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.