Video Games

Grand Theft Auto 5

Published by Rockstar Games and released September 17th 2013

Best selling game of 2013 selling 32.5 million copies to xbox 360 and ps3 players alone.

Action/Adventure genre which bases the game on an open-world, crime-based video game – players are allowed to explore a huge city causing illegal mayhem

Why was GTA 5’s release long awaited?

An official gameplay video was released to spread awareness of it’s release

"There's a lot of anticipation for this game"

9 frame still of game play video

Having said that, the previous games in the GTA franchise were used as a stepping stone to make the arrival of GTA5 known to everyone because they are popular games.

The marketing campaign had an impact on the worldwide release of GTA5

Posters

Billboards

The release of GTA5 was estimated to generate $1.57 billion. Unlike Call of Duty or FIFA ,GTA is still one of the biggest franchises in the world

Response

Fortune.com

Patcher

Media coverage

Telegraph.co.uk

So why is it controversial? ..

Controversial issues

“The graphics are so realistic that little ones don’t think what they’re watching is a game,"

Parents are concerned about the violence and graphic content , whilst women argue the portrayal of women is sexist and it is showing the younger generation that it is ok for women to act like this and be treated the way they are in the game in every day life

“If anything, GTA 5 does a better job of showing the consequences of violence. Anyone who claims Grand Theft Auto is just violence for violence's sake hasn't played it. Police intervene if they catch you committing crimes, whether it be murder, shoplifting or accidentally bumping their car.Yes, it is possible to end the game with all three protagonists super rich, but the game also constantly shows crime's devastating effects – whether it's apparent in the desolated slums or shown through the often fatal consequences for the game's characters.”

John Morris

Although the GTA conveys ideas of sexism and violence being the only way to live off, John Morris defends the game by enthusing that there are consequences to the law breaking actions which take part in the game. This therefore connotes that the “controversial issues” formed from GTA5 are judged harshly

The Last of us • Publisher- Sony Computer Entertainment• Released- June 14th 2013

Sold over 1.5 million copies in 24 hrs in the uk

Joel, a brutal survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together if they hope to survive their journey across the US.

Advertising campaignCommercial tv trailer 9 frame stills

Posters

Four comics were released prior to the game to act as a prequel, which takes place a year before the events in the game

Media coverage“The graphics are unbelievably gorgeous and the action is smooth and ultra-polished, but the game design is safe and risk-free, emphasizing ultra-violent shooting sequences over any other type of gameplay that could have been used to tell its story.”

Wired.com

ReviewsGame reviewers praised its story, acting, sound design, graphics and emotional depth, as well as considering it to be one of the best games of all time

The Last of Us was a commercial success within the gaming industry. In the UK it debuted at number one in the sales charts and remained there for six weeks.

Trustedreviews.com

Controversial issues“The Last of Us isn't the solution to sexism in games, but it's a start”

Eurogamer.net

” The Last of Us” allows a female to be one of the leads in the game and to be featured on the front cover without being portrayed in a provocative way , much like “Lara Croft:Tomb Raider” . However, this could possibly stop male gamers from buying the game

Assassin’s Creed IV

During the first week of sales in the

United Kingdom, Assassin's Creed IV:

Black Flag became the best-selling

game on all available formats

Released October 29th, 2013Published by Ubisoft

It is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean ,and among these outlaws is a fearsome young captain named Edward Kenway. His exploits earn the respect of pirate, but draw him into an ancient war that may destroy everything the pirates have built

Advertising campaign

9 frame still of advert

Ubisoft partnered with Sony to release exclusive content to PS3 and PS4

The game already gained a big audience because of the “Assassins Creed” series, so the advertising for “Black Flag” included high quality images and game play videos which the audience would like to see

Reviews• Beautiful, vast open world• Edward Kenway is an excellent rogue• Top-notch side-missions

• Main missions suffer from repetition• Assassin's Creed lore has devolved to nonsense• Very few actual assassinations

“The biggest praise we can heap onto Assassin's Creed IV is that pieces of its breathtaking oceanic playground “

computerandvideogames.com

Pros and Cons

Controversial issues

However, Ubisoft reminds us that this is a work of historical fiction.“History is our playground in Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is a work of fiction that depicts the real events during the Golden Era of Pirates,”Ubisoft