Evaluation C (some images missing during copying process)

Evaluation C

“How does the work you have produced for unit 5 relate to past and current professional work from the same medium genre (or form) as your work.”

The Northern Echo, other than being my client, is a regional newspaper that produces content everyday for a mature audience. The Northern Echo and my other comparative magazines gain the content they do through a team of personnel.  These companies have whole teams of specially trained journalists and other teams of staff. This instantly acts as a key difference as I produced every product single-handedly.  I had no professional staff to take photos, write articles or find sources. This adds a much more hand-made style and effect to the product which to some may be attractive but to others but not necessarily to my target audience who may find it cheap and unprofessional.  It also has an impact on the scope of my product as they have journalists able to get to many places and gather information from many places around the North East and further.  I was limited to locations within walking distance mainly.  Lastly as much as I may approve of my own writing style and ability, I am not a specialist at the art nor am I in any way a specialist at other aspects of magazine creation. The Northern Echo has teams of specialist editors, journalists etc. I think this lack of specialist knowledge could be negative as it may make my product look amateurish but considering the blogs my target audience read on the internet this may not be as bigger problem as first thought.

The Northern Echo also has a network of contacts that will provide the paper with news stories and much more exclusive information than that which is available in the public domain. This provides access to exclusive stories and content no other papers/magazines can access. Lastly the Northern Echo has many online services it can call on to generate publicity and gather news stories from. These include a personal website and full access to social networking websites and facilities. Since I do not have the same amount of access to social networking nor the website, my product could not gain as much information or the publicity of the Northern Echo. Despite the ownership of accounts on both Facebook and Twitter, I did not have the time or ability to analyse and find reliable and interesting stories through the barrage of statuses and tweets. This will mean my stories may be a bit more commonplace and much less exclusive which may have a negative impact on the products. This could reduce the interest and appeal to my target audience, as the word exclusive is not painted all over each story. The product is more designed as a criticism of the industry and doesn’t rely on exclusives but would need some to maintain interest.  I do not consider the Northern Echo a real competitor though as they will not be creating exclusive games articles as it not appropriate for their target audience who are highly unlikely to have any interest in video games and the industry creating them.

Due to the closeness of its target region and long publishing time the Northern Echo has built a close, faithful audience of readers that will buy the paper near enough everyday. This audience will be continuously providing feedback to improve and build on the paper and keep it appealing to the target audience. I have no such audience and am currently basing it more off my own designs. Since feedback stages I have received improvements but not on the scale of the Northern Echo. I do however include audience members in my articles however as their opinions are clear and should the product continue I would include a your opinions section to be more inclusive.  For the first issue this was not necessary as it was more of a taster than an inclusive piece. It was designed to tantalize audience members and show how cutting the magazine can be at the industry.  I have chosen stories that would appeal to local gamers as they are common issues present in today’s industry. They affect local companies, game developers and the gamers themselves.

For the secondary audience I have attempted to create stories that would be less intimidating and interesting for causal gamers. The stories although heavy in content have been partially written in a way they should be understandable by any form of gamer no matter their dedication.  This is important as it should improve sales figures, as my secondary audience will be interested in the stories available and perhaps purchase further issues as released. To appeal to the client I have designed the magazine to be completely appropriate, tasteful and friendly to any possible older readers. This means no offensive material, no nudity and no swearing. This means the content is punchy in a clever way without being blatantly abusive or offensive. This is the case in sarcastic gaming articles and some of the subtle hinting present in negative gaming reviews.

Audience is key to the Northern Echo and this is reflected in its attitudes. The Northern Echo has always been a community-focused product and therefore has always been caring and thoughtful in nature.  My product has the same attitude but acts in a much more abrasive manner. The attitude is protecting gamer’s rights and campaigning for change in the industry.  The Echo produces similar stories to me as they focus on key issues and how they affect the community just in a news context instead of gaming.  It differs from national papers as national papers will be a lot less caring and will focus heavily on getting a story out in the most interesting way. This could mean revealing names and details that the Echo may not necessarily do. My magazine is not as likely to produce stories based on one individual unless it was a direct violation of their rights and I do not feel I would need to keep their details secret under the circumstances.

My magazine is roughly 35-40 pages long , despite the bible only being 16, with most of the main content present in the first few pages with the back half designed for editorials and reviews. There are several adverts littered throughout to provide revenue. The magazine is not necessarily designed for flickability but the GTA article would feature a picture on the right hand page alongside the review score which could pique interests through the odd image and positive score.  I have not necessarily used a importance structure and instead resorted to using sections based on story content and particular article types e.g. reviews and editorials. This is a similar case with the products I have chosen as games magazines are based on sections though in generic fashion the cover story would be the middle article.

Adverts are featured in the front covers, back covers and peppered throughout in multiple sizes and colour styles. The flexability will entice possible advertisers and maintain interest throughout commercial release. There are many spaces available within the first sixteen pages and would carry on throughout the publication.

Choosing comparative products

As well as looking at the Northern Echo as a competitive product, I have chosen 3 gaming magazines that would be considered competitors to my product. These are: Edge magazine; a monthly magazine published by future and printed in the UK. Games TM; another monthly games magazine published by Imagine Publishing and printed/distributed in the UK. Lastly 360 Gamer, a three weekly games magazine that is smaller scale than the other two published by uncooked media and printed/distributed in the UK. As shown all three are large magazines two aimed at my intellectual audience and one aimed at more casual selective 360 gamers.

Edge was selected, as it is a high quality and intellectual games magazine that I took inspiration from during genre research.  The magazine features a relatively simple layout in its cover and DPS’.  This is comparative to my front cover as it features one central image against a white faded cityscape background with bright green header and main sell line with smaller black sell lines around it. My first cover attempts to use a central image but utilize a full, outdoor background which I feel didn’t work quite as well. This made my product look much less professional and so I created a second using a plain background instead.  In this second attempt I also attempted to recreate the header style of this cover through the re-arrangement of text and the editing of the image to appear as if it were a video game character instead of a real-life model. This was relatively effective and with some slight editing would look professional and visually appealing. 

This is similar with Games Tm the other cover I have analyzed over the course of production.  This again utilizes a bold, plain header, a single image and sells lines that are located around the image. The main difference between Edge and Games TM is the location of the main sell line. On Edge it is across the main image whereas with Games TM it is below it. This style would be effective but experiments made me stick with the central image as this position best suited the image of the cover. I have used the banner sell line along the top that both magazines utilize. Games TM feature a highlights section that looks cool but again would not suit the style of image I have used. The gold background also looks too bright and cheerful for my main story about war games.  The use of a smaller image increases sell line space on the cover but the scale would not be effective to use with any images I have taken.

In terms of masthead I paid close attention to the length and style of mastheads. They are usually a maximum of 2 words long for example 360-gamer. This meant to keep mine professional I would have to mimic the same. I decided to take a slightly more horror based title with game stalker. This kept within the two-word limit and is more memorable than a generic gaming title. This is also reflecting in the font chosen, BURNING WRATH, which is perfect as a horror font that can be easily used as a masthead being big and bold, fitting normal title conventions and in blood red fuels the darker design of the magazine and the revolutionary theme in the content. (Images could not be inserted)

In terms of content my magazine differs from 360 gamer in the sense that they write articles about general games and are focused on previews and reviews of current and future games. My magazine is much wider focused with multi-console focuses and features on issues within the industry as well as review current games. This makes my product much more specialized than the generic content of 360 gamer.  However my product does link with broader focuses of my other two selections that feature much more intellectual pieces alongside the more generic content.  This is where I developed my content ratio of two intellectual articles to one generic review.  This concentration on heavy content is appropriate for my target audience and their maturity level.  I have tried to create a product that can be flicked through and focused on when necessary.  My article examples vary between company tours and interviews (Edge, Fullbright Company) to a review for resident evil that unfortunately couldn’t be found to show.  These differed in tone and formality with the review being targeted at a less formal audience.

The main source of inspiration for my contents page was that of Games TM. I have used a double page spread for my contents to produce a spacious and detailed contents section. There is a much more equal image to text ratio and punchier sell lines. There is a small sentence of detail per editorial sell line and a listed review section.  There are two review sections an AAA section for new big budget release games and a steam section for Steam games and new releases on the store.  There are also editorial and retro sections focusing on all aspects of the gaming genre and celebrating classics. There is a small note from the editor that isn’t common in gaming magazines but is present in most magazine types.   This is present as a welcome to my readers and to prove their writer/editor is unafraid to be featured. This layout other than the editor’s note is similar in Games TM with similar story sections and a second page dedicated to an image for one of the main stories.  There are several images selected to illustrate the more important stories in the magazine as would be done professionally by other magazines

With Edge there were distracting background objects that would disrupt the page in my opinion and look slightly unprofessional. This is more subjective than fact but I am technically a member of my target audience and therefore should have an idea of what my audience would not like. The contents page looked cluttered and featured small text and few images

For my first DPS I have adopted a similar layout to an editorial from Edge magazine. It was an article about a company and was relatively simplistic yet looked highly professional and easily adaptable.  I used a page for the main header, sub header and main image with caption and the second page for the text and a smaller image at the end of the article. Out of my three articles this is the most professional and required no editing after feedback.  There is no unfilled white space and there are logos to fill the space and further brand the product. The text, although extensive in quantity, is partially broken up by a quote insert and approximately one line to break up paragraphs. The only unprofessional part of the article would be the photography. It misses the point slightly despite illustrating the message. With this fault the product isn’t quite as professional as other products especially the products I have chosen but is still considered more informative and highly formal in comparison than 360 gamer. This article is designed for my

mature readers and is reflected in the intimidating style and high text load.

This DPS is similar to the editorials present in Games TM as they too have intellectual content that touches on the critical issues of the industry. Again my target audience is partially taken from the audience of Games TM so this content will appeal to them and their reading tastes. Stylistically it is different as there will be video game screenshots used instead of live imagery and more small images used and just generally a much higher image ratio than that used in my products. 

The second article is much friendlier to casual gamers as it is a lot less intimidating and features a much lower text count. There is no real inspiration for this article and no product that I have seen like it.  This makes it unique to my magazine alone and could be made into a selling point.  This could be perceived as unprofessional but I prefer to see it as alternative. In a world of lookalikes and copies it should be original content that sells and this drove me to create this DPS.  It was surprisingly well received by my audience and would be made into a regular feature.  If it is perceived as unprofessional then it would appeal to all gaming audiences as the layout is accessible to all. The central image is designed to lure readers in and briefly show the emotions of the article alongside the text and header. This would persuade readers to read the story for an explanation of the image. This method has been adopted by competitors but the actual layout hasn’t.  The adoption of the method adds some professional appeal and could boost my products appeal in future sales. It is partially professional looking and with a better taken image it would be fully professional just a little alternate.

The third article is much easier to compare, as it is an adaption of a 360 gamer review. This means it is a fairly standard layout to match generic content. This again improves the professional practice levels in my product and will be familiar to both mature and casual audiences. The article uses breakout boxes, quote inserts and images to break up an excessive 6 columns of text. The level of text is the only content feature that differs in my review to every average review out there. Most reviews are short and only deliver the main points whereas mine utilizes all aspects of the game and delivers an account of the whole game.

Aesthetically there are several differences between my product and the three comparative products as they have higher image to text ratios and in-game screenshots where I have a small image to text ratio with real life models depicting the key moments of the game. This is where the name spawns from, the whole low budget look. This is mainly used as the gimmick for the article and possibly the whole magazine. This does impact the seriousness of the product and could possible reduce its professional appeal but at the same time stops the product becoming dry and boring which is always a risk with magazines. The addition of humour can create a mix of serious and silly content that will aim to appeal to both serious and casual gamers again making it more commercial.  Most gaming magazines wouldn’t rely on gimmicks and are based on digital content so are instantly different to my product. This alternative view could be considered as alternative and again a form of branding.

Lastly, in all products the use of technology is vastly different to mine as competitors rely on screenshots taken within games and the use of recording software to gain the imagery they use. I have used a camera, studios and models for my products which have turned out an alternative look generic products. The only real times that my competitors would use cameras would be for specialist articles such as company profiles/tours and conventions that would require showing important people, costumes or consoles/technology. This could mean that my magazine is much more specialized and in some ways much more hardcore as the audience would be drawn in by content and not flashy technology usage or imagery. The use of human models adds a sense of power as again its suggests that my product doesn’t rely on the usage of excessive technology and stands tall on its own as something unique. This is a more traditional magazine that has some almost newspaper-like elements to it.

Codes and conventions

Gaming conventions

The main conventions of the gaming genre, found through research, would be that the magazine features large stories with high image to text ratios.  These are basic conventions and apply to most examples of products except 360 Gamer which uses much smaller stories specialized to the Xbox 360.  Both Edge and Games TM adopt this method, especially for previews and reviews whereas the more serious stories use one large image or one/two smaller images illustrating the points in the story.  The main convention that must be followed and without a doubt the most obvious is that it must feature gaming related content. Each story featured must be related to some aspect of gaming. 

I decided to adopt the large stories conventions and only in certain times adopted image ratios to suit how I see the articles should be. This means the one photo policy on front covers and serious articles and the higher image to text ratio in reviews.  I should have stuck to this throughout production as it would have kept the magazine looking professional and conventional. I easily met the gaming convention as it is a passion of mine and I know a lot on the subject. This allowed me to create three accurate and different topics based on my own beliefs on the subject and facts. These articles were all different and in many aspects educational to both gaming companies through improvements to genres and warnings on pre-ordering, along with the generic review information. The length of my articles could also be considered sticking to more intellectual magazine conventions as I have produced long, complex articles for mature audiences to enjoy.

I should have taken more images throughout the course of production as it would have benefitted my product. I would have been able to stick to the convention of high image to text ratios if I had. This is one of the only conventions I have chosen to ignore as I only had limited models to rely on and did not have the time to find more.  If I tried to utilize this convention then it would have been too repetitive and would feature underwhelming photography.  The other convention I could have stuck to better would have been the shorter length of articles. This would have made the articles I created look less intimidating and much more readable and therefore lure in more casual gamers. I tried to create this through my pre-order nightmares article, which although successful was the only one to undergo this style.

Print objectives

Story- My articles as previously mentioned link in with the usual content of games magazines as they utilize reviews, editorials and overviews of issues in the industry. This shows professional practice as I have stuck to the expected content type of my target genre. I have slightly bridged off in an advice style article through sections of pre-order nightmares and been slightly cynical in parts of Is War the Answer? These deviate from standard formula and would provide interesting reads to those tired of the same content regurgitated.  Had I needed more content ideas I could have used a possible interview article, as these are common or a top 10-list style article for necessary content. These however could difficult to arrange or gain original photography for, as a top 10 would rely on game boxes and screenshots.  Article length has already been addressed and varying lengths were applied throughout the product to create articles for different tastes and reading times.  This would be done by professional product too, to ensure that the maximum number of readers could be reached.

Images- the key imagery problem has been addressed several times in that I used real photography instead of digital screenshots and low image to text ratios for certain articles. This is unprofessional but all my imagery is either symbolic, as common in games magazines, or conveys a story (main example is war the answer?) These although unusual give them meaning to them and are much more than meaningless screenshots. This means that many images required props and I ensured these were correct. I had an example of a bad game set up in Pre-order Nightmares and the “weaponry” required for the other two photoshoots conducted.  Costume wasn’t considered important as my models were meant to look like ordinary gamers and that’s what they looked like in casual attire. Extra hats were added for the GTA shoot for extra humour but other than that no other costumes were required. I could have picked backdrops better though as my outdoor shoot looked unusual in this genre as most images are taken in studios. I utilized broad lighting and natural lighting in my products along with desaturation editing to illuminate my photos.  I haven’t really paid attention to the rule of three nor the eye line principle and instead intended to have impactful imagery that conveyed stories directly without subtle techniques. I have maintained images of game boxes and logos in certain sections to stick to my intended genre and build familiarity with my audience.

Language control- For all articles I have kept a mixed narrative voice as I use different voices to address personal issues or thoughts and more direct 2^nd person to address the reader when I feel something needs addressing or I’m giving advice. Most articles in games magazines are depersonalized which I feel reduces the value of certain articles. However I have had to be personalized as I give opinions that if not shown as opinions would be considered slanderous to corporations or games. This is the case in all articles especially the reviews.  I have gone for a relatively slow and sarcastic tone, as my articles are critical of the industry. In the review I have been much more upbeat and faster read speeds are used as it is a positive article. I use relatively emotive language and am highly critical tis level of critique may not be present in most magazines but in specialist articles in Edge there is put-downs on the industry and criticisms made. For sell lines I have mimicked the style of gaming magazine sell lines by using the name of a game and a slight addition of possible content. There is also references to companies as every gamer has peeves with the industry.

Colour- Most games magazines are bright and colourful when attracting casual audiences and on covers, however my main inspiration Edge usually has a bold green header and then is mainly black and white throughout it’s article. This is the same with my articles with colours chosen to improve branding. There is use of red to connote revolution and fearlessness and with the added horror fonts selected throughout show my product is new and unafraid to criticize the industry.  My colours and fonts are designed for connotations and appeal. 

Evaluation B

Name: John Dinsdale

(b) How did the constraints you have described under heading (a) affect the work you produced for Unit 5?

(Maximum marks 8)

Legal restrictions

Legal Area	Explain how the following affected your production and the processes that you followed to complete your product. What could/couldn’t you do? What subjects/stories matter could you include? What subject/stories matter couldn’t you include? What processes did you follow ensure compliance with the code?
Libel	To adhere to this constraint, I had to keep my content free of defamatory comments that were not claimed to be opinion. This would have been seen as libel. However since my articles were educational and critical, as long as I claimed the statements I said to be opinion I adhere to the constraint and cannot be accused of libel. I also directly avoided referencing companies as much as possible. This didn’t have a negative impact on my product as it made my articles feel much more generalised and less of an attack on the companies.
Trespass	I chose local and public areas to conduct photo shoots that would not be trespassing on private land. This slightly affected my product as I could not use a field to shoot in but the park was a decent substitute for my war-based article.  The other location was a studio I had specifically booked at a particular time to avoid conflicting with other photographers.  I also had permission to use the locations that the photos were taken in.
Health and safety	To adhere to health and safety regulation I performed full recces and risk assessments on both locations for photoshoots to control or remove any possible risks that were present. In both locations there were only minor risks around that could easily be controlled. These were weather considerations and wires that could annoy my models.
Copyright	Copyright was never really an issue as most photography was taken by myself and the models had given their permission to be used in the blog and the product. Since I had borrowed some minor logos off the internet I would obviously ask permission of the owner to use their imagery in the product. I have produced all the written content in the articles and product with quotes clearly high-lighted.
Working with children/teenagers	In my articles the models were all given release forms to allow me to use their photos in the product. I never photographed any children nor intended to, as it was not part of the age group of my audience. All models were teenagers that had given permission.

Provide an explanation of how the Press Complaints Commission codes identified in (A) affected your production and the processes that you followed to complete your product.

Code	Affect. What could/couldn’t you do? What subject matter could you follow? What subject matter couldn’t you include? What processes did you follow ensure compliance with the code?
1 Accuracy 1	When producing my articles I was careful that all the research I had produced was accurate and taken from reliable sources.  This was to avoid writing any false facts or misleading statements that would get me accused of slander/libel. I could not include any comments heralding game companies as liars or evil money stealers. Instead writing about games that they produce and using reviewing methods to criticise the companies in question. This was recorded in content plans and logs where the sources were recorded and the dates they were found.
2 Ability to reply	When producing my contents and articles I produced contact details on most articles promoting a Facebook/twitter account and a magazine email in which the public could argue with articles written or provide thoughts and opinions on the subjects covered. There would also be regular updates on the social networking accounts and emails provided to readers.
3 Privacy/Harassment	When conducting photoshoots I made sure everything was organised and that I did not continuously alert models or harass them. I never forced any models to participate and all was voluntary. When recruiting models each filled out a model release form that allowed me to use their imagery in my product.
4 Accuracy 3	This was the most important constraint in the list as it applies to every comment I make in my articles. In terms of review I need to make sure that every opinion I make is labelled as an opinion or written in a way that makes it obvious. This stops me being accused of slander or libel by criticised companies.
5 Discrimination 1	Now there is no discrimination at all in my product. It does not mock any race or religion and is readable by all walks of life. There are no derogatory comments in my articles and no blasphemous or offensive materials in my imagery.  This means I cannot be accused of racism or discriminative attitudes in my magazines I have made sure there aren’t any. Nor would I want to make any in the first place.

Provide an explanation of how YOUR CLient affected the ETHICAL direction of your production and the processes that you followed to complete your product.

Area of discussion	Explanation
Championing of the North East	Now my magazine makes no real reference to the North East. This is a bad thing as my client would want a magazine that shows pride in the community and this is achieved through content not direct mentioning. My articles are designed to console and empower ANYONE regardless of location. I have however used North Eastern Models and used games design students from Darlington College as contributors and assessors.
Local Accountability	My magazine is accountable for the local community as it will feature advertisements for local companies and will hopefully rally gamers to buy good games from such retailers. I also cover issues that affect all gamers in any location and since I make reference to an email address I could easily reveal the location of the company to an audience who may wish to visit or contribute to the product.
Campaigning ethos	My magazine runs a campaign for change and improvement in the industry it represents. Casting a powerful and sometimes cynical eye on the games industry and criticising its choices. I have always provided improvements in my articles and rally the war cry on issues that directly affect the gamer. This is a general campaign but still is designed for the betterment of the industry it represents and the local community of gamers who read it.
Northern Echo’s audience	The northern echo provides products for older, mature readers of about 40+ who would not necessarily be interested in my product. However if they have an interest in business then they may read some of the more industry related articles. Also since parents may give this to their son/daughter then it may interest them to see what their children spend money on and the types of games they buy. Also it is not entirely out of the question that adults game too. The age group makes it unlikely but not impossible.  I have kept my content appropriate and featured no explicit language, hidden meanings nor nudity in the magazines content to make sure it is aesthetically pleasing to older audiences.
Journalistic Integrity	My product features high-quality articles, written in a professional manner that is meant to convey information to the target audience whilst being relaxed enough to not overpower readers or intimidate. The quantity of content per article may be a bit high in some cases but it is all relevant material that is not offensive and not abusive. Each article is designed to cover a certain topic based on valid research and opinions that have ricocheted through the community throughout the production phase. I have kept my language clean and ensured that it is grammatically correct.

Evaluation E

Evaluation E

“Provide an evaluation of the product you created for unit 5. You may refer in your response to such things as the suitability of your product for it’s intended audience, its technical quality and its aesthetic quality.”

Discuss your product in light of the objectives outlined in your treatment.

My magazine was designed as a niche magazine to feed the needs for a serious game magazine. The genre was simplified to just games magazine but it was designed to discuss popular games and the issues consumers face at the hands of the gaming industry and the companies running it.

My aim, as discussed above, was to create a magazine that could act as a voice for disgruntled gamers and expose all the malpractices of the games industry. I achieved this aim as 2 out of the 3 articles I wrote were focused on key issues in the industry and my audience enjoyed them.  The age range was from 16-24 year olds with an interest in gaming and enough experience to understand the context to the magazine targeted in the hardcore gamers tribes and an AB C1/C2 socioeconomic group.  

When designing the branding of the magazine I wanted to create a horror-based theme to fit the magazine title, Game Stalker. I used a font called burning wrath for the header and little title references throughout the magazine.   This was a recurring theme through the front cover, contents page and the second DPS, Pre-Order Nightmares. I achieved my horror aim and my audience considered most fonts I picked appropriate.  The branding stood out and would be recognizable in future issues.  Because of this I believe that this magazine would survive in the real commercial world. There is a gap for a games magazine with criticism to the industry and not just games.  There could be competition from magazines such as Edge and Games TM but the cheap price of £1.50 would definitely lure in some readers. With improvements to aesthetics it would definitely be a contender in the games magazine market.

As for advertising rates, I looked at the rates of other games magazines and focused on creating cheaper prices for local companies. The lowest being  £500 for a single black and white advert and £600 for a 4 colour. The most expensive were £2000 for a black and white DPS advert and £3000 for a 4 colour DPS. These seem expensive but when compared to other games magazines are much cheaper than the average prices. This again should be enticing to advertisers and increase my magazines survival chances in the commercial world.

Lastly throughout the design phase the main concern was sticking to the unique selling point. This was easily achieved through the articles I have written and the more unique style I have gone for. Incorporating alternative layouts with quite biting articles on the issues surrounding the industry that affect gamers everyday. I still also managed to keep it a games magazine and not just a rant on paper through the addition of a games review common of all games magazines on the market.

Discuss your project’s real appeal to your target audience

When designing my product I was always aiming to make the gamers think. Hence why I outlined the need for experienced gamers in my target audience. This fits into the employers aim as it had to be self-sufficient (which would be provided by advertising) and appeal to 16-24 year olds.  The problem is that 50% of gamers are known as casual gamers and are not as heavily invested in gaming as my target audience, the hardcore gamers, therefore the deep and intellectual content in my articles may be too much for them though they may still buy the magazine was for the review section which is written in a casual style for all gamers.

When conducting feedback, I purposefully gained it from hardcore gamers and even more purposefully game design students.  This was so that any improvements I get recommended would actually have a purpose and be given by readers of such magazines. This would cover all products produced a.k.a a front cover, contents page and 3 double page spread articles.  Each written in a different style to test for the most effective styles that the audience would find most appealing.  Feedback was conducted through a focus group with casual gamers with their answers recorded in a questionnaire sheet which proved useful though there were some simple yes/no answers given. The other method was through Facebook send out other questionnaires to the game design students who couldn’t attend personal feedback sessions. I would have gained some feedback from media students but there hasn’t been time. 

In the cases of all written content, covering the three articles was praised heavily. The sarcastic nature was approved, “Yes the snide tone to the text suits the biting comments to evident problems in the industry.”  This was just one positive comment received about the written content. Others were, “I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first article as it fills in the appropriate information and the sufficient details.” Points which I would have considered preachy were praised, “Points did come across a bit high and mighty but I’m not sure if this is a bad thing for isn’t the magazine supposed to be snarky and critical of mistakes made high up in the industry.”  My audience could connect with the writing style and grasp the nature of the magazine. In most cases the writing styles applied to articles aided their content, this was quoted when asked about article 1, “the writing style complements the content of the article and thus gains peoples interest.” Then for article 2,” Yes, it still has the cheesy jokey mood but it maintains a good mature prose.” The assessor also approved of the writing style, “Nicely written articles relevant and appealing to the target audience. “

The topics of my magazine were also positively received, as my articles were current and dealt with experiences that some audience members had been victim too. Some were even hailed as controversial giving my magazine an edge, ”I think that it is interesting and controversial.” This was especially the case with article 2, Pre-order Nightmares, where the audience could easily connect with the advice in the article and relate it to their own experiences, “well evaluated using examples from the real world and real people who have suffered similar incidents.”  The review was also praised for being familiar to readers. My audience found it enjoyable to read and useful when asked, “I think so; it is a useful and fun article.” This praise for topics again inspires confidence in the success of the magazine.

However there were criticisms to the written content also. In some cases it seems that to some members of my feedback audience the length of the articles could do with reducing, as the length of text on the DPS articles seemed intimidating to lesser gamers and magazine readers,” but once opened to the double page spread and saw the extensive text I may put it down. “ This clearly indicates that to some audience members the written content would need to be lessened to make them feel more comfortable with the articles in the magazine. The two bulkier articles both received comments like this,” amount of text is jarring at times,” whereas the alternate article received more praise for the shorter length and more welcoming layout,” The article works a lot better than the other one as it flows better.”

In terms of visual aesthetics, my audience had mixed views on both layouts and photography with a mix of praise and improvements to all parts of my magazine. Starting with the front cover, the audience found the sell lines interesting but the simplistic font, American Captain, used at that time, put some off,” The text does look a little Microsoft word if you know what I mean.” This has since been replaced by square font and looks neater and more like the font used in competitor magazines.  The header was considered memorable and definitely eye-catching by the audience,” The type of font for the front cover is eye catching.” This type of praise was consistent and proves that using a different style of header to competitors can gain interest from potential consumers and target audiences. The position on the cover could be changed though and the whole cover could do with neatening up but the header shall be staying relatively similar,” Yes the text really stands out against the rest of the cover however it does look a little out of place in that position.” Lastly the image for the front cover received a mixed reception, as it is not a professionally taken image. It was taken during the article 1 photo-shoot using my camera. Audience members saw this and saw a decline in professionalism from it, ”Should the imagery be changed? In order for it be more professional, yes.” However this unprofessional image lead to another interesting reception from the audience. This type of image seemed comical to some audience members and worked in favour as again it drew audience appeal at its oddity. It seemed to fit well on the cover and tie in with the sarcastic nature of the magazines content,” amusing cover images stick in the readers mind.” Despite the intention of creating a serious front cover, the audience found the imagery appealing and this still drew in some interest. However, the assessor felt that,” I would recommend another photoshoot with the model facing the camera.” I could have done this and improved the photographic quality but there just wasn’t enough time.   The other main photographical problem with the cover, as outlined by one audience member, was the use of only one image. This method was used to show professional practice but put off this consumer, as there was no real image variety,” Not so much changed but more can be added to further promote the material that it in the magazine.“ This could be a wise improvement as using several images could fill space and add more professional material to the cover.

The contents page never really received any feedback from the audience and only received criticisms on white space issues by the assessor. These could be filled with images of extra details to content in the article.  This was taken on when editing products to include extra contact details that increase the accessibility to the audience.

The first double page spread of the magazine is Is War The Answer? This article was praised for its layout, as it was professional looking and suited the article type. The text was all on one page in a neat paragraph based style and the other page was occupied by the image of the article. As was said most found this professional looking and found the article appealing to look at and read,” I feel that the layout of the article is appropriate. The position of images and headings doesn’t interfere with the main body of the text.” However to one audience member this layout was cluttered and messy to look at,” The layout is difficult to look at because of how it’s been presented. It looks cluttered; if it were presented a little neater it would be easier to read.” This improvement would be easy to do and could further increase the appeal of my product.  For the photography used in the article the message behind the image was well received with the whole reality vs. game scenario clear in the image but the audience found it difficult to take seriously with the expressions of the model and recommended a change of image with a more serious expression,” The concept behind the photo is nice but I would recommend a change of scenery.” This quote also outlines the other problem with repetition in my imagery. These problems could both be fixed by taking another photo-shoot in the studio with serious models. Lastly in terms the header, the font used was positively received for the war effect and it’s almost bloodied colour and look. ”The bloodied style effect is suitable for the article, ” This shows my audience appeal to articles with content-based headers and this theme carried on throughout the magazine.

I had received feedback from article 2 in the past, as it is an improved version of my mock-ups. This layout is my only alternative layout and surprisingly received high amounts of praise, as it is a fun article that diverts from current formula. The article appeared direct and inviting with most audience readers being drawn to the central black and white image and more closely the cursed game they were holding. Despite being the

weakest image in the magazine the photo used received praise for both its visual representation of the pain gamers face but also reflected faces they have pulled themselves in the same situations,” it does get the point across, especially as the model is holding a very good example of a bad game/ Yes, I laughed at the face as I had that face when my preordered game arrived 3 weeks late.” The target audience found the imagery relatable and this again could raise its appeal.  The layout was higher praised than the first article despite the lapse in professionalism. This could be luck or down to the fact that my target audience are more enticed by alternative layouts. With improved imagery this could be the most successful article and since it is relatively unique then again could be a key selling point.  The text arrangement was praised for its simplicity and inviting length,” Yes I feel the picture being in the centre frame is a good idea as it would grip the readers attention with the support of the text that sits above it. Also the paragraph layout is consistent.” However it could still be tidier and more visually appealing to further draw sales,” If it’s a teen audience then its perfect except it still could be tidier. “ During the feedback process for this article I received an offer for another model who had had experience with the exact game in the image. This could come into consideration if my products are improved, as it would diversify photography in the magazine. The header was also praised and utilized another horror font called, oh the horror, which actually looks relatively nightmarish in its connotation.

Lastly, there is article 3, the Low Budget Review. This was the only article with a studio-based photo-shoot and it shows, as the photos are a much higher quality. The imagery was designed to parody key moments from the game and my audience got the references,” The imagery of the article is exactly how Rockstar, would have had their characters for the official game.” This shows the experience of my target audience and the subtle subtext to the imagery chosen in the articles.  Despite the professional taking of these photos some audience members still thought they could be improved,” Yes, except the images could be presented better and could include a few more as to not put the reader off the wall of text underneath them.” The improvements could be subtly made using Photoshop and as for the more images there are some backlog images form earlier in the shoot that could be used though the amount of text would make this difficult to do.  However the humour conveyed in the images was enough to interest the readers and again was met with positivity,” Yes, the images are original and unique/ Yes the photos sit well against the background and feel professionally produced they are also placed in areas that they would be found in a real life magazine.” Overall the layout was well received despite the “walls” of text. This was off-putting as mentioned earlier in the evaluation.

So in conclusion my audience enjoyed the written content of the magazine but to some members it is clear that the visual aesthetics need improving in terms of diversity and quality before the maximum appeal can be reached.

Discuss Your Projects Technical Weaknesses and Strengths

Photography- photography is the main weakness of my product as images are quite repetitive as I had a limited amount of models to utilize as timings with other intended models clashed or they were busy.  Luckily I had some friends that were always available and my own camera to take some necessary photo-shoots when the studio was unavailable. This became a downfall, as there is a clear quality difference between lighting in studio photographs and those taken in natural lighting. There are also some problems with expressions in the photos in article 1 that can potentially distort the view of the article.  The battle cries can be mistaken for laughter and this dampens the serious nature of the article. To improve it may be a reasonable idea to re-take those photos with models using more realistic expressions. There were certain issues with the cutting in certain images out (front cover, DPS 2) which has left models looking jagged and partially decreases the professionalism of the magazine when closely observed. This was mainly down to rushing the photos and could easily be re-done, as the original photos are still available to edit.

Looking at the positives of my photography, most, if not all connotations are present. My audience was able to read the intended messages and recognized the references in the GTA review. This means that poses and moat expressions have been well captured and portray the intend emotions/stories. As was said I may need to improve the article photo for Article 1 but this is the only real problem with messaging in photography. There are good uses of lighting in the studio-based photo-shoot for GTA V using soft boxes to illuminate models against the clear background. There was also use of a fan to generate a live atmosphere that adds life to models. For the front cover I attempted to edit models into video game characters that would look realistic when faded. This was relatively successful but was underdeveloped as this was coined in the final lesson before deadline.  In cases of my own-lighted shoots it is a mixed bag.  The assessor feels there should be more studio based imagery and I agree. The photo-shoot in Stanhope Park went well as the day was relatively bright and provided plenty of natural lighting to illuminate the models and the natural background added to the battlefield look. Conversely when taking the photos for Pre-Order Nightmares I had to rely on the flash feature, as the location I was using was too dark to clearly show the model without it so quality is quite spotty and the background had to be removed for the image to be suitable. To remove the shadows generated by the flash I had increased the brightness and desaturated the photo to appear more like a prison mug shot and this was surprisingly effective, increasing the photos message value.

Writing- As agreed by my feedback audience the written content is the best element of my magazine. It differs between articles as I use a mix of voice in all articles that could show inconsistency but also explore different elements. For example the article pre-order nightmares diverts between first person personal ideas and experiences before revert to a heavily depersonalized tone for more general information. This change in tones keeps the tone focused and allows different levels of interaction between reader and writer. This writing style was used similarly in the other articles. This mix of voices shows personality and accurately conveys information in objective sections.

Tone is also quite important in the articles I have written and I am pleased to say that the correct tone has shown through in each article. There is a clear, positive attitude in the GTA V review that reflects the positive reaction this game has caused for the critic. The pre-order nightmares article sounds grim and foreboding yet also contains an air of analytical accuracy that only wishes to publicize the issues with certain games and marketing.  It sounds scary but also knowledgeable as intended.  The writing style has also been referred to as high and mighty, which I find quite positive as it reflects the whole attitude of the magazine. Lastly for Is War is the Answer, I have created a tone that starts of quite sarcastic and whiny that slowly develops into a voice of advice and knowledge as the article goes on. This has been cleverly crafted to create a negative start that blends into a positive end. Almost like the cloud has a silver lining type scenario.

The writing style was appropriate for the audience as it is a fresh way of conveying current information on the games industry into the minds of gamers that may find other magazines dull and boring. This magazine was designed to criticize the games industry and I did that in both humorous ways and serious ways that my audience enjoyed reading.

Key moments would include the length issues that my articles have faced as the size could prove too much for the layout originally so took some editing to fit. That was really only the negative moment that occurred during article production. I had fun writing them as they are based on topics close to my heart and subjects I have had personal experience with. This made them quite easy to write and gave them a personal edge. This did include ensure my opinions are always labeled for legal reasons and just to ensure no one gets the wrong idea about companies when reading.  

Layouts were on of the main sources of annoyance during the production process. In the end they look professional and well made but there was two layouts that changed over production. This includes the layout for the contents, which was far too cramped as a single page and looked very ugly. This changed to a much more open and detailed DPS that had a wider focus on photography and a relatively equal image to text ratio. It is relatively close to other magazines as it was split into sections based on the contents articles. Everything is aligned correctly and other than perhaps the addition of a box to fit the editor’s note couldn’t really be changed.

The other key layout change was based on article one. Originally this article was planned to feature an incredibly different layout that would be highly alternative. It would feature one large background image with several small columns along the top half of the page. However this turned out to be highly impractical as the imagery was not suitable for such a layout and the article was way too long for the planned small columns.  The text in layouts turned out difficult to layout and I feel there may be highly unequal image to text ratios throughout the magazine but this is expected of the audience who should feel happy to read a high amount of informative content.  This is definitely present in the first article as there are three solid columns of page length text.  The layout adopted by this article is the most professional and most common of games magazines with one page of text and one full page of image. There is one quote insert used outlining the key rant with the game type discussed.  I feel I should have used more but I did not have the space to work with and so perhaps shows that the text needs trimming as its too heavy. I feel the layout proves that there is plenty to discuss in the header topic. Hopefully the audience would see the article and read on. The header for the article is well created as it looks like a bloody war font with bullet hole brushes to create small bullet holes between words. The font used was called, Bronx bystreets, and was chosen for its tattered and war torn appearance. With more time I would work on fixing the sub-header and perhaps find a better font to use on it.

Other layouts were pretty well done too as I feel my alternative design for Pre-Order nightmares was well received and generally was a welcoming article with a manageable amount of text. There was an unequal image to text ratio as the article relied on the one central image, which proved more than effective at drawing readers. The image provided a general emotion for the article through expression of the model. The article is referred to as an editorial due the newspaper-esque layout employed.  The use of a relatively informal layout also made the article seem more personal. This also acted as a standout point to try and set my magazine apart from others. The use of different and unique layouts would make the magazine more accessible to magazine readers as it is different and they won’t feel they are reading more of the same.  

The review article adopts a fairly standard layout used by other magazines in review articles and makes use of the same extra-textual features such as breakout boxes.  There is the main score box and a small breakout box outlined with positives and negatives.  I don’t feel there is much special about the layout and it has an equal layout. There is a large amount of text but this is broken up by columns with quote inserts and images along with two images placed above the columns of text.  There is a standard looking header and appropriate sub-heading enticing readers with hints at what the content is about. The phrase low budget is incorporated in the title as it links to the human based imagery. These models are used to display key game moments and this is done well. The imagery adds energy to the article, as the models look active. The imagery will make readers wish to read on a s the photography is based on the text.  The layout is designed to feel and look like a review and it does this job perfectly though it again may be too text heavy and require a lower text to image ratio. As far as I’m aware nothing is miss-aligned and time and effort went into making sure everything is in its proper place.

In all layouts some form of stroke was used on text to attempt to create a 3D effect however I feel I could do more with imagery locations to create a more 3 dimensional layouts that would be more inviting. I could have used Polaroid effects but I feel this would have been too space consuming and would waste time and effort. Overall I feel my article have well designed layouts that could be less text heavy and although it is slightly sad not to see my original alternative layouts from the flat plans the changes have created professional looking articles that I feel could comfortably be featured in a games magazine.