This document discusses several media theories including cultivation theory, uses and gratifications theory, and inoculation theory. It also discusses several media scholars and their works. It then provides examples of how independent and amateur game developers can create popular games thanks to tools available on the internet. Specific games mentioned that gained popularity this way include Undertale and Yandere Simulator. The document also discusses how online multiplayer games allow global participation and how old and new media have converged in gaming.

1. Georgina Gilbey
A2 Media Studies
A revision presentation

2.  CULTIVATION THEORY > The idea that media = reality
 USES & GRATIFICATIONS
> Personal Identity, Information, Entertainment
 INOCULATION THEORY
> Desensitization
 MEDIA EFFECTS MODEL/HYPODERMIC SYRINGE
> Accepting whatever is depicted

3.  DAVID GAUNTLETT – Web 2.0, Prosumerism
 CHRIS ANDERSON – Long Tail Theory
 HENRY JENKINS – Convergence + Participatory Culture
 MARC PRENSKY – Digital Natives
 [old] MARSHALL MCLUHAN – Global Village
 DAN GILMOR – Citizen Journalism
 DAVID BUCKINGHAM – Fragmented identities

4.  Game developers can hire volunteers from the
internet to do voice acting, character design
and coding.
 Even amateurs can make popular games thanks
to the internet.
 Examples: Undertale, Yandere Simulator

5.  Undertale was released on Steam in September 2015 but
really took off in 2016.
 YouTuber play-throughs of the game are now very common
and very popular, and the fan-base grew massively.
 Fans can engage in participation culture by making fan-art,
spin-off games and battle simulators.
 Some even take the characters and make their own
animations with intricate storylines. The creator, Toby Fox,
gives permission for this.
 What makes it a prime example of the power of the internet
especially is the fact that it was a Kickstarter project!
 It had a $5,000 goal and raised just over $50k!

6.  There are innumerable popular online games (MMORPGs) and
games that run from online servers to allow you to play
against people all over the world.
 Web 2.0: we can be social through these games and working
together to accomplish a goal
 Examples: Runescape, Hearthstone...

7.  The over-sexualisation of characters
There is an ongoing debate that video game characters are over-
sexualised, especially in the fantasy genre.
 Going by the hypodermic needle theory, video games are much too
violent and the younger generations are vulnerable to trying to copy
the violence depicted. Similarly, it can be argued that people get
desensitized (inoculation theory) after a long period of exposure to
these images (e.g Grand Theft Auto).
 Piracy is a problem in almost all media industries. Games can be
‘torrented’ and played for free, meaning less money goes to creators.
> In the past, when computers were more integrated into society and
most homes had one, there were many campaigns made to dissuade
people from copying games and even predicted “the end of the
computer age” (Don’t Copy That Floppy).

9.  With the convergence of technology and the
internet, the world of gaming has grown
immensely.
 You can have games on your phone, tablet,
laptop, computer, etc, not just a console. The
power is with the consumer.
 Old media and new media can be mixed together
– for example, a TV (old media) with a console
(new media) or using a phone to listen to music
rather than a more traditional MP3 player.

10.  People can make parodies
of their favourite games,
stream themselves
playing it on platforms
such as Twitch and have
live viewers talking to
them at the same time,
or upload videos of
themselves playing it to
YouTube. The possibilities
are endless with the
internet.