And once again here we are on the second half of the research for the ancillary. This is where I draw up the main conventions of the magazine adverts to use in my designs for the finished product.
Like with my previous ancillary I picked up on several similarities that each ad used, and there were also some differences between them. Below I've compiled the list of key points I was able to pick out of the ads:
1. The Game's Title shown Prominently
This was the main trait among al of the ads, and also the one I'd expect the most. The majority of the ads I looked at had their title's large and prominent on the picture, using either their colours or the background behind them to help them be noticeable and impacting.
Call of Duty's ad had the title stretching out across a double page and eclipsing all other images. Guitar Hero 5's title was shown large and bold, coloured in white, a stark contrast to the black of the instrument box behind it, and the metal edges worked in inconsequentially framing the title. Donkey Kong Country Returns didn't quite fit this convention, as it was comparatively small and had no contrasting background to make it prominent. Noticably it had less of an impact as a result
2. A Release Date
Another key convention. All of the adverts I looked at, with the exception of Donkey Kong, the game of which had already been released, contained a release date within the picture and, like the title, was shown prominently on each advert.
Red Steel 2, despite being released at the time of the ad's appearance still had a release date for the game on the ad, shown in large white letters against an orange background. Guitar Hero's ad included a bright red box, contrasting with the other colours on the picture, where the release date was shown.
3. Images that Pay Relevance to the Themes of the Game
Each ad that I looked at fulfilled this convention in some way. The pictures on the different ads were shown to effectively portray the mood and theme of the games. Call of Duty for example, combined images of a soldier in desert camouflage uniform with a rifle, flames from an explosion, dirt ground and dust to effectively portray a war zone.
Guitar Hero portrayed the backstage of a gig, with instrument boxes, speakers, electronic wiring, as well as a guitar hero controller to identify that it's a guitar hero game. Donkey Kong has the main characters as the centre piece of its image, with the jungle behind, and even some of the enemies from the game hidden in the picture.
4. Images showing actual Game Footage
This convention also fit with every ad I looked at, and the same was true for other game ads that I looked at after analysing the four on the previous post. Each ad had at least two screenshots showing content from the game itself.
Sometimes the screenshots were of cinematic scenes within the game, such as with Call of Duty and Red Steel. In other cases the footage was of actual gameplay, as was the case with Guitar Hero. What it means for me is that completing this ancillary may have to wait for a while, whilst I get the main task done and get some screenshots to add to it.
5. Information on the Mechanics/Elements/Characters within the Game
Often accompanying the images were small captions that gave insight into the features of the game, be they characters, mechanics, levels, or certain in-game elements. The captions may or may not be referencing what's taking place in the screenshot they're located under. Often times they detail new features rather than familiar ones, showcasing what the new game could that was different from its predecessors.
Donkey Kong country returns has captions underneath each screenshot on its advert, each one talking about something new that's been included in the game, such new multiplayer mechanics, new moves and new levels. Guitar Hero does the same thing with its images, except they don't really refer to what's happening in them, whereas Donkey Kong's do. Nevertheless the captions do still have details about different game aspects, whether they be new types of multiplayer or new songs, which actually aren't placed under an image, and new styles of playing the game.
One other key thing to mention is that every post also contained an address to the websites for their respective games. Some ads displayed the address more prominently than others, but it was present in every one, meaning its other key element of the ad. What could I do in place of a web address? Maybe a link to this blog?
6. A Promotional Catchphrase
Some of them did this, some of them didn't. Donkey Kong Country Returns had the catchphrase 'Go Bananas!', referencing a key element within the game. They weren't all creative or zingy in their message either. Call of Duty's one was just that the game was the sequel to the best selling first person shooter game ever made.
It seems that the catchphrase is optional, but can provide a little extra to the advert if one is included. I do have a catchphrase, that I believe I talked about once before, which I might be able to include.
7. Quotations from reviewers
These seem a little harder to get hold of, and they're certainly not required for the ad to be released. What they do provide is an outsiders opinion on the game, normally from a reviewer, another magazine, a different games company, or even a newspaper. By adding such a quotation it greatly boosts the validity of the message that the advert is portraying, and can also help to improve sales.
I imagine it would be rather hard to get a hold of one for my advert though, especially since it's not an actual game.
8. Game Rating, Platform Details and Trademark/ Copyright Information
I get the impression that this information is a staple requirement in the ad, as every game advert I've seen has these included. The information in question being the rating of the game, either done by the pegi rating system or the BBFC rating system.
The second being the consoles/ platforms that the game will be available on, represented by the platform owner's trademark logos, and their networking systems if online functionality is possible, along with the logos for the companies involved in the game's development.
Finally the third part is the small print, normally found at the bottom of the ad, which contains all of the trademark and copyright notation for the game and the companies involved.
Since I won't be releasing my game yet I can't imagine I'll need these, but it can still work to make the advert look professional. I will need to state the platforms it will be available on however.
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