Audience Theory

Hypodermic needle model- History

The "hypodermic needle theory" implied
mass media had a direct, immediate and
powerful effect on its audiences. The
mass media in the 1940s and 1950s
were perceived as a powerful influence
on behavior change. Example of the
hypodermic needle theory being
successful In 1938, the now-infamous
radio dramatization of the science fiction
novel 'war of the worlds' by HG Wells
was performed like a contemporary new
broadcast, a technique that had been used to heighten realism and
dramatic effect. The theory suggests that the mass media could influence
a very large group of people directly and uniformly by shooting or
injecting them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired
response. The theory is a linear model of communication and talks about
medias power on audience. The message in this theory has been referred
to like a magic bullet, which enters the minds of audience and injects a
particular message. This theory can be applied to my game as its based
on four characters, parents and two children who are fighting a zombie
apocalypse and are the only survivors.
My message I want to get across to players is that sometimes teamwork is
key. You work through the game trying to stay alive and protect one
another and sometimes this applies in real life too. My message was that
family should stick together and this game uses the hypodermic needle
model theory to inject these thoughts into the gamers.
Uses and gratifications theory- The uses and gratification theory is an
approach to understand mass communication. The theory of this aims at
placing more focus on the consumer or audience by asking questions like
What people do with media instead of what media does for people. The
theorys approach implies people use media to fulfill specific gratifications.
This assumes that members of the audience take on an active role in
deciding and interpreting media into their lives. The theory has received a
lot of criticism, as the public believe that they have no control over what
the media produces. They also believe that it can be too kind to media
and get away with a lot of the content that they should not be allowed to
produce. It is used for the public to actively seek out specific media in
order to meet their needs, which some may argue this can send them
down the wrong path if they are influenced by unsuitable media. It is used
a lot in terms of mobile phones as this allows users to access all types of
media using the internet or apps on the store. The main uses and
gratifications to a mobile phone is for affection/sociability, entertainment,
fashion, mobility etc. and therefore can mean especially now with
advanced technology, users can add and access content throughout.
The game that I produced can use the mass media theory to promote the
product and hopefully do well. My aim is to sell the product hopefully
worldwide and make a profit from it but in order to do so it must advertise
itself. Mass communication will mean it allows me to get my game out in
the social world, make gamers aware of it, and then hopefully lead me on
to creating more games like that.
Reception study- Reception Theories is
when producers or directors constructs a text
encoded with
hidden
message or
meaning that
the
producers or
directors
want to convey across to the audience. In
literature, this began in in the late 1960s
by Hans-Robert Jauss and was at its most influential period during 1970s
and early 1980sin Germany and USA. In basic terms, reception study is
when a piece of text whether it be in a book, movie, game or any other
media form, it portrays a meaning to the viewer. These pieces of text may
be interpreted different depending on the person reading it based on their
personal views or experiences in life. The meaning of a text isnt given the
same meaning for everyone but dependent on the relationship with the
text and reader. In the game I have created, text doesnt really come into
it so based on interpreting text it is mainly on the influence the characters
give out to the players.
Effects debates
Effects of exposure to explicit sexual or violent content- When it
comes to any form of media content that is available to almost anyone
that has internet access theres a debate on how it can affect viewers. In
terms of video games, they are rated based on content and usually only
sold to buyers of the specific age range. In other media that may be
online, people argue it is unsuitable for violence and swearing to be
available for anyone to see. This is because children may have a computer
and see this but in video games, unless parents permit access to them,
they shouldnt see the content within highly rated video games. Some
video games may help the development of fine motor skills and
coordination, but many of the concerns about the negative effects of
television (eg, inactivity, asocial behaviour and violence) also apply to
excessive exposure to video games. Violent video games should be
discouraged because they have harmful effects on childrens mental
development. In my video game I created, it does have violence in it as
its a zombie based game with a family trying to survive the apocalypse
and therefore may influence this behavior for young people on it. My
game will be rated at 15 due to this so hopefully younger people will not
see it. Arguments are usually about the fact that if people play these
games or witness the content, it could affect their actions and potentially
cause them to be aggressive in real life. I will try to keep the violence mild
but realistic enough to create the effect of surviving the zombie
apocalypse.
Effects of advertising- In regards to
the effects of advertising, companies
work cleverly to promote their
product at the best times. Advertising
is continuous for games as they want
to keep it as a best seller or out there
in the gaming industry. There is
always new games being released
and therefore game companies are
always under pressure when it comes to
topping them and making it more appealing.
In the Christmas season, you always see more
games being advertised with deals on them if
they were to buy it with a console for example
and this promotes their products to buyers
and helps advertising the games. In my game
I have created, I will promote it by possibly creating web banners and
posters that could be stuck on buses or bus stops for example, in shop
windows and online. I may even create a games trailer that can be
featured on YouTube for people to see. The effects of advertising can
actually be drastic and maximize companies profits especially in the
Christmas season. The more chances a game has at getting its
advertisement to go viral, the better. Online advertising is such an
important part of the marketing strategy, since fewer and fewer people
are watching television these days. They also use ad blockers, so
traditional banner advertisement methods online dont work as well. I will
take this into consideration when creating my video game to ensure I
advertise it using the best methods possible.
Health concerns- Those who play video games are associated with a
higher risk for seizures than those who do not, according to Dr. Mohamed
K. Khan, a researcher reporting at the Council on Science and Public
Health. Although no studies on this risk have been conducted in the
United States, studies from Great Britain and Japan have revealed an
increased risk in light-induced seizures due to video game playing. Missing
physical activity in favor of hours spent playing video games can
contribute to obesity in children, according to Kids Health, a website
sponsored by the Nemours Foundation. Research companies suggest
parents should limit their childrens time to 1-2 hours per day providing
they do some physical exercise too. In my video game the age rating is for
older people anyway so hopefully they engage in physical activity rather
than just playing the game. Playing some video games for a long period of
time can cause physical effects such as Fatigue, Migraines, Poor hygiene
and so on. There can also be emotional effects for those who play too long
and this can be feeling restless, lying to family members about how much
they play, isolation from others to play video
games and much more. When these
symptoms occur, it is obvious there is a
problem and that person needs to take some
time out for a break to recover. I do not want
this to happen in my video game so I may
keep chapters short or missions not too long
so that players dont have to feel they must complete it before switching
off. This will help them in creating a balance and ensuring that they get a
break and recover from the side effects to video gaming.

Censorship debates- Censorship has become a serious issue, and not

only in the media. As a community, we are heavily influenced by the
media and other sources of information- however, we tend to overlook the
fact that there is not only much bias but also skewed perceptions of
events and reports in the news today. The media does a poor job
portraying things as they really are in order to follow a sort of convention
and to keep their show on air or their papers in stores. There are also
different types of censorship. One of the most common criteria is the age
limits for viewing different media. Sometimes the censoring can act as a
blanket on certain topics, and the definition of a specific topic would be
defined according to the governing authority in the country. So, while the
levels of media censorship exist, people are still calling for absolute
removal of all types of censorship. Then again, other people are also
looking to bring in more restrictions. I think it is important the government
keep some form of censorship within media as children should not be
exposed to such content within video games. I know, in my video game it
features violence and I wouldnt like to let children see that therefore for
now the game is rated as a 15. When you look online, you can see that
there are many pages that feature censorship debates where people such
as parents discuss the effects on censorship for gaming. People agree that
this is a good feature as it helps block out children from seeing content
that would be considered inappropriate to their age, then some people
agree it should be up to them to decide what their children should be
allowed to see. As censorship is still a legal requirement within any kind of
media product, I will keep mine rated at this age in order to help filter out
younger people viewing content that may be unsuitable.