Video games questionnaire and interview

Questionnaire Analysis

Robbie Hickman

Audience researchObservation: 61.11% of my audience are males and 38.89% are females; the number of males is greater than the number of females. What this says about my audience:Males tend to prefer video games of any genre compared to females who clearly aren’t as attracted to them. Males are clearly my primary target audience. How will your product appeal to this audience: I will ensure that my video game includes elements of fast-paced action, as well as intense moments which males (stereotypically speaking) prefer more than females. This will benefit the target audience because they will find that the game reflects the characteristics of their own gender; males are usually eager to explore entirely different experiences (not only in films, but also in video games). To accomplish this I will make sure my game includes content that is quite difficult to find in video games.

Audience researchObservation:

33.33% of my audience are aged 16 and under. 55.54% are aged 17 or 18 whereas 11.11% of my audience are over 18 years

old. What this says about my audience:

The majority of my audience (over half of those who took part in the survey) are

17-18 years of age. A small amount of my audience is over 18. The rest of the

audience is 16 or under. How will your product appeal to this

audience:My video game will appeal to teens and young adults as it is likely to feature fast-paced moments and intense sequences

e.g. battles and guns firing which tend to intrigue those who are at the age where they still play video games. Also, games suitable for this age group may contain

strong violence and threat; I could include pixelated blood which will appear every time an enemy is shot in-game. In

other words, this level of violence is appropriate for people aged 17 or 18.


38.89% of my audience play video games less than one hour per week. 13.89% play

video games 1-2 hours a week and 25% play games 3-4 hours a week. 22.22% play 5

hours or over each week. What this says about my audience:

All members of my audience play video games at some point, whether it be for less

than an hour or more than five hours. However, the results do show that much of

the audience are not quite interested in video games.

How will your product appeal to this audience:

My product will appeal to the audience solely due to the fact that it is a video game. All those who responded play video games at some point, no matter how often. I will

utilize pixel graphics effectively to ensure my product looks and feels like a common video game. This will benefit the audience as they

may desire to see something completely new; they might not play video games quite often because they are bored of repeated

elements within them.

Audience researchObservation:25% of my audience prefer playing side-scrolling video games. 19.44% play third-person shooters and another 19.44% prefer MMORPGs. 16.67% play first-person shooting games whilst 13.89% prefer either open-world video games, action/adventure games or FPS, Third Person Shooter, Side Scrolling and MMORPG games according to their responses. Only 5.56% like vehicle simulation games. What this says about my audience:More people prefer side-scrolling video games compared to the other genres stated in the survey. The same two amounts of people play third-person shooters and MMORPGs respectively whilst a portion of the audience prefers first-person shooter games. Only a small amount of people would like to play games involving vehicle simulation and some of the audience would like to play games of a different type e.g. open world. How will your product appeal to this audience:To make sure my video game appeals to my target audience, I will need to make alterations to my initial idea(s). I originally decided to create a first-person shooting game, however not many people prefer this genre. I will be creating a side-scrolling game which will still feature some elements from my initial ideas (it will include shooting enemies) as well as the same dark and menacing atmosphere I plan to create through use of pixels. The genre of game I will be creating is side-scrolling. This will ensure that my game attracts the audience.

Audience researchObservation:42.86% of my audience purchase video games with the intention of exploring the campaign mode. 40% play games for multiplayer and 8.57% look for a zombies mode. Based on the responses, another 8.57% prefer all of these, a competitive atmosphere etc. What this says about my audience:A fair amount of the audience prefer single-player as opposed to multiplayer in video games, and a small amount prefer other game modes e.g. zombies compared to campaign and multiplayer. How will your product appeal to this audience: My video game will appeal to the audience as it will be story-driven; the actions of the player(s) throughout the game will have an impact on the course of the narrative. For example, if the player character engages the enemy soldiers successfully, the civilians will survive. If the player character fails to kill the enemies, the civilians will not survive. The audience clearly hopes to see an intriguing narrative in my video game, as well as co-op action. Much of the audience also selected multiplayer, proving that this is another mode they hope to see in a video game. My game will appeal to these individuals as it will feature the option for up to three players to take part in the game at the same time and experience the events of the story together.


30.56% of my audience possess next gen consoles and 25% prefer games on a mobile device. 19.44% possess last-gen

consoles and 16.67% play games on a PC. 8.33% of my audience, based on their responses, have a different gaming

console e.g. Nintendo DS/Wii or Gameboy. No one plays games on a PSP.

What this says about my audience:People appear to be more up-to-date in regard to innovation with consoles. This could suggest that much of the audience would prefer a game that supports photorealistic graphics,

excellent visuals and larger environments thanks to the capabilities of newer consoles. A number of people prefer to

play simple, strategy games on a mobile device whereas some of the audience play games on their PC or stick to last-gen

consoles.

How will your product appeal to this audience: My product will appeal to this audience as it will feature a massive environment in-game with multiple aspects e.g.

moving vehicles, NPCs and the allowance of up to three players to play the game together. Due to limitations in console

capabilities, aspects like these could be considered too great for last-gen consoles to accommodate. I will make sure to include a lot of detail when it comes to creating pixelated vehicles, enemy soldiers etc. to create the impression of somewhat outstanding graphics; this could tie in with the

impression that games made for next-gen consoles have better graphics than the ones created for last-gen consoles.


50% of my audience prefer single-player to multiplayer in video games. The other 50% prefer multiplayer to

single-player. Their reasons include increased interactivity for multiplayer and the chances of a good

story within single-player. What this says about my audience:

There is an equal balance between the responses given in regard to the two game modes stated in the question,

therefore campaign and multiplayer each impress the audience to the same extent. This proves that the

audience would prefer either game mode. How will your product appeal to this audience:

My video game will appeal to the audience because it will feature the option to either play by yourself or with up to two other people simultaneously. This will have a

positive impact on the target audience who will be provided with increased opportunities whilst playing the

game e.g. the chance to experience the aspects of the video game in different ways each time they play. This

could increase the chances of replayability.


25% of my audience are impressed by the style of graphics within video games and another 25% are intrigued by

strategy. 22.22% prefer a sense of fast-paced action. 13.89% are intrigued the most by suspense in games, and other

13.89% of the audience prefer different aspects e.g. narrative and characters, the manner in which the gameplay

and narrative are interlinked.

What this says about my audience: Half of my audience generally focus on the style of

gameplay as well as visual graphic style, proving that people will judge a video game based on its overall quality, as well

as the manner of the objectives offered by the game. Almost another quarter of the audience enjoy fast-paced

action with the likely reason being that it evokes adrenaline and makes the game more enjoyable. Other members of

the audience tend to look for suspense in a video game; this proves that there are some fans of horror video games.

How will your product appeal to this audience: I will be using pixels to create highly detailed objects e.g.

characters and vehicles for my video game, therefore increasing its overall quality. This could appeal to those who

judge whether or not they want to play a game based on the level of visual quality. I will also ensure that I include

strategy within my game e.g. the players will be required to avoid shooting civilians whilst eliminating as many enemies

as possible. This sense of strategy could appeal to the audience because it is what they hope to see in a game. My

game will also include fast-paced action; this can be achieved by ensuring each frame plays at a fast rate. I could

also include music and sound effects if I am able to.


86.11% of my audience would like to play a video game that requires decision making and possesses a strong sense of realism

and severity. 13.89% are not interested. The reasons include ‘gaining adrenaline is fun’, ‘feeling immersed’ and ‘interest is

maintained’ for Yes. Those who said No stated that they would prefer the game to be simple.

What this says about my audience: The audience consists of people who desire to see something

completely different in a video game. Those who replied ‘Yes’ to the question stated that there would be increased choice during the

game and that the concept of ‘saving lives’ seems interesting. It is obvious that these people are bored of repeated elements within

video games and want to see something new. How will your product appeal to this audience:

My video game will feature the objective of killing enemy soldiers whilst avoiding civilians which is quite difficult. The game will

require the player to decide before they open fire on the battlefield because there will be fleeing civilians in the way of enemies. If the player kills one civilian, they will fail the game, therefore they need

to be careful and concentrate. This will appeal to the audience because it is something quite different in comparison to existing

video games, especially strategy ones. Much of this audience would like to see something different.


69.44% of my audience would prefer a strong sense of teamwork. 30.56% would not/do not mind either way. Most of the audience prefer co-op action in video games rather than single player. Reasons include increased sociability,

strong sense of purpose, more enjoyable etc. What this says about my audience:

A wide range of my audience would prefer multiplayer in video games compared to those who prefer single-player. My responses show

that much of the audience is sociable and desire to play in a cooperative manner rather than all

by themselves. How will your product appeal to this audience:

My product will not only appeal to those who prefer multiplayer, but also those who prefer single-player. It will feature the option for one

player to experience the narrative by his or her self, or for up to three players to work together in completing the game. Much of the audience will find that the game appeals to them due to the fact that there will be teamwork within it; players will be required to work together to

complete the game with the multiplayer option and it will also be a lot easier this way than

playing by oneself.

Interview

Interview 1• What would you like to see on a battlefield in-game and why? • A: Lots of NPCs fighting with lots of shouting and explosions. Dusty, muddy

environments. Tension filled action scenes. I would also expect to see vehicles driving around.

• What do you think is the most vital aspect of a shooting game and why? • A: Fun, fluid, easy to use controls that anyone can get used to instantly. A

large variety in weapons is also good and a some what realistic feeling is welcome.

• What gaming console/device would you play a game on? Describe that console/device and state why you prefer it.

• A: I prefer to use the PS4 because I am more used to the controller and all of my friends play there as well. I find the interface and settings easier to use compared to something like a PC.

Interview 1 analysis• Observation: • This audience member desires to see NPCs (non-playable characters) on the battlefield, as well as

moving vehicles, action sequences and explosions. A variety of weapons to choose from is preferred, as well as a sense of realism and controls that are easy to get used to. This audience member also prefers to play on the PS4 which has easy controls and offers co-op action.

• What this says about my audience:• This audience member is clearly used to playing video games, especially those that are war-driven

e.g. Call of Duty and Battlefield. There is clear understanding of the nature of a battlefield in general e.g. muddy, dusty, as well as what to expect if it was actually unfolding in real life e.g. it would be very noisy, with lots of explosions and a high mortality rate. The audience enjoys scenes that are fast-paced and filled with tension. They also desire to see vehicles driving around the battlefield e.g. tanks or infantry vehicles.

• How will your product appeal to this audience: • I will ensure my video game appeals to this audience through the incorporation of pixelated

military vehicles e.g. infantry vehicles or tanks which could tie to the genre of war. I could also create pixelated chunks of debris to imply a sense of destruction, as well as pixelated flames/explosions to add tension. The presence of pixelated explosions could create a sense of bombs going off which further adds to the theme of war. I will also make sure my video game contains sound effects to enhance the impression of combat, as well as fast-paced action sequences.

Interview 2• What would you like to see on a battlefield in-game and why? • A: there would be two armies fighting against each other. Using weapons

e.g. guns.

• What do you think is the most vital aspect of a shooting game and why? • A: a gun because you need it to shoot something because otherwise you

don’t have a weapon to defend yourself. Or any sort of weapon should be required within a shooting game e.g. bow and arrow.

• What gaming console/device would you play a game on? Describe that console/device and state why you prefer it.

• A: I play only on a iPhone because it is easy to play on and I can play it whenever I want to.

Interview 2 analysis• Observation:• The audience would be interested in the presence of two opposing army forces locked in combat. The availability of

firearms during gameplay is highlighted as an important characteristic of shooting games; not only guns or assault rifles, but also bows and arrows etc. The audience plays games solely on mobile devices due to the fact that mobile games are easy to play.

• What this says about my audience: • The audience clearly does not have a great deal of interest in video games, as shown by the nature of the response.

The audience does not seem to be familiar with war-driven shooting games; there is a lack of knowledge on certain aspects of a battlefield as opposed to the previous response in which many aspects were highlighted e.g. army vehicles, explosions, fires, mud. Despite a lack of interest with a specific genre of video games, the audience would like to see a variety of weapons to choose from, even ones that could be considered old-fashioned e.g. swords and bow and arrows. This shows that this audience plays games that are similar to war-based shooting games.

• How will your product appeal to this audience: • My video game will feature the presence of two opposing military forces (with the player(s) being the ‘good’ military

force engaging the enemies) which will intrigue the audience who simply desired to see two armies fighting against each other. There will be a strong impression as to how negative the enemy soldiers are, as well as how intense the conflict is. I will accomplish this by creating an illusion of each enemy soldier running towards the player (even though the enemies cannot harm them) in an aggressive manner. This could highlight the fact that the two armies are opposing each other in an extreme way. Also, the player(s) will be able to choose from a variety of weapons before starting the game. This will appeal to the audience who assume the presence of firearms in a shooting game is vital because it would make the game fair for everyone. The availability of multiple weapons also offers increased choice for the player who is able to choose whatever weapon he/she wants. To appeal to this audience even more, I will be ensuring that a version of my game exists on mobile devices e.g. IPhone as well as consoles e.g. Xbox and PS4.

Research Evaluation

Research Evaluation– Product Research – I was able to conduct my research in an effective and sophisticated manner, mainly through use of surveys as well as the internet. I understood how important it was to carry out

research for my video game because if I don’t know who my audience is or what they want to see, my overall product might not appeal to anyone and therefore it would suffer. However, I obtained information on the characteristics of existing products that would be considered similar to the genre of game I planned to make initially. The genre I chose was a war-based first-person shooter video game, therefore I will have been required to look into first-person military shooters e.g. Call of Duty and Battlefield. The game I chose to analyse in my product research was Battlefield: Bad Company and this involved obtaining information on reviews, graphic style, audience, behind the scenes etc. In general, I only needed to look into this game and explain its aspects in detail e.g. campaign and multiplayer as well as relation to my own idea. Conducting research on existing products using the internet can be considered an example of secondary research. The information was already out there for me to analyse and it wasn’t too difficult to locate it.

– There are a number of advantages and disadvantages for undertaking secondary research: – Pros: The information I wanted was on the internet and all I will have been required to do was look for it rather than carry out research myself. What I wanted was easy to find and

because the internet is massive, there is a wide variety of sources to obtain information from. For example, I came across a range of websites e.g. Eurogamer and Imdb which offered a great deal of information about the game. This benefited my video game because I understood what kind of responses a game of this genre would receive in general and this will have changed my original intentions, perhaps for the better.

– Cons: I had to obtain information that wasn’t mine; therefore I was relying on how well other people/companies have researched. The process of finding the intended information was quite difficult and time-consuming because of the immense size of the internet. There was a good chance that the information I collected will have been invalid, misleading and far from accurate. This could have had a negative impact on my video game because I would be obtaining information that I assume is correct when in reality it isn’t; for example, if I obtained the wrong information about a certain audience that I thought was the right information, my video game would suffer due to the fact that the audience I am trying to appeal to isn’t the right one at all.

– Surveys/Interviews – I was required to obtain information about the audience I would be attempting to appeal to with my video game. I accomplished this through the creation of a survey asking 10

quantitative and qualitative questions that focused on the genre of video games, the different modes of games, graphics as well as the gender, age and level of interest in video games. It was research that I was carrying out on my own, therefore this is an example of primary research. As well as creating surveys to identify what the audience would like to see in a video game, I also created an interview to gain further, more detailed information. Interviewing two different people proved effective because it enabled me to compare their preferences on video games, as well as the type of games they have each played. I asked detailed questions that required each audience member to expand on their answers e.g. what do you think is the most vital aspect of video games and why? This is an example of a qualitative question which can be considered more superior compared to quantitative research (which only requires short, one word answers usually through the ticking of boxes) as it provides a great amount of detail to analyse. Creating surveys is an example of quantitative research, but also (along with qualitative research) an example of primary research. There is a number of advantages and disadvantages of this method:

– Pros: I was doing the research on my own, therefore the information I obtained will have been original. There was a good chance that the research I obtained was accurate due to the nature of the questions I asked; they will have been coherent and simple for the customers to answer. Also, it was easy to obtain the research and undertaking it would have done well to imply a sense of professionalism to my video game because I am the one who asked the questions and set up the survey/interview. I did not have to rely on how well other people researched.

– Cons: The information I obtained will have been limited in terms of quality due to lack of assistance from other sources e.g. from the internet which might have made the research easier. It might have been difficult to find the right people to ask, and some of the responses are not detailed (e.g. the ones where I asked people to give a reason) enough for me to understand what every customer hopes to see in a video game, why they prefer a certain game mode etc. This had a negative impact on my game because I had limited information about my audience in some areas.

Research Evaluation • Survey Responses • The responses I got from my survey were clear and coherent, mainly because people gave reasons as to why they selected a certain genre

of video game as their preferred genre, for example. My responses were quite positive as most of those who took part in my survey answered the more qualitative questions sensibly and in an understandable way. A small amount of people did answer in a manner that was considered unsuitable for analysis e.g. ‘It’s more fun lad’. However, most of the responses I received proved to be effective because they provided evidence of what my target audience really was and what those within it would prefer to see in a video game. This could have a positive impact on the way my video game will look because I have attained knowledge about my target audience through my survey e.g. what they like, what age they are and whether or not they want to see something new in a game.

• Survey Distribution• I was able to distribute my survey via the internet using the website SurveyMonkey; which enables the creation of surveys online. Working

online to carry out primary research (surveys and questionnaires) is an example of digital distribution which has the potential to place a fair amount of control into the hands of the researcher. There are many advantages and disadvantages of this method of distribution:

• Pros: Digital distribution is more effective and easier than traditional distribution methods that are quite expensive and not always sure to satisfy the researcher as opposed to digital distribution. Using digital distribution is either cheap or free. For example, I was only required to create an account to use SurveyMonkey; I did not have to pay any money whatsoever, but if I decided to conduct my research through use of forms, this will have required me to spend a fair amount of money on paper. The internet is a free service, therefore it would be completely pointless to pay for traditional research methods when there is a great amount of free content online. Submitting a survey online allowed for people to find and view it quickly; my audience will have had little trouble finding it. Distributing my survey online will have also enabled me to reach a wide range of audiences. Another advantage of digital distribution is the fact that a lot of people are up to date with technology; this increases the chance of a wide range of people finding my survey.

• Cons: The audience will have been required to know to look for my survey; the internet can be competitive and this could have made it difficult for the audience to find my product without any interference e.g. from adverts. The audience will have had a lot of competition for their attention by a variety of other media products as there were other surveys for them to complete as well; therefore it would have been difficult for my product to get the attention of the audience effectively.

Education

Video games questionnaire and interview