Heaven Can Wait, There’s Money to be Made
“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white… the only color that really matters is green”
– Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
The advert that takes 30 seconds out of your precious gaming experience even before loading time, is it really important? Why can’t the game start right away like the good old days? These are a few questions that came in to my head a few years before I really understood the importance of in-game advertising. It’s true that it frustrates a casual gamer sitting in front of a screen eagerly waiting to play a new exciting game. If the gamers actually knew and understood the formula “Ad + waiting = money + gaming” it would all seems so simple. Money is the backbone of any industry, as well as the gaming industry.
(Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office)
A study commissioned by Blue Noodle Network (Formerly known as NeoEdge Networks) say that advertising within online games is more effective that TV advertising. [http://techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/study-in-game-video-advertising-trumps-tv-advertising-in-effectiveness/] One might say that studies such as this one may be favorably altered to suit the electronic games industry, but if you open your eyes to the world around you, it is evident that there is a rapid increase in advertising on games. Compared to the ad revenue of broadcasters this increase might not be much for a game developer. However, knowing that digital media is starting to make an impact on the big players in the product and services market, any developer would be happy about the future.
What I found most interesting was how digital marketing companies actually make an effort to not irritate their users by using innovative means to bring their brand into the limelight. Kiip Inc is a company moving away from the traditional banner ads and balancing advertising and gaming by providing a positive experience to gamers. When a player on a game that uses Kiip (pronounced “keep”), a message pops up saying that the person can also get a real-world reward—like a six-pack of soda free or a coupon for flowers on Mother’s Day. The person can redeem the reward then or later, or email it to someone else.
[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304231204576403403508609600.html] This is a novel idea which allows gamers to overcome their frustration of waiting for the adverts to conclude. We all like to see the light at the end of the tunnel, therefore if more developers include a couple of random freebies a day (from their sponsors) to random gamers, it will be a much pleasurable experience for many users. A “killing time” gamer or a recreational gamer might disagree with this novel concept. They might prefer the traditional branding which can be found within the game itself which lessens the probability of tarnishing the gaming experience. How does that relate to a new game developer who has to reprogram elements of his game to add a brand name to an already developed game?
A study by Nielsen Entertainment found that 69% of gamers could “recall the sponsor of instruction window. Further the gamers, unlike TV audiences, largely embraced in-game placements, finding that they increased the realism of the experience.” [http://www.imediaconnection.com/news/7467.asp]
You cannot please everybody. As long as the gameanity (gaming species-a new word which I created and draws inspiration from humanity) heads in a direction where developers receive enough funding to bring their blood sweat and tears to life; I’ll die a happy man.
- (Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office)
The Research Behind Educational Media
(Photo courtesy of Michelle Cain)
As an early childhood educator, I often find myself defending my love for kid’s media and my belief in its educational potential. While I
have read about the negative impact that too much or poor quality programming can have on the developing child, I have also witnessed children learning through television and digital games. I have also read about the positive influence that media can have when time, knowledge and care are given to its development. Identifying quality educational media can be quite the challenge, especially with the amount of content that continues to flood the market. A search for “kids educational” in the iTunes store alone can leave you overwhelmed with the 10,000+ apps available. For those who are committed to the identification and development of quality educational media, understanding the important role that applied and evaluative research can play is an invaluable tool.
Research as a Tool
1. Laying a Foundation
Before an idea is even born you can prime the development of quality educational media by having a knowledge base of existing research and an understanding of how it has informed what already exists in the children’s media space. The Children’s Television Community edited by J. Alison Bryant and the Handbook of Children’s Media edited by Dorothy and Jerome Singer are just two of the great books available. Foundations like the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Fred Rogers Center, and broadcasters like TVOKids and PBSKids can also be extremely useful in gaining understanding as well as in helping you keep abreast of ongoing developments.
2. Informing Development
The majority of research conducted on children’s media is formative research and occurs during the development stage, sometimes even before any game code is written or television production for a series has even begun. While the term focus group often comes to mind when thinking about formative research – all types of methodologies can be used including: group and individual interviews; phone, online and written surveys; clinical interviews; and observations – conducted in either a research or natural environment (home, childcare, school, playground, etc.).
(Photo courtesy of Microsoft Images)
3. Reflecting and Evaluating
As digital media continues to find its way into formal education and as parents, educators and media advocates continue to speak out – there is no doubt that the body of existing research will continue to grow – providing much needed evidence to the argument about the wonderful learning potential of digital media.
Bryant, A. J., ed. The Children’s Television Community. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2010.
Singer, D. G. and Singer, J. L. eds. Handbook of Children and the Media. California, USA: Sage Publications Inc., 2012.
TPecora, N., Murray, J. P., and Wartella, E. A., eds. Children and Television: Fifty Years of Research. New Jersey, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007.
LOLOMGSeriously: Marketing “Cool” to Tweens
‘tween // [tween] preposition 1. contraction of between. noun 2. Also, tween. A youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager.
The Tween Demographic
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
The definition of a “tween” market (ages 8 to 12) has changed the advertising landscape as we know it. Danielle Hulan, in her study of branding and tween identity, writes that this vulnerable generation has been “raised by a commodity culture from the cradle [… their] dependably fragile self-images and their need to belong to groups are perfect qualities for advertisers to exploit” (Quart, cited in Hulan, 2007). In fact, many corporations hire the expertise of market research companies like Look-Look to hunt for the next “cool thing.” The marketing of “cool” forces tweens to grow up quickly. Industry research reveals that children 11 and older don’t consider themselves children anymore. The Toy Manufacturers of America has changed their target market from birth to 14, to birth to ten years of age. By treating tweens as independent, mature consumers, marketers are essentially erasing the parents from the picture.
Raising the Red Flag: The impact of media multitasking on children
(Photo courtesy of The Age
I sit at my computer, in my living room. The TV is on, Facebook is open, messages are chiming and a bouncing icon is telling me I have unread mail. I would love nothing better than to sit here uninterrupted and write this blog, but the realities of digital media are allowing me to fall victim to the media multitasking phenomenon.
Do Girls Play Games?
(Photo courtesy of Dueling Analogs)
Girl gamers carry a stigma in society; they’re girls who like ‘boy things’ (video games and sports). The genre needs to be revamped into a place where girls can play games designed *shock* FOR GIRLS. It’s time to revolutionize the market. So why is the market this way? And what can we do to start changing it?
iSki therefore iPad
(Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office)
For the past two years, I’ve worked part-time at a ski shop. I fit kids ages 3-12 for skis, boots and outerwear. If you’ve ever taken a little one ski shopping, then you know it can be a lengthy process. After being measured, weighed and stuffed into a hot, puffy snow outfit, it’s no wonder they get restless. Since equipment and outerwear fitting is a long sweaty, process, kids often bring some form of electronic entertainment with them. Most of them bring their Nintendo DS’s.
Buying cool: kids and teens are less ad savvy than ever before
- (Photo courtesy of Microsoft Office)
Children today are spending more time on screens and by the time they reach their early twenties they will probably be exposed to more than a million ads. Some would argue that the increased exposure to advertising has made children, teens and young adults more media savvy than ever before, but I think this over exposure is actually clouding their judgment. Read more >>
Creating content for kids: How do we find the right balance?
- (Photo courtesy of enhy)
In the Children’s Entertainment Program at Centennial College, I teach the two courses in the business of children’s entertainment category. In addition to learning about the landscape of children’s media, the regulatory and funding frameworks and the legal and financial aspects of the industry, we spend a lot of time reviewing news and topical issues. Beyond just the “who’s who” and “who’s doing what,” we track trends and lightening rod issues—and this leads to some of our most interesting discussions. Read more >>
Is cruising with kids’ electronics excessive or should you go cold turkey?
- (Photo courtesy of coopgreg)
For Christmas this year, I decided to skip the meal prep, mall nightmares and cocktail circuit and opted instead to book my family on a seven day, Caribbean cruise (fortunately not a Costa cruise!). Given it was a Christmas sailing, we were pretty much guaranteed a non-stop parade of kids. The thundering hooves down our stateroom hallway short minutes into the trip confirmed my hunch. While my teenagers mostly wanted to lock them up, as a youth researcher I saw unleashed kids as a bonus and was excited at the prospect of viewing my target in the wild. Read more >>
It’s time to add reality food TV to the media literacy mix
- ( Photo courtesy of Toca Boca)
I spent many screen-time hours encouraging my young daughters to watch television with an open mind and think critically about their viewing, especially in recent years with the onslaught of reality shows like Real World, The Bachelor and The Hills. In addition to my annoying reminders and play-by-play while viewing these shows, they’ve also been exposed to many aspects of media coaching from workshops in the classroom to on-set studio visits. Actually, they’ve impressed me with their insightful observations over the years. They do get it and they’ve seen behind the curtain. But I believe there is another looming challenge ahead for parents who want to ensure they are raising truly media savvy viewers—and no one is talking about this yet. Am I the only one concerned about TV cooking shows and their impact on our kids?