1. Learning Objectives:
Institutions and audiences revision:
• Revise the structure of the videogame
industry.
• Understand how to create a quick and
simple essay plan for this part of the
exam.

2. Publisher
• The publisher is responsible for licensing the
rights and the concept on which the game is to
be based. Large publishers/developers also
handle both the marketing and distribution
themselves. However, small developers
normally use a distributor.
• In the international game industry, the publisher
and the developer are generally the same
concern. For example, the large American game
publisher Electronic Arts (EA) owns a number of
development companies that develop games
based on licences EA has obtained.

3. Developers
• Some developers started as companies
that developed games on contract.
• Today, the great majority of developers
are independent game companies that
develop games based on their own rights,
and publish the games themselves. Some
game companies can thus be regarded as
both publishers and developers.

4. The Distributor
• The job of the distributor involves
marketing the game, handling packaging
and transport and in some cases providing
user support. The international publishers
sometimes function as distributors for
small game developers. In such cases, the
distributor owns no rights to the product,
but helps in making it available on the
market.

5. Sales channels and distribution
• Traditional (offline)
• Digital (online) (either net trading, download, or online
games with monthly fee)
• Online sales channels have helped to lowered barriers -
developers can now distribute their games on the
Internet without needing to be associated with a
distributor.
• Distribution process is still demanding:
– marketing
– choosing a payment solution must be chosen
– security aspects (e.g. illegal copying)
– packaging and dispatching

6. End users and audience
• Lots of options
• Purchase largely dependent on hardware
• Convergence allows for devices intended
for another to use to be used for gaming
(e.g. smartphones).

7. Which companies do what?
• Rockstar is a developer and publisher.
• Take – Two is a developer, publisher and
distributor.
• Ubisoft is a developer and publisher.
• EA is a developer, publisher and distributor.
• Zynga is a developer (Farmville, Words with
Friends)
• Chillingo is a publisher now owned by EA (Angry
Birds, Cut the Rope).

8. Approaching an exam question
• Read the question. Highlight and
annotate any key words.
• Decide what you will include in your plan.
You always need to aim for 5 paragraphs
in total, including an intro and
conclusion, so you need 3 main areas in
your essay.

9. ‘Media production is dominated
by global institutions, which sell
their products and services to
national audiences’.
TO what extent do you agree with
this statement?

10. Approaching an exam question
1. Plan to mention at least two games, and both
our case study institutions.
3. Mark on your plan where you can use
technical terms (convergence, synergy, vertical
and horizontal integration, streaming, social
networking, etc).
5. Intro: Explain which industry and which
institutions you are going to discuss in a brief
introduction. (e.g. videogames, Ubisoft and
Rockstar).

11. Writing your answer
1. Constantly link your response to the
question. Use key words from the
question at the start of each paragraph.
3. Try to mention and compare both our
case study institutions in each
paragraph. Use specific examples.

12. Homework
• Complete the exam question.
• Spend 45 minutes writing your answer.
• Due in Tuesday 1st May.