2. FMP Research

Existing Product
Xbox Magazine, April 2019 edition, (https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/xbox-the-official-magazine-magazine-subscription/9018000029715)
The cover colour scheme is quite
dark, with a dominant theme of
blue and green, both of which
connote masculinity and is
definitely aimed at a male
audience.
The plug is bold and emphasised
by a hexagon shape to make it
stand out. By using the word
“special” it makes it sound unique
and exclusive.
Also by name dropping a new and
popular game, that is a different
genre to the feature article, they
will gain a wider audience.
The date is written in a small, white
font above the masthead. The font
size is small as it’s important so the
audience knows what edition they
are reading, but it doesn’t need to
stand out.
The selling line is also above the
masthead. Like the date, it is also in
a small, white font. The fact that
they’ve underlined it and written it
quite small, suggests they are
confident in their brand and they are
emphasising that it’s the best place
to get Xbox news.
The coverline used is highlighted
with a white box to make it stand out
from the background. The use of the
words “XBOX’S BEST SHOOTERS” will
intrigue the audience and the
rhetorical question “Which FPS takes
the number one slot?” will make the
reader want to know which one is
the best.
The words “THE MOST BRUTAL
GAME YET” will make the
magazine appeal to fans of action
and fighting games. Also the
word “BRUTAL is emphasised by
using white text instead of green.
The word connotes violence,
which fans of fighting games like.
The kicker “30 NEW GAMES” will appeal to the needs driven psychographic as they act on impulse and missed
opportunities and they wouldn’t want to miss finding out about new games. By listing some of the games, this will draw
in a wider audience as the list is quite diverse, featuring games from multiple genres. It will also appeal to the working
class because they will feel like they are getting good value for money.

Existing Product
Xbox Magazine, April 2019 edition, (https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/xbox-the-official-magazine-magazine-subscription/9018000029715)
The anchorage uses alliteration to attract
the audience and by using a language
technique, they’ll make it memorable.
The words “NEW FIGHTERS, FINISHERS
AND FATALITIES!” draws the audience in
and will appeal to males as the words
connote action and brutality.
The use of the word “REVEALED!” tells
the audience that there’s new
information pertaining to the game.
The masthead on this magazine is
partially hidden behind the feature
image, this is because the brand is well
established and they know that the
brand will still be recognised. The
masthead also has a plain regular sans
serif font. The green font is the colour
associated with the brand and is
consistently used throughout the
magazine, this promotes a clear theme
and reaffirms the brand.
The bold logo, associated with the brand
is consistently used across all their newer
products.
The magazine covers multiple genres of
games, so this fits in well with the topics
covered.
The feature image is of a prominent
character from Mortal Kombat 11. The
character is directly addressing the
audience. By looking straight at them
he is challenging them to beat him. His
expression connotes confidence and
determination to win.
They’ve used a character that is older
which suggests he is unbeatable as he is
still alive. This makes him a formidable
foe and will appeal to the achievers
psychographic because they will want
to beat him and feel powerful.
His hands are posed in a fighting stance,
with a white glow coming from his
hands, this is cleverly positioned with
the number 11 from the feature title
emphasising the new edition. This
ability is also directly aimed at the
audience.
I feel a male audience would relate the
most to the character as they would
aspire to be as powerful as him. Also,
the use of a popular character like Sub-
Zero from the first versions of the game
will make the magazine appeal to an
older audience.
The main headline is in a large serif
font, in a prominent place. The font
colour is the same as the masthead,
which creates a continuity for the
colour scheme. The number 11 is
centralised in a larger font to give it
emphasis and connotes significance.
The lighting and shattered special effects used around the character, gives the impression he is
quite dark but powerful and will go to any lengths of destruction to win.
The use of the colour blue fits in with the character as he wears a blue outfit and uses freezing
abilities, but without knowing that it tells you he is cold and calculating.

Existing Product
For my second existing product research, I’m going
to be researching how a gaming news blog/website
is set up. The page is quite extensive so I’ve broken
it down into sections to analyse.
The header clearly shows the company/brand logo
which features on all of their products. Next to that is
a tag line “ THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES”
This tells the audience that they are a powerful
brand in the gaming world on a global scale. This also
tells the audience that this is the best place to get
gaming news.
On the right hand side of the header they have listed important links to their social
media profiles and also their Steam and Twitch accounts, this gives the audience
the ability to reach out to them on their favourite platforms and also shows they
cater for a lot of different online communities.
It also states which region the audience is viewing and gives them the ability to
switch to their region. There’s also a search box which allows them to search
directly for the article they are looking for without needing to hunt for it.
Underneath the header is
a menu bar featuring
different sections of the
magazine. This gives the
audience a clear path to
the information they are
looking for and makes it
very easy to use.
The red from the PC Gamer logo has been
carried throughout the home page to create a
clear colour scheme and reaffirms the brand.
The colours used contrast well with each
other, making it appealing to the audience
and the use of an off white colour for the
background, makes it easy to view without
being too bright.
They’ve used crisp clear boxes to give the website
a very professional feel, this will appeal to the
audience because it will make them feel that the
website is trustworthy.
The website is set up in a way that follows general
conventions of website design, this further adds to
the legitimacy of the brand; that it’s not just been
thrown together by someone random.
Future Publishing Limited (2019) PC Gamer (https://www.pcgamer.com/uk)

Existing ProductThe setup of the articles
on the home page is
structured in columns,
making the articles very
clear to see. This
connotes professionalism
and trust.
I do feel, though, that
there is a little too much
to look at on the home
page, as it seems to scroll
down a long way.
On the right hand side of
the home page is a
column featuring a list of
recent articles. The text is
written in a way to hook
the reader and catch
their attention.
The featured news article
is bigger than the rest,
showing it’s importance.
Above the articles is a
sub menu bar, linking to
popular articles.
This tells the audience
what other people are
interested in. Which
makes these topics seem
more interesting.
Throughout the
homepage, there is a
clear colour scheme. The
use of red is very clever
because it has a very high
visibility so therefore
using it to emphasise
text, makes it stand out.
Red connotes power and
passion, which tells the
reader PC Gamer is a
powerful brand and that
they are passionate
about the gaming
industry.
By using a more news
button, they are telling
the audience they have
lots of articles on a wide
range of topics, but it
allows them to not have
to cram them all onto the
homepage.
Future Publishing Limited (2019) PC Gamer (https://www.pcgamer.com/uk)

Existing Product
For my third piece of research I have decided to
conduct some primary research by looking at a
physical copy of a magazine article.
The first thing I noticed with this article is
that they have a good picture to text ratio,
which will prevent the audience from
becoming bored.
They’ve strayed slightly away from usual
conventions of magazine creation, by
spreading the images around the article in
a way that is visually interesting.
The images themselves accurately relate to
the game in the article. They’re visually
pleasing and have been cleverly placed to
break up the text.
The text is structured in columns, making it
easy to read.
The text is justified to the left, which gives
it an informal, more light-hearted feel,
which suits a gaming article.
I feel this would make it appeal to a
younger audience of around 16-24 years.
In the folio they’ve included the page
number in the bottom far corners and
centralised the magazine name. This makes
it clear to the reader that they are on the
right page and which magazine they are
reading.
I feel this article would appeal to males and females. The pictures used
connote action and adventure, which accurately reflect the genre and
theme of the game which would appeal more to a male.
Yet it would also appeal to females because the colour scheme of the
article is quite light and they’ve used two side pictures that are of the
male and female lead characters. Also, the top central picture is quite
serene and of a beautiful setting.

Existing Product
At the top left they have
written a few facts about the
game, for example, the
release date and format.
This is smaller than the rest
of the text as they don’t want
it to stand out too much but
they still want the reader to
have the information.
They’ve used a small hype logo
so that the reader knows
which section of the magazine
the are in.
They’ve used a larger bold font
for the title of the game and a
slightly smaller regular font for
the hook; both of which are
sans serif fonts.
For the main body text they
have used a smaller but
readable serif font.
They’ve used a large drop cap
which spans the first three
lines of text. This clearly tells
the reader that this is the
beginning of the article.
The article itself is quite
honest and is written in a way
that doesn’t necessarily
scream ‘buy this game’,
rather, it informs the reader
that it is a game that could
have serious promise, if more
work is put in, but it’s not
quite there yet. I feel this kind
of article would appeal to a
more mature audience, who
are working class as they
would be more likely to want
to know if it’s worth the
money.
Halfway down the second
column they’ve broken up the
text with a pull quote, which is
written in a larger bold, italic
font. To make this stand out
they’ve used a line above and
below to separate it from the
main body text. This is a clever
way to break up a long section
of text.
They’ve added a gold line for
added detail, this colour
connotes power and wealth,
which fits the games theme.

Existing Product
To give context to the images, the existing product
has a section of text, in a smaller bold font giving a
brief sentence to describe the scene. They’ve also
clearly labelled each sentence to state which picture
it links too.
To the right of the article they’ve added some
additional information on the game. This will make
the reader feel like they are getting more for their
money, which will appeal to the working class.
They’ve also given this additional information a clear
sub heading in a larger bold font.
Like the gold detail line in the previous page, they’ve
added an additional line at the bottom right of the
page. This almost feels like they are framing the
beginning and end of the article.
This detail line, however, is in blue. This could be to
represent the theme of the game, like the colour of
the sea, or it could be as a reflection of the mood of
the article; given that they are writing about their
disappointment that the game isn’t quite up to
expectations.
At the end of the article they’ve placed a bold
square. This gives a clear indication to the reader
that the article is at the end and that it won’t
continue on to the next page.

Existing Product
For my final existing product research I’m analysing a
magazine cover from 1996.
My first impressions of this product is that it’s very
messy and has too much on the page.
The general colour scheme is quite
bright and eye catching, with a clear
consistency of the colour orange.
They’ve over used the orange but
this is because the cover is so busy
with pictures, they’ve had to
highlight any text to contrast it and
make it readable.
The general tone of the colours
suggests this magazine was primarily
aimed at males, although orange is
gender neutral.
The product has three feature
images, relating to three different
articles and genres of games. This
suggests they were trying to grab a
wider audience.
The three images connote action and
masculinity, so they are definitely
aimed at a male audience.
The product has a clear logo and
masthead but unlike newer
magazines this is in the top left
corner.
They have, however, slightly
positioned it behind a feature
image, so they were clearly
confident about their brand.
The title and font of the
masthead is very generic, which
fits with a magazine that is
featuring all genres.
The selling line contains names for
every console brand out at that time.
By name dropping lots of brands they
are trying to appeal to a wider
audience and that they have links to
the top brands.
The headline “SATURN TAKES ON
PLAYSTATION!” is a clever way to
bring two different gaming
audiences into the magazine as it
creates a strong topic of
conversation, this will appeal to
the belongers psychographic.
The use of the words
“REVIEWED! tells the reader that
they’ve played the game and they
know what they’re talking about.
This creates a trust that they are
a reliable source in the gaming
world.

Additional Research
From conducting quantitative research in the
form of a survey, I learned that the majority
of my audience prefers PC Gamer Magazine.
In order to make my magazine appeal to my
audience, I feel that I should do additional
research on the PC Gamer magazine,
including a front cover and a feature article.

Existing Product
PC Gamer Magazine, April 2019 edition, Amazon Prime Kindle
The selling line appears at the top of
the magazine. It’s written in a regular
sans serif font. It features a very bold
statement “THE WORLD’S NUMBER
ONE PC GAMES MAGAZINE”. The use of
the words “WORLD’S” and “NUMBER
ONE” tells the audience that they are
the best magazine for PC games, and
not only in the UK but worldwide. Also
by making the words “NUMBER ONE”
bold, further emphasises how
important their magazine is, but the
rest is written in a regular font so that it
doesn’t detract the focus from the rest
of the magazine.
The masthead fits the width of the
magazine and is positioned just below the
selling line. The masthead features the title
of the magazine, which is written in a bold,
white, sans serif font, in a very large font
size. They’ve colour blocked the masthead
to ensure that it is clearly visible and
stands out from the background. The use
of black and red suggests they are
important and passionate about gaming.
Also the use of red grabs the readers
attention, so it would stand out from other
magazines.
The feature image is of a huge beast
character from the feature article game.
The beast is directly addressing the
audience in a stance that connotes
aggression. They’ve made the feature
image fill most of the cover which suggests
it’s a huge threat in the endgame of
Warhammer Vermintide 2’s latest
expansion. The way the beast is holding its
weapon and directly staring at the
audience suggests the character is
challenging them. This would appeal to
males that enjoy action games.
The yellow fire glow and sparks around the
feature image, suggests he is destructive
and needs to be stopped. Also the fact that
he is wounded in places with arrows
sticking out of him tells the audience he is
a formidable foe and cannot be beaten,
which creates a thrilling challenge.
The main coverline is big and bold and
is positioned centrally on the cover.
They’ve used the official game logo to
create brand recognition.
For the anchorage they’ve summed up
the game perfectly; the use of the word
“BEASTMEN” directly links to the
feature image and tells the audience
there’s lots more of this enemy.
The emphasis of the word “MASSIVE”
tells the audience this game is a big
deal. Also the use of the plug “WORLD
EXCLUSIVE” tells the audience that they
won’t get this information anywhere
else.
The colour scheme throughout the magazine is
clear and consistent, with the red from the brand
masthead used throughout to highlight important
features.
Also, the magazine has clearly followed common
magazine conventions, by lining everything up, this
connotes professionalism and tells the audience
they aren’t just some random people giving
gaming news, they are to be trusted.

Existing Product
The plug is positioned to the right of the
page. It’s highlighted with a white circle
to make it stand out. It clearly states it’s
a “REVIEWS SPECIAL” This creates
excitement for the audience and would
appeal to the Needs Driven
psychographic as they wouldn’t want to
miss out on something “SPECIAL”.
They’ve also written “32 PAGES” and
highlighted it with the red from the
masthead, this tells the reader that
they’re getting good value for money
and would appeal to the working class.
Also, the use of name dropping new
games like Apex Legends and Metro
Exodus, they’ll create appeal to people
who are following those games.
To the left of the page below the
masthead is a headline for a sub-article.
The sub-heading is written in a bold,
white, sans serif font. They’ve drawn
attention to the post with the word
“LEGENDARY”, which is highlighted with
the red from the masthead.
This emphasises the importance of this
article and is added to by the
subheading “THE NOBODIES WHO
CHANGED ONLINE GAMING FOREVER”
This creates a hype over the article, of
how a “Nobody” or ordinary person, like
the reader could achieve something so
great and by writing the word
“FOREVER” in bold, further adds to the
hype of the achievement.
The plug in the bottom left corner is
highlighted with a blue circle. This is to
distinguish it from the rest of the
articles as it’s about hardware not
actual games.
By using blue for the circle they’re
telling the audience they’re intelligent
and that they know what they’re talking
about and are sincere and honest about
the topic.
Also the use of the words “ BUILD A
KILLER PC” links to the theme of the
feature article.
This suggests that there’s information
on building a PC that will give the reader
the best chance to defeat the beast.
The kickers at the bottom of the page
are about different genres of game,
which will make the magazine appeal to
a wider audience. The article “IMPROVE
YOUR AIM” will appeal to the achiever
psychographic, as by reading this article,
they could become an “FPS MASTER”.
As this is an online version of the
magazine, they don’t have to display a
barcode or price, but they have still
used the Future Publishing company’s
logo.
They’ve also added the issue number,
underneath. Although, it is useful
information, it’s not seen as important,
as a reader would look for it, so it’s
written in a very small font.

Existing
Product
The feature article is set up with the
written article on the left hand page
and the images on the write, This is a
very organised set up and looks
professional.
The running head has the word
“REVIEW” which clearly tells the
reader what type of article they are
reading.
The bold black line gives it a
professional edge and just below
that it tells the reader which game
the article is about.
The images are clear and brightly coloured to attract the
audience. They aren’t particularly relative to the article as
the article itself is mostly about the beginning of the game,
whereas these are a lot further in to the storyline, but they
do show several aspects of the game itself and give the
reader an insight into the game.
Some of the images have a caption, describing the scene
but these are very vague and short, which doesn’t give the
reader much information, and in some cases they are
written in a sarcastic manner, which isn’t very helpful.
The folio includes the brands
logo which is the same as the
masthead on the front cover,
this clearly tells the reader what
magazine they are reading. It
also shows the page number and
the what issue of magazine they
are reading. This is written in a
small font size so that it doesn’t
detract from the main article.
The colour scheme for the article is
quite minimalistic and subtle. The
main game title, the pull quote
outline and the verdict all have the
red from the brand logo, which
allows the reader to focus on the
article.
The main colour comes from the
images on the right hand page and,
additionally, there’s a yellow line
highlighting the “Festive Fun” section
which has been pulled from the
pictures.
PAGE 1 PAGE 2

Existing Product
PC Gamer Magazine, April 2019 edition, (https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/xbox-the-official-magazine-magazine-subscription/9018000029715)
To break up the text, they’ve cleverly
placed a pull quote from the article, in
the centre of the two columns and
aligned the text around it. This is also
outlined by two lines with arrows to
make it stand out. The text has been
written in a larger bold font to emphasis
the quote. Also the use of alliteration in
“resource requirements” will create
intrigue for the reader.
The heading and subheading of the
article is honest and immediately gives a
negative impression. It’s written in a
sans serif font to make it stand out and
easy to read.
In between the middle and last column,
there’s a “need to know” section, which
gives important information about the
game. This section breaks up the bulk of
text and makes it easier for the audience
to read the article without feeling
overwhelmed.
The article itself follows the common
conventions of magazine design. It’s
organised into three main columns and
separated with lines to break up the
text. This looks professional and makes it
easy for the reader to follow. It also
makes it appealing to look at.
The main body text is written in a small
readable serif font and is left aligned.
This is an informal way to set up an
article, which ties into the topic of
conversation and suits a gaming
magazine.
The article is written in an informal,
negative and honest fashion. Which
some readers may find amusing, but
also useful so that they don’t waste time
on the game. Fans of the game,
however, could be quite put off by the
article, as it clearly isn’t a game the
writer is interested in.
In the bottom left corner there’s a separate section which tells the
reader about different events that happen within the game. This is a
fun piece of extra information about an aspect of the game and will
make the reader feel like they are getting good value for money.
In the bottom right corner there’s a small summary of the game,
where the writer gives their verdict on the article and gives it a
score rating out of 100. This is a clever and consistent way to rate
games, which the audience will find useful.
The kicker features a drop cap, which
clearly shows the beginning of the
article and is used for an artistic touch.
This spans across the first five lines, with
the kicker text aligned around it. The
kicker is written in a larger, bold serif
font.
PAGE 1

Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products
have?
– Although I have researched three different products, they have all followed common conventions by lining things up
neatly and presenting the information in a structured manor. The articles and home page specifically line everything
into neat columns, so that the audience will find the information easy to follow.
– There’s a clear pattern that mastheads and headlines have generic, non-genre specific, sans serif fonts in a colour that
is bold and contrasts well with the background and feature image. They are clear to see and fit well with the theme of
the product.
– All the products have a clear colour scheme that is brightly coloured or bold to catch the audiences attention, except
the article which is more subtle, but this is so that the reader is not distracted from the article.
– Most of the products have a clear informal, light-hearted and fun tone which fits well with the gaming genre.
– My additional research on the PC Gamer magazine cover and article, further emphasises the research I’d already
done, except that PC Gamer have opted to use white for their cover lines. They still have a consistent colour scheme,
throughout the article and cover and still follow all of the common conventions, like structure, organisation of
magazine creation.
• What aspects of the research will you include within
your on work?
– When creating my products I will ensure that I follow common conventions, to ensure my products are neat,
organised and structured, as I feel this will make them easier to read and engaging for the audience.
– I will create clear titles/headlines/mastheads, using a large sans serif font, in colours that contrast well together and
with the images I use for the background and feature article.
– I will make sure that my products have a clear colour scheme throughout the entire brand, to not only grab my
audiences attention but also to create consistency and brand recognition.
– I will ensure that my products are informative but are presented in an informal, fun way that will engage the reader
and make them interesting.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From the survey results I observed that 48% of my audience are 25-44 years old, 28% are 16-24 years old and 24% are
45 years or older.
• What this says about my audience:
– This tells me that my primary target age range is 25-44 year olds and my secondary target age range is 16-24 year olds.
• How will your product appeal to this audience:
– I will feature content in my products that is informal and well written. I will stray away from using too much slang/bad
language as this could be off-putting to an older audience. I will also include content that is more informative, as an
older audience would be looking to get something from the product as opposed to viewing for leisure.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 77% of my audience are female, 22% of my audience are male and 1% of my audience
don’t identify as either.
– This tells me that my primary target gender is females and my secondary target gender is males.
– Combining this result with the favourite magazines result, I can see that although my main target audience is females, I don’t feel
that I need to make the magazine look too feminine and follow stereotypical styles to suit a female audience because they clearly
aren’t put off by a masculine theme.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From the survey results I have observed that 51% of my audience prefer PC Gamer magazine, 10% of my audience
prefer Xbox magazine, 9% prefer PlayStation magazine, 2% prefer Edge magazine and of the 28 other responses 18
people don’t read magazines, 5 said they had no preference and the last 5 named other magazines.
– This tells me that my primary audience have a preference for PC Gamer magazine and my secondary audience prefer
Xbox magazine.
– By looking at the style and conventions of the PC Gamer magazine, in my additional research, I can see that I need to
use a clear, bold masthead, a prominent feature image and article, ensure that my headline is clear and relates to the
feature image and ensure that my magazine product has a clear and consistent colour scheme and follows the
structure conventions of magazine creation.
Sample of responses for “Other”

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 28% of my audience would pay £3-£3.99 for a magazine, 24% would
pay £2-£2.99, 21% would pay £4-£4.99, 19% would pay £1-£1.99 and 8% would pay £5-£5.99.
– This tells me that my primary audience would pay £3-£3.99 and my secondary audience would pay £2-£2.99.
– Because there isn’t much difference in the percentage of who would pay £3-£3.99 and who would pay £2-
£2.99, I feel that my magazine product would be best priced at £2.99. This would allow me to appeal to a
much wider audience, because the ones that would pay more, would feel they were getting a bargain, but
people who would pay less won’t buy it if it’s a higher price. This would make my product appeal to a
working class audience, as they would be getting good value for money.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 50% of
my audience prefer simulation games, 19%
prefer action/adventure games, 17% prefer
role-playing games, 5% prefer puzzle games,
4% prefer strategy games, 3% prefer platform
games and 2% prefer sports games.
– This tells me that my primary audience would
prefer simulation games and my secondary
audience would prefer action/adventure
games, but that although they are smaller
percentages, my audience like a wide rang of
genres of games.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:
– Although my primary audience would prefer a
simulation game, I feel that this wouldn’t be
challenging for me, as I’ve already created a
simulation genre magazine. To make my
product appeal to the fans of the simulation
genre I will add in some form of “simulation
special” article, and this will allow me to use
an action/adventure game for the feature
article. To make the magazine appeal to the
other genres I will add in sub content, that
way my products will appeal to a wider
audience.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that
69% of my audience prefer PC games, 16%
prefer PlayStation games, 7% prefer Xbox
games, 5% prefer mobile games and 3%
prefer Nintendo games.
– This tells me that my primary audience are
PC gamers and my secondary audience
prefer PlayStation games.
• How will your product appeal to
this audience:
– To make my product appeal to PC gamers I
will ensure that my main feature article is
based on a PC game. To make my product
appeal to a wider audience I will ensure
that I also include content that relates to
other platforms, especially PlayStation and
Xbox as they were the next highest
percentages. Furthermore, I will also try to
include a feature article game that is
available on multiple platforms, that way it
will appeal to the majority of my audience.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 82% of my audience would read articles about old games or consoles
and for the other response, the majority said they weren’t interested in articles about older content.
– This tells me that my audience would be interested reading articles on older games or consoles.
– Combining this result with the age result, I can see a clear distinction between an older audience finding retro
articles appealing; probably because it creates nostalgia to what they played when they were younger. Taking
this into consideration, I will feature some retro content in my products to appeal to this audience, potentially
in the form of a “Blast from the Past” sub article.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 50% of my audience prefer 50/50 text to images in articles, 46% prefer 75%
text to 25% images and only 4% prefer 25% text to 75% images.
– This tells me that the majority of my audience prefer an equal ratio of text to images in articles.
– When I create my article product/s I will ensure that I create content that features a 50/50 text to image ratio. This
will ensure it appeals to at least half of my audience.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 58%
of my audience prefer to hear about gaming
news on social media, 23% prefer
blogs/websites, 14% prefer videos, 2% prefer
podcasts, 1% prefer radio, and of the other
responses, 1 person prefers TV and the final
person doesn’t follow gaming news.
– This tells me that the majority of my
audience prefer social media but there’s also
a part of my audience that are interested in
reading gaming news on blogs/websites and
by watching gaming news videos.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:
– I will create social media profiles for my
brands, where I can share links to any
gaming news articles that I create and I will
also create a gaming news blog as this will
make my brand appeal to a wider audience.

Audience research
• Observation:
– From my survey results I observed that 59.60% of my audience preferred the brand name Gamers Unite and 40.40%
preferred Gamers 4 Life. 1 person skipped the question, so I can only assume they didn’t like either choice.
– This tells me that the Gamers Unite brand name appeals the most to my audience.
– I will use this brand name across all of my products to create consistency and use it to create a clear theme that this
magazine is for all gamers and therefore uniting them with a common interest.

Interview 1
1. What genres of games do you prefer to play and why?
– I prefer first person shooter games. I normally go for the more Sci-Fi/alien style versions as they have
more imaginative weapons and good storylines.
I also like playing sports games. Football games are normally the ones I go for as they are becoming
so well created and the interactive gameplay is great.
2. What different aspects of the genres do you like and why?
– Online features in both games are one of the best parts. However, graphics and attention to detail
also play a big part in the gameplay.
3. What would inspire you to buy a first to market/first issue gaming magazine and
why?
– If the magazine focuses on areas of gaming I like, then yes. It needs to be easy to read with a lot of
illustration, as I don't have much spare time to read a magazine.
4. What would you be looking to get out of a gaming news article and why?
– Hints and tips are always handy. Also reviews of up and coming games.
5. Other than a magazine, which of the following sources would you go to, to seek
gaming news and why? Blog/website, podcast, radio, television and/or videos.
– Mostly would look online at websites and videos because it’s easier to find the information I need
online.

Interview 1
• Observation:
– From this interview I observed that this person prefers first person shooters, specifically sci-fi, and the sports genre,
specifically football. They like games with online features and good graphics.
– They would read a first to market magazine but only if it included some of the features of games that they like. Also,
they prefer articles with more pictures than text and like articles that offer hints and tips and reviews of up-and-
coming games.
– Finally, other than magazines they like to find gaming news on websites and videos.
– This tells me that my audience would buy a first to market magazine if it features articles/content that is current and
relevant in the gaming world and content that is useful in a tutorial sense. Also my audience would prefer content that
features games that fit the sci-fi first-person shooter and sports genres with online features and good graphics quality.
It also tells me that more images to text is preferred.
– To appeal to this audience, I will create products that feature some games that have online features and are visually
pleasing. I will include content that is informative and useful.
– I will consider creating some content in my products that cover the sci-fi first-person shooter and sports genres.
However, my survey results show that simulation games and action/adventure games are more favourable.
– I will consider incorporating more images into my articles with less text, but with my survey results saying they prefer
50/50 text to images, I may have to do additional research on this. I could potentially use images that breaks up the
text more, so that the reader doesn’t feel like they are reading as much.
– In order to appeal to their preference to seeing gaming news online and in videos. I will create a website that features
gaming news content. I will also consider making a video as well, as this was also one of the more favoured results in
my survey.

Interview 2
– I prefer to play action-adventure games. Because I think games as a medium are more immersive than mainstream
films and television. So being able to experience a game with a plot like a film makes it quite special.
– I enjoy the action aspects of games because it serves as escapism. Outward violence and sudden evisceration is not
treated as acceptable in mainstream society. So it's nice to have an outlet for any such urges. The adventure aspects
are much of the same but for a different reason: Games allow the player to explore exotic locales. Often places that
don't even exist, from the comfort of their own living room. In moderation this can be a thrilling experience for the
player.
3. What would inspire you to buy a first to market/first issue gaming magazine and
why?
– Insightful analysation of the game and it's themes, similar to a film review, is always enjoyable for me to read. As I
enjoy hearing other opinions on games that I enjoy.
– Original thoughts and ideas related to the content of the game. Instead of a vague review or brief summation of the
game that doesn't really offer any useful information.
5. Other than a magazine, which of the following sources would you go to, to seek
gaming news and why? Blog/website, podcast, radio, television and/or videos.
– I'd use websites like IGN to get the latest information on new games and I'd watch video game related content on
television because I always enjoy seeing two forms of mainstream media cross over and interact.

Interview 2
• Observation:
– From this interview I observed that this person prefers action/adventure games, with a detailed plot
like a film. They like games that allow escapism, especially into worlds that a person could not
normally experience in day to day life.
– They would read a first to market magazine if it includes insightful analysation of the games and
themes and if the articles offered original thoughts and ideas.
– Finally, they also seek gaming news from websites and videos on television.
– This tells me that my audience would buy a first to market magazine if it features articles/content
that offers insightful information on games and that also includes the writers thoughts and ideas on
the game. My audience would also like content about action/adventure games that feature an
immersive detailed plot and that they would also seek information from online websites and videos
on television.
– To make my products appeal to my audience, I will try to offer content that offers insightful
information that includes my thoughts and ideas on the game.
– I will create content that includes the action/adventure genre, which also links to my survey results
as the second most popular genre.
– This feedback links back to my original idea of creating a blog/website to feature gaming news, so in
order to further appeal to my audience, I will ensure that I create this product.

Interview 3
– FPS and Story Games. When I am with friends I prefer to play FPS games as they are usually simple and don't take a
lot of concentration so you can have a good time without having to concentrate too much. I prefer to play story games
when I want to be immersed into a story by myself and am willing to spend time and concentration on solving puzzles
and getting involved in the world of the characters.
– I like the simplicity and fast pace of FPS games. As I mentioned they are often simple in concept , e.g. get gun, use gun
to shot baddies etc. I like story games for their inherently slower pace. They develop over a period of time and allow
you to really feel like you're being immersed and learning about that world. (Games such as the portal series, Little
nightmares, Limbo, Inside, Outlast and Outlast Whistleblower etc.)
3. What would inspire you to buy a first to market/first issue gaming magazine and why?
– If there was content in there relating to the games that I really enjoyed. If it had general information about a variety of
upcoming games. Or simply if it had posters or branded content relating to games that I enjoyed. (or just games that
are popular at the time as it is easier to market this to a wider audience)
– I'd want to be updated on what's new on the market in-terms of software and hardware. Maybe two or 3 games from
a few different genres that are coming out this year. (e.g. three fps games, three story games, three MOBA games,
three grand strategy games etc.) I think if you buy a gaming magazine you already are interested in the world of
gaming, therefore the content would constantly have to offer value that I wouldn't find outside of that magazine,
again, branded content, collectors editions, newer seen before style content etc.
5. Other than a magazine, which of the following sources would you go to, to seek gaming
news and why? Blog/website, podcast, radio, television and/or videos.
– Probably Videos Podcasts and websites. Websites are the easiest, this is because once you find a website that has
consistency in its posts and those posts are credible, whenever you need to quickly find something out you can go
there and find the answers you need. Podcasts are great as they are a passive way of taking in information. You can
listen to the latest gaming news or up and coming products (etc) while doing house work or sports etc. Videos are
more for game previews or explaining more complex things by using visual aid. However, I would say that videos and
website should blend into one to be effective.

Interview 3
• Observation:
– From this interview I observed that this person prefers first person shooters and story based games. They
like easy to play games that they can play with their friends and more immersive games that they can play
on their own.
– They would read a first to market magazine if it includes articles about a wide range of genres and features
games that are current and up and coming. They would also read articles about new or soon to be released
software and hardware relating to gaming and they like magazines that include posters or branded and
branded content.
– Finally, they would also seek gaming news from videos, podcasts and websites and think that the three
could be combined to make an effective product.
– This tells me that my audience would buy a first to market magazine if it features articles/content that offers
articles on a wide range of genres, but specifically covering first person shooters and games with story based
plots. My audience also likes different styles of games, specifically, easy to play games that have co-operative
features and solo games with immersive storylines and gameplay. Furthermore, my audience like to seek
information from videos, podcasts and websites and/or a combination of the three.
– To make my product appeal to my audience, I will ensure that my magazine covers a wide range of genres
and I will try to incorporate the first person shooter genre, within the magazine cover. I will try my best to
include content that covers a game that features co-operative gameplay, as well as games for the solo gamer.
– This third interview, further adds to the importance for me to also create a blog/ website featuring gaming
news.
– Furthermore, videos were the third most popular choice for where to seek gaming news, so if I have
additional time to spare for production, I will endeavour to create gaming news video.

Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
Primary: 25-44 years
Secondary: 16-24 years
• I will ensure my gaming news products are informative, well written and
don’t contain any slang/bad language to appeal to an older audience. I will
also include some content relating to a retro product to elicit feelings of
nostalgia.
• To also appeal to a younger audience I will create content that is current
and relevant and also create social media accounts as younger people tend
to use a lot of social media.
Gender
Primary: Female
Secondary: Male
• I will create products that aren’t stereotypically feminine but will still
appeal to female gamers. Furthermore, I will feature a game with a female
lead character, that they may inspire to be like, all of which would not be
exclusive of males.
Psychographic
Primary: Belongers
Secondary: Needs driven
• By using the brand name “Gamers Unite” I will create a clear community
message that this magazine is for all gamers which will ensure that my
product will appeal to the belongers psychographic as they like to feel part
of a community.
• My product will also appeal to the needs driven psychographic by using
words like “exclusive” and “win”, as they are impulsive and don’t like to
miss out on opportunities.
Social Status
Primary: Working class
Secondary: Middle class
• By offering my magazine at a lower price, it will ensure that my magazine
will appeal to the working class as they will be able to afford to buy it. I will
also make my product appeal to the middle class, by following common
magazine conventions and ensuring that I create a good quality content.

Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research. Discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of each method
– Product Research
• For my primary research I analysed a print magazine feature article. For my secondary product research I
analysed two magazine covers (one new and one old) and a gaming news website. I also carried out additional
secondary product research on a PC Gamer magazine cover and article.
• A strength of conducting primary and secondary research was that it gave me an insight into how these
products are set up and what conventions they follow in order to look professional and appeal to the audience.
From it I learned that you need a clear, attractive colour scheme, a strong lead character for the feature image,
clear attractive headlines and generally good informative information, presented in a fun informal manner.
• A weakness of conducting product research is that it was quite time consuming to search for real products, as
there is a lot of fake content online. I struggled to find a real magazine article online to analyse, without
purchasing one, so in the end I had to source one from the library. I then had to browse through the magazine
to find a suitable article and scan it so that I had a digital copy. This was very time consuming and I feel the time
could have been better spent, moving onto the pre-production planning of my project.
– Questionnaires
• By conducting quantitative research, in the form of surveys, I was able to get a clear view of what audience my
products would appeal to and what content would appeal to them the most.
• A weakness was that although I managed to get 100 responses, fairly quickly, the majority of the people who
answered were female and I struggled to get more males to fill out the survey.
• Another weakness was that some of the people who filled out the survey are interested in gaming and seeking
gaming news, but they aren’t particularly interested in reading a gaming magazine, so some of the answers
were unhelpful.
• The answers from quantitative surveys are limited to yes or no or single choice answers; it may have been
better to use multiple choice answers, especially when asking which genre of game they prefer or what gaming
magazine they like to read.
• Although, in some way helpful, I’m not convinced that the scale on which I was able to conduct the quantitative
research is really that helpful. Had I been able to put the survey out to a wider audience, I feel that the results
would be entirely different. For example, a lot of people that answered were female, had I had more male
responses it probably would have resulted in a different genre of game being the most popular.

Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research. Discuss the strengths and
weaknesses of each method
– Questionnaires (Continued)
• Furthermore, I already had an idea for a game that I wanted to be the feature of my magazine, but from looking
at the survey results, I am now having to rethink the idea because the game does not fit into the most popular
genres results.
• Without going through every individual response and creating a tally of responses, it’s hard to tell which
answers relate to each specific gender or age range.
– Interviews
• To help me with the finer details about what my audience wants out of a gaming news magazine, I conducted
qualitative research in the form of interviews.
• A weakness was that it was difficult to find people to ask, that I knew were interested in gaming magazines and
that are able to give detailed enough answers. Unlike the survey, it took me a long time to find people that
would answers questions in more detail. This could be that interview style questions make some people feel
uncomfortable because they have to give their personal opinions.
• A strength of conducting interviews is that the answers given are more detailed and offer a lot more insight into
what that person likes and dislikes as opposed to quantitative surveys, whereby the answers are very limited.
• A weakness of conducting qualitative interviews is that the answers are only based on one persons opinions
and therefore, don’t accurately represent a wider audience. Also the answers given, being from only one
person, may not reflect the choices from conducting a related survey. Therefore, you have to choose whether
to disregard this one persons opinion, because their opinion is a minority or include their input into what kind
of products you create, which may not be appealing to a wider audience.

Research Evaluation
• What sort of a response did you get?
– In terms of quantity, with 100 responses, I feel this was a very good result. In terms of quality, I’m not
sure that the responses accurately reflect the real world audience.
– The majority of the 100 people who filled out the survey were female and almost half of the
responses were from people aged between 25-44 years old.
– 51% of the 100 people prefer reading PC Gamer magazine. The results for how much they would pay
didn’t have much difference. The two with a higher percentage were: 28% would pay £3-£3.99 and
24% would pay £2-£2.99. The majority of the people would read articles about retro games or
consoles. For the text to image ration in articles, 50 people prefer 50/50 text to image and 46 people
prefer 75% text to 25% image.
– Half of the 100 people prefer simulation games and an almost equal amount like action/adventure
and role-playing games and the majority are pc gamers, as opposed to console gamers.
• How did you distribute your survey? Give an advantage and a
disadvantage
– From conducting a survey in my personal project, I knew that this time I really had to target the right
audience to get decent, useful results from the survey. To get more relevant responses I needed
gamers to answer my gaming news research survey, so I posted the link to my survey on my personal
twitter account, as everyone that follows me is interested in gaming in some capacity.
– An advantage of this is that I was able to get 100 responses quite quickly, which gave me more
defined answers.
– The disadvantage to this was that even though I’d found a suitable target audience to fill out the
survey, they didn’t all read magazines or, in some cases, don’t like to read at all.

2. FMP Research

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2. FMP Research

Editor's Notes