Next 3 Feedback responses- Tom, Carl and Rian (Casual gamers)

Audience Feedback

Article 1: Is war the answer?                                                         Thomas Legg

Is the layout appropriate for the article? Yes

Is the photography appropriate? What possible improvements could there be? Photography is appropriate, not much improvement needed

Do you enjoy reading the article content? Yes

Is the writing style appropriate? I think it’s a bit too informative and appeals to maybe an older audience.

What improvements do you think can be made to the written content? Not digress from the topic, some writing was a bit bulky and unnecessary

Overall what would you rate this article? 8/10

Is the article professional and do you think it would be featured in a games magazine? Yes, I think it is and would

Article 2: Pre-Order Nightmares

Do you approve of the layout to this article? Yes

Are you a fan of alternate layouts in magazines? No

Is the content appropriate/non-preachy? Content is appropriate, maybe a bit biased towards not pre ordering

Is the model appropriate?  Yes

Is the content mature and professional? Yes

Overall what would you rate the article? 7/10

Do you think the article is professional and would feature in a games magazine? Yes

Article 3- The Low Budget Review

Is this similar to other reviews? No

Is the content thorough and fun to read? Yes

Do you approve of the layout of the article? Yes

Do you like the imagery of the article? Yes

Are there any improvements to either image or content you think needed to be made? No improvements needed

What would you rate the article? 9/10

Do you think this article would feature in a games magazine? Yes

Front Cover

Is the front cover professional looking? Yes

Is the header memorable and eye-catching? Yes

Are the sell lines enticing and interesting? Yes

Do you approve of the imagery used in the article? No

Should the imagery be changed? Yes

If you saw this would you buy it? Yes

Audience Feedback Rian

Article 1: Is war the answer?

Is the layout appropriate for the article?

Yes, the layout is suitable for the type of article. 

Is the photography appropriate? What possible improvements could there be?

The photography and the intended meaning of the imagery is good, only improvement that could happen is to show less humour within the first photo as there really isn’t that much comedy in war.

Do you enjoy reading the article content?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first article as fills in the appropriate information and the sufficient  

Is the writing style appropriate?

The bloodied style effect is suitable for the article

What improvements do you think can be made to the written content?

If the age group of the article is for age group of 14-21 then you may need to think about the consistency of the article, if I was walking along and I saw the heading “is war the answer” I would be intrigued, but once opened to the double page spread and saw the extensive text I may put it down.

Overall what would you rate this article?

8 out of 10

Is the article professional and do you think it would be featured in a games magazine?

It has the right type of features to be presented in an official magazine just depending on what magazine it is?

Article 2: Pre-Order Nightmares

Do you approve of the layout to this article?

I am really fond of this article more than the other one.

Are you a fan of alternate layouts in magazines?

Absolutely being different and not following the crowd is how you can make a successful magazine.

Is the content appropriate/non-preachy?

Yeah, it’s appropriate may need to have a few spell checks, have a few people read it over.

Is the model appropriate?

The modeling is a lot more official then the other one, and has been taken more seriously.

Is the content mature and professional?

Yes, the content is a lot more professional then the other one

Overall what would you rate the article?

9 out of 10

Do you think the article is professional and would feature in a games magazine?

The article works a lot better than the other one as it flows better

Article 3- The Low Budget Review

Is this similar to other reviews?

Not really, like other reviews I tend to find them kind of short and simple minded, so it’s a lot easier to process, either the text it way out of league for the “Low Budget” or it may need a proof read

Is the content thorough and fun to read?

No im afraid, it’s a little too much for me, have all types of readers in mind.

Do you approve of the layout of the article?

Absolutely! I do like the layout on how it’s done.

Do you like the imagery of the article?

The imagery of the article is exactly how Rockstar, would have had their characters for the official game. 

Are there any improvements to either image or content you think needed to be made?

None

What would you rate the article?

8 1/2 out of 10

Do you think this article would feature in a games magazine?

Yes, it’s got all the right features in all the right places

Front Cover

Is the front cover professional looking?

Yes

Is the header memorable and eye-catching?

The type of font for the front cover is eye catching.

Are the sell lines enticing and interesting?

They’re a little small and is hard to read to be enticed by.

Do you approve of the imagery used in the article?

Yes

Should the imagery be changed?

No

If you saw this would you buy it?

Im afraid not.

Audience Feedback Carl

Article 1: Is war the answer?

Is the layout appropriate for the article?

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.

Is the photography appropriate? What possible improvements could there be?

The photography is suited to the article though images could be used where one of the models isn’t laughing.

Do you enjoy reading the article content?

I found the article rather enjoyable to read.

Is the writing style appropriate?

The writing style seems appropriate for the content, being both a mix of casual and serious.

What improvements do you think can be made to the written content?

I think in some places the grammar could have been improved slightly.

Overall what would you rate this article?

I would rate it at 7 or 8 out of 10. It’s quite a good article overall.

Is the article professional and do you think it would be featured in a games magazine?

I’m not sure that it’s professional enough to be put in a gaming magazine but it’s almost there.

Article 2: Pre-Order Nightmares

Do you approve of the layout to this article?

The article has a good layout, everything being in a logical place that doesn’t detract from the article itself.

Are you a fan of alternate layouts in magazines?

I am, it makes it more interesting to read.

Is the content appropriate/non-preachy?

I feel that it is, fairly giving across a well-structured argument.

Is the model appropriate?

Yes, he looks appropriately displeased with the game he’s holding.

Is the content mature and professional?

The majority of the content is mature though the odd phrase could be changed to sound more professional.

Overall what would you rate the article?

I would rate this article 8 out of 10.

Do you think the article is professional and would feature in a games magazine?

Yes.

Article 3- The Low Budget Review

Is this similar to other reviews?

Yes.

Is the content thorough and fun to read?

Yes.

Do you approve of the layout of the article?

Yes.

Do you like the imagery of the article?

Yes.

Are there any improvements to either image or content you think needed to be made?

No.

What would you rate the article?

 8 out of 10.

Do you think this article would feature in a games magazine?

Yes.

Front Cover

Is the front cover professional looking?

Yes.

Is the header memorable and eye-catching?

Yes.

Are the sell lines enticing and interesting?

No.

Do you approve of the imagery used in the article?

Yes.

Should the imagery be changed?

No.

If you saw this would you buy it?

I would consider it.

Final Products pre-feedback

Monitoring Post- half term

This week has mainly been about getting feedback.I have crafted a document that will gain the valuable information from my target audience about the content of my product and it's appeal. This was then distributed online through Facebook to several gamers. Even though I haven't received all the responses yet it has mainly been positive.

Other than some criticisms of length from responses, the written content has received much praise for it's style and professionalization. The audience enjoyed reading the content and the critical style in the comments I make appeared to amuse and enjoy. Writing style has never been criticized except for the slight high and mighty approach but even then in the context of the article it was appreciated. Each article has been hailed as professional and I will not have to make any changes to the written content of my articles. Surprisingly the alternate layout I used in Pre-Order Nightmares is receiving praise over the eye catching imagery placement and much friendlier text layout. As was said from a couple of responses it is clear that with more casual gamers the amount of text is slightly off-putting.

Aesthetically there have been criticisms in the layout of some articles and the front cover mainly. It has been a mixed bag of results currently as there have been different suggestions for improvements. The general consensus is that the articles could do with some tidying up. This could be done with simple layout changes and just basic straightening. I may move the text and images around or just neaten how everything is spaced. the front cover is in a 50/50 split over the image used as it is quite different to the average layout of a games magazine. There has been praise for the alternative yet also criticism over the lack of imagery in the front cover. Maybe creating some additional imagery would help improve the appeal. The header ad sell lines have received praise though I may need to choose a new font for the sell lines as it was seen as boring by some. I think that some time in the next week I will perform one final photo-shoot to get some more professional and diverse photos to use across the magazine to avoid repetition. The imagery in my magazine after improvements and layout alterations should increase the appeal with my audience. the main issue is the repetitive nature of the models and imagery. In the following week I will conduct one more photoshoot to gain additional photos with different models and use them to diversify the product. There needs to be a more diverse selection of photos on the front cover which again may make the product more attractive and ultimately more professional.

I will update this document in the coming week to add in any new responses I received as not all have been returned yet.

Monitoring Post: February 14th 2014

So this week consists of mostly the same as last week. I have updated and edited the double page spreads for articles 2 and 3 and attempted to finish my front cover to a more professional standard. I have attempted to gain some new photos for article 2 using my own camera at home. When placing them in I have decided to desaturate the image and make it look more like a prison mugshot. This fits the newspaper theme and looks better than the coloured image. The other image in the article is taken from the internet and is of a game mentioned in the article.

The other main editing I have done was to the review, which was a simple case of re-arranging text and adding another quote insert and an extra image to fill an extra column that surfaced after re-sizing. The rest of the article remains unchanged as it still closely follows a review from 360 magazine, ensuring professional practice.

The last main aspect of my progress this week is based on my Front cover editing and feedback and raises a lot of questions. I throughout the planning phase talked about alternative layouts and standing out from the market. With my front cover despite changing the image to something slightly similar than my original flat plan remained similar. This new image was edited to desaturate the background and drain some colour from the models to mimic the Division cover of Edge with it's faded characters and cityscape background. This in my opinion looks cool with my selected image, however one assessor feels it is unprofessional and ugly. This has prompted at a re-take of the image but I am unsure how to progress. I have designed feedback questions that will get me the answers to possible improvements to my entire product and will question the needs of my audience.I will distribute these over half term.

Overall I am relatively happy with my progress and will aim to keep improving over half term so that when i get back for the final week I'll be ready to finish up any final improvements and be ready for hand-in.  I think my client would be happy with my progress as I have, in my opinion, finished the second drafts of my products and am now focusing on gaining feedback.

Photographs from outdoor shoot for Article 1

This is the image that I have used as the main image for the article. I have chosen this image as it reflects the story of the article which is this dumb and funny fight for control against the video games industry. This duel between gamer and the soldier they wield reflects the nature of the article and the messages in it.

This image was used as an illustrative picture in the contents page and is based on an iconic character from popular shooter game Far Cry 3. The manic look and gun wielding pose should be recognisable to experienced shooters and will come across as a humorous parody. 

This is the image that was used to illustrate who the editor is. In my contents page I have a note from the editor section on the contents page and this will illustrate it. It a silly little picture that just illustrate that the editor is a gamer and unafraid to have fun too.

This image was used as another illustrative image in the contents page and filled a blank space. It is a similar version of the main article image and is reflective of the articles message.

This was one image that didn't make the cut in my magazine as I had better images and it just isn't as high quality or informative/narrative based as other images I have.

Monitoring- 7/02/2014

Monitoring Post - 7/02/2014
This week has mainly consisted of the development of the second drafts of my double page spreads. After executing my second photo-shoot on Monday I have used these photos to develop the second draft of my contents page turning into a DPS. this choice was made to increase the space and allow me to create a more professional appearing product. The contents page now has a page of sell lines and stories along one page and a 3/4 page image on the other with my note from the editor underneath it.
this layout was chosen as I feel my original layout was awkward and cramped. It didn't look like a gaming magazine and the lack of stories made the magazine seem content sparse. This new design is much more gamer based and features gaming jargon and popular game titles.

The mix of text and imagery fills the space whilst still being easily readable. The images relate to the main articles of the magazine and there is one to illustrate my note to the editor.

The other DPS I have finished is the second draft of my Is War the Answer article. Again I have completely changed the layout to improve my products design and professionally. It is based off of a DPS from Edge magazine, another formal gaming magazine. I have abandoned my old alternative layout to be more appropriate to my purpose and audience as gaming magazines need to be image heavy and with the new layout I have two images instead of the one big image that would have been present prior. the previous 50/50 layout would have left the image hidden and there was too much text to store in the small columns I had planned to use. I now have used a simple 3 column layout in 8pt font and bigger, bolder sub-headings. There is one large image on the left hand page and a smaller one at the bottom of the right.  I have used a quote insert and placed a smaller, simpler version of my logo on the bottom of the page.

I am pleased with my progress as I have stuck to my schedule and have completed 2/3 of my second drafts. This is in line with what I had written into the schedule. to finish this week I will be finishing my front cover after more assessor and peer feedback.