The researcher conducted product research by analyzing existing video game posters to understand how they conveyed story and appeal through visual elements like color and silhouettes. Questionnaires and interviews provided insights into gamers' preferences, though low survey response was a limitation. Overall the research illuminated key aspects to include in an appealing poster.

1. Research
Your Name

2. Existing Product: Shadow Of
The Colossus
Colour
When looking at the colour scheme
for this poster of Shadow Of The
Colossus the colour scheme is quite
simple but very effective. For
example the main character is
shown in a white almost like the
character has a heavenly presence.
This clearly showing the difference
between the main character and
the colossus he is stood on. The
colossus is mainly black showing
that he is the bad guy, I can also see
this as there are arrows stuck in
him, clearly showing that people
have fought it before. Yet it has blue
eyes, which might show that not
everything is as it seems with the
colossus. This is very effective
because at first glance the poster is
just very black and white which can
also show that the storyline might
just be quite simple, but when
seeing the blue it shows me that
the story line is going to have some
mystery involved, which drawers
players in.
Audience Appeal
I think this poster has a big
audience appeal as at first it
may seem very black and
white but there is a lot of
mystery that also surrounds
this poster too. I think as
someone who plays a lot of
video games, players want a
story driven narrative
shrouded by mystery. This
poster is giving the players
what they want and that’s
why this game is seen as a
classic.

3. Existing Product: Red Dead
Redemption
Colour
When looking at the colour
scheme for this poster of Red
Dead Redemption the colour
scheme is quite simple but very
effective. The border of the poster
is white which seems to be
creeping in on the red almost
getting rid of it. The red represents
the blood that surrounds the main
character John Marston, who was
a criminal and is now trying to be
a good man. This is also
represented by John’s gun turning
white and another silhouette
inside him turning white. This is
clearly showing that he is battling
with himself to be good, this can
be seen by the blackness that is
still in his silhouette. This is
showing that John is changing,
hence the title Red Dead
Redemption. This game is about
his redemption, which you can see
just from the colours, you don’t
even need to see the title to know
what the plot is.
Audience Appeal
I think this poster has a big
audience appeal as it is a western
game, a lot of video game players
love the western theme, it also
has a lot of action involved,
everyone loves western
standoffs, riding horses and
saloons. Yet the main point of the
game is to play through John’s
redemption, you get to decide
what road John goes down,
whether he become a good
person or stay on his criminal
path. This means the game
creates a different narrative for
everyone that plays, this draws in
players because of the replay
ability of the story, how many
different outcomes you can have
whilst playing. This also creates a
community where everyone talks
about the different experiences
they have had.

4. Existing Product: Tomb Raider
Colour
The main colour scheme of this
poster is very dark, which
shows the feeling of the
unknown that Lara is feeling,
as this game is about her
origin. The feeling of unknown
also creates the feeling of
mystery and fear, which is
what exactly Lara feels in the
game, the poster shows Lara's
emotions through the colour
scheme.
Audience Appeal
I think this poster has a big
audience appeal as it has a lot of
mystery surrounding it, this
attracts audiences because a lot
of video game players like
mystery, especially when you are
thrown right into the middle of
it.

5. Existing Product (pre 1990):
Contra
Colour
The colour scheme for
Contra is seems very bland, I
think this because it’s trying
to sell itself as a horror
game, which would explain
the colours because if it was
a different type of game the
colours would have been
brighter. The soldiers in the
poster are coloured in lighter
colours compared to the
alien in the background
which is in a bronze colour.
The difference in colour
between them clearly shows
that the soldiers are the
good guys and the aim of the
game is to defeat the aliens.
Audience Appeal
I think this poster would have
had a lot of appeal when it
came out as it has two very
big elements of the 80’s. It
has an alien which looks like
the Xenomorph from the film
Alien, and the soldiers look
like they are from Predator,
these were two very big alien
films in the 80’s. Therefore
this would have had a big
appeal to audiences and fans
of both films.

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
– The products that I have researched all have the common
feature of telling the story through the colour scheme that
has been used in the poster, three of the posters also use
silhouettes for the main characters to express the story.
• What aspects of the research will you include within your on
work?
– In my work I will use the silhouettes and the expression
through colour that I have gathered from the posters I
have analysed in my research.

7. Questionnaire Analysis

8. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that the audience of video game
players is mixed between men and women.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my
audience is mixed between both genders.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Being a
gamer I have a good insight to the industry and what gamers are always asking for,
therefore I will use this insight to make my poster appealing to the audience.

9. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that video game players are mixed
in ages.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my
audience is very mature therefore I can make a mature poster but keep it within
the ASA rules.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Now
knowing that my audience is mature I will be able to add a mature theme that will
make it appealing for them.

10. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that everyone who answered my
survey enjoys to play video games.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my audience
enjoy to play video games.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I also enjoy
playing video games so I have an insight into how I can design my poster knowing that
other video game players will enjoy it.

11. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that video game audiences like to
play story driven games and games with their friends.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my
audience like to play story driven games and multiplayer games.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: From
the poster I will make my game look very story driven and playable with friends.

12. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that the PS4 is a popular console.
• What this says about my audience: This says that my audience
that answered the survey use the same console.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will
advertise the game as being a PS4 exclusive to attract my audience.

13. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that the audience that answered
my survey enjoy horror games and FPS games.
• What this says about my audience: This says that my audience
likes to get scared and shoot thing up.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I am
making a poster for a zombie first person shooter so this will attract my audience.

14. Audience research
• Observation:From observation I can see that the audience have explained why
they like these genre of games.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my audience
have explained why they like these types of genres of video games.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will make
my poster with a few horror elements but make sure it advertises to multiplayer too.

15. Audience research
• Observation: From this observation I can see that my audience knows what they
look for in a poster.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my audience
knows what they look for when looking at posters of video games.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will take in
what the audience has said about what they look for and add it to my poster so my
poster will appeal to them.

16. Audience research
• Observation: From observation I can see that the audience knows how they
would design their own posters.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that my audience
know how they would design their own posters.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: I will take in
what my audience has said and put it into my poster to attract them towards the poster.

17. Interviews

18. Interview 1
• 1) How often do you play video games ?
• Every couple of days.
• 2) What kind of games do you enjoy ?
• First person shooters and battle royale style games.
• 3) Do you enjoy playing video games with friends ?
• Yes, I play games with friends all the time.
• 4) What attracts you to video game posters ?
• Dark colours, mystery and story.
• 5) What do you enjoy the most about video games ?
• How fun they are to play.

19. Interview 1
• Observation: From observation I can see that the person that
answered this interview is experienced in playing video games.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that
my audience has been plying video games for many years and still do so
they know what that they look for when looking for a new video game.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will make my poster appeal to my audience by taking in
what they said they look for in a poster to attract them to it.

20. Interview 2
• 1) How often do you play video games ?
• Once every week.
• 2) What kind of games do you enjoy ?
• Action/Adventure games.
• 3) Do you enjoy playing video games with friends ?
• Sometimes I do, depending on the game.
• 4) What attracts you to video game posters ?
• Bright colours that get my attention.
• 5) What do you enjoy the most about video games ?
• Being able to save the world or find long lost artefacts.

21. Interview 2
• Observation: From observation I can see that the person that
answered this interview is a casual video game player.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that
my audience is a mixture of experienced and casual players. It also shows
that both audiences know what they look for in video games.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will take in results from both interviews and add both
elements to my poster as to attract both audiences.

22. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
18-30 year olds • I can use mature content to appeal to my
audience as it is a mature audience.
Gender
Male and Females • Because my audience is a mixture of both
genders I can use content that will appeal to
both.
Psychographic
Consumers • By knowing that I am aiming my product at
consumers of video games I can look at very
popular and existing products and take
elements to attract consumers towards my
poster.
Social Status
Middle Class • I could advertise the game with a cheap
price tag to draw in my audience as they are
middle class so they don’t have a lot of
money to spend on video games.

23. Research Evaluation

24. Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research. Discuss the
strengths and weaknesses of each method
– Product Research
• I found product research quite easy to do because I found some video game poster that were
easily analysed, I was able to analyse them fully through the colour, title and characters. I
analysed the appeal it had on it its audience through using the colours that it did and how it
represented itself. One disadvantage of this method that I found was analysing video game
posters pre 1990. I found this difficult because they didn’t use much colour so it wasn’t as easy
to analyse it compared to newer posters.
– Questionnaires
• I made a survey using the website survey monkey, I posted 10 questions on my survey for
people to go and answer. One disadvantage of my survey was that I only got two responses on
my survey, yet an upside to that disadvantage is that my responses were from experienced
gamers so I did get a good insight into what other consumers of video games look for in
posters.
– Interviews
• One advantage of the interviews is that I found out more information from consumers on what
they look for in a video game poster, what attracts them to it. Therefore I can use the
consumers interests and put them into my poster so I attract the consumers towards my
poster.

25. Research Evaluation
– What sort of a response did you get?
• From my survey and the interviews that I conducted I got detailed responses. I
now know what gamers look for when looking at new video games and new
posters, I have to make it dark and mysterious but very eye catching at the
same time.
– How did you distribute your survey? Give an advantage and a disadvantage
• I distributed my survey by posting the link to it on Blackboard so students that
do my course will be able to access the survey and fill it out. One disadvantage
of this was that I only got two responses when I was hoping for more. One
advantage of this was that I got very detailed responses in my interview so I
was able to learn more about what elements consumers look for in video
game posters.