The document summarizes the research of existing videos about video games. It discusses 4 videos analyzed in terms of style, content, and inspiration for the author's own video. The styles ranged from simple voiceover with pictures to longer videos incorporating humor and interviews. While some focused only on facts, others balanced facts with entertainment. The author found ideas for shot types and structure from the videos. The summary provides insights into different video styles and how they will inform the author's choices.

1. Factual Research
Mel Nuttall

2. Existing Product Research
• Research existing products/topics for your production and
production methods.
• This could be quite broad to begin with, but should focus
down to relevant examples [in terms of styles, techniques
and content].
• Consider your audience, what do they expect, what
techniques and content will interest them.
• Summarise your findings before generating your own initial
ideas for this project.
• Your summary should consider what your research has
provided and how this is useful to you and your production.
• Add more slides – this is encouraged!

3. Existing Product
The video by Buzzle.com used a simple short video on what kinds of impacts video games
can have on children and young people. I’m predominantly looking at content from the
video, rather than editing styles for what I might do. I found it to be rather simple as it
didn’t use any footage to show this, but just picture with text beside it that is a summary of
what the narrator is saying. The sound is rather boring too, as it just used a voice over with
the text typed into a voice reader. I didn’t like this very much as the voice was monotonous
and didn’t sound real so I got bored of listening to it quite quickly, and in places it was
difficult to hear and understand. The text itself sounded more like it was read from
Wikipedia and didn’t go into a lot of detail about the effects that games, but just listed
them and moved on. It was also clear that the person writing the script didn’t play video
games themselves. The video talked about how action games made children more violent.
Since I play video games myself, I wouldn’t consider myself as a violent person and I actually
use it to help me release any frustration on games through knowing that it’s not real but I
would never repeat any of this in real life. However, this could depend on the age of the
person and maturity, which is something I would have to talk about and explain in detail.
[ 1 ]

4. Existing Product
This video is much closer to the style of
content that I am considering as one of
my ideas. The video talked less about
the health aspects of video games like
the other video, but more focused on
why people play games and therefore
how understandable it is to become
addicted easily. The content that
actually explained and went into the
depth and detail of why we want to play video games bases on what sort of games we
like were interesting and could be something I can mention when doing my own film.
However, the actual style of the video over the 14 minutes I found to be quite boring
after a while and confusing. Since the YouTube channel was at a million subscribers at
the time, they had several other people involved that didn’t really make sense not
knowing who they were and was a little overwhelmed by it. And the video was either
just video of gameplay and while the animations used were very good, there wasn’t any
original footage which is definitely something I want and need to do. It’s predominantly
found footage and a voice over. If I do this style it is likely that I will have an amount of
found footage to help explain it, but also plenty of original footage to balance it out.
[ 2 ]

5. If I were to make a video in this style, I could take a lot of inspiration from the video in
terms of content, but have less of a focus on that type of humour as to a new person
to the types of videos, it wasn’t that funny at all. Humour is something I could think
about including however as it may add a different, more light hearted twist to prevent
the film potentially being a little boring. And it’s not something typically associated
with a factual video since the point is to be educational rather than entertaining. But,
if I’m able to try to merge the two so it is still predominantly explaining my point but I
can also add an entertaining factor, then it could be a nice addition to my film.

6. Existing Product
GamerHubTV is a really good
inspiration as to the style of
video that I think would be a
good balance of types of shots I
will include in my video. The
video opens with a wider shot
where a person can clearly be
seen to be playing a video game
from the sofa. The narration then starts with the opening to the video. The camera then
zoomed in to focus in on other parts or viewpoints, such as on the controller for the game
or another view of the screen e.g. over a person’s shoulder or just the screen. By having
shots from a few different angles but not staying on any one for too long without changing
is a good way of keeping the video moving and keeping the viewer’s attention, rather than
it seeming to drag on with the same viewpoint and clip throughout the video. These styles
of shots are what I was thinking of using for my own video. When the video got to a point
when they wanted to go to another person for their opinion, it cut to an interview style
when the person started to speak. But to make sure that it doesn’t get boring just watching
the interviewee talking, but the video cuts back to the original footage of the person
[ 3 ]

7. playing games that is relevant to what the interviewee is saying. Then at different
sections throughout the interview, it moves back to the person to draw attention
back to them. This is a much better way of constructing the video, especially for the
timeframe that I would have. The actual content for the video is less related however
to what I would like to include in my own film. I am considering the idea of talking
about why video games are addictive, but less in the manner from how that leads to
problems as told by an expert and more from the perspective of gamers. To see if the
amount they play is healthy and if they consider themselves addicted for example.

8. Existing Product
This video is quite similar to one
of my games in terms of content
for one of the topics I’m
considering for my film. It is
similar to another one I’ve
looked at and in a similar style,
but I found this one to be easier
to watch for a wider audience.
Like a lot of the other videos, the construct is footage from playing games and already
existing images rather than another I looked at that used a camera with original footage.
There seems to be a common theme that the channels who are predominantly factual
based do seem to be a bit shorter in length as they are right to the point and don’t vary off
onto other sub topics. The channels that are that are specifically game based use more of
these types of videos, possibly being a bit longer, going off a bit of topic and using more
humour to go along with their factual points. However even while doing this they still
make plenty of factual points, it is just less obvious along with what the rest of the video is
saying. This is something that this video does quite well as the points still have factual
origins but is also able to make the video entertaining by using humour and clips from
games that emphasise the points he is making.
[ 4 ]

9. Research summary
From the different existing videos on video games I researched, I found out
that there are lots of different styles of films that have been used for the
boarder topic of video games. The first video I researched I found to be great
in terms of facts and keeping to the points they were trying to make. But the
way it was presented I found to be a bit boring as the voice over was a bit
difficult to understand and the video itself seemed to not always keep up
correctly and showed repeated images and text that didn’t quite match the
voiceover. So I’ll bear the video in mind but it is unlikely that I will take a lot of
inspiration from this video. Two of the other videos I looked at were similar in
style and I found to be entertaining in places while also listening to the factual
points that could still be made along with the humour. This is something I’m
going to hopefully consider including, but only if I feel that it appropriate,
depending on how I decide to end up taking my film. With some styles, it
might be less appropriate than others. For example the first one I looked at
probably won’t suit the humour as much, but the others may suit some
humour occasionally if the point is light hearted or would entertain the
audience. I won’t however include humour if I feel that it is there for the sake
of being there. The final style that I looked at didn’t use any existing pictures

10. Research summary
or footage that existed on the internet already like the other styles I looked at
that did use those. The video was within the time limits for my film, so it
helped give me an idea for the opportunity to be able to say what I might
want to say in my time available. This was also the only type that included an
interview. Being something I’m considering for my film, I will probably take
inspiration from their layout to use for my own in terms of shot types, cuts
and timings etc.

11. Initial Ideas

12. Idea 1
Why video games can be good for your health

13. Idea 2
Why do we play video games?

14. Bibliography
1. Buzzle. (2016). Effects of Video Games on Children That Many are Not Aware Of. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvTS3oOihbo. Last accessed 23rd September 2018.
2. The Game Theorists. (2013). Game Theory: Why You Play Video Games. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyUC_28HIvA&t=745s. Last accessed 23rd September 2018.
3. GamerHubTV. (2013). Why Video Games Are Addictive. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHFh_tZaaEA. Last accessed 23rd September 2018.
4. Bluebarian. (2014). Why do we play video games?. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4LmP5-zkVk. Last accessed 23rd September 2018.