote and review the game.

Broadcast

1. Did your chosen game use a TV advert to promote the game? Embed it from YouTube if it did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvrzZq9RQaI
2. Is there a game trailer on YouTube? Embed it on your blog and explain why it is effective in promoting the game to its target audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6gkVIwBHGI  - an engaging and cinematic narrative to the trailer, focused on the gameplay. 
3. Can you find any other broadcast features on the game - interviews, launch party events, video reviews, clips of the gameplay on YouTube etc. Write about how they effectively promote the game to its target audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_4gDUFRvag creates the gratification of a personal relationship and interest associated with the voice of the videogame's protagonist. 

E-media

1. Visit your chosen game's official website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of its target audience? http://absolution.hitman.com/ - Uses dynamic graphics and latest Flash and Java coded scripts to enable interactive features with plenty of videos as well as background music.
2. Are there any creative or interesting aspects to the game's official website? The sound FX are weapon sounds and the different pages navigate across the arsenal of Agent 47 (protagonist)
3. Does the game have a YouTube channel? - https://www.youtube.com/user/hitman
4. Can you find any examples of user-generated content on YouTube that players have created and uploaded from the game? Embed any examples on your blog. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Qr7yLTGwQ
5. How does user-generated content such as gameplay videos help to promote the game? - subscribers are introduced to game and are convinced, game also gets another form of promotion via entertainment of user generated video.
6. How many 'likes' has your chosen game's Facebook wall had? - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hitman-Absolution/171704749552455 - approx 160,000
7. What is your chosen game's Twitter hashtag? - #hitmanabsolution 
8. How did the campaign use Twitter to promote the game? - via uploading user-generated videos to promote and join competitions and general discussion and queries to the developer