Glossary of Terms – Construction Analysis
Media text- Media text refers to anything
related to media that the audience can consume to learn about a certain piece
of media i.e. newspapers, advertisements, magazines and games etc...
Semiotics- Semiotics is the study of reading
signs and/or interpreting them when related to media texts. This could be a map
marker in a game leading you to the objective like in The Last of Us or a dance direction like in Just Dance.
Genre- A genre is the style of a certain
type of media, for example, an “action” movie or a “survival horror” game like The Last of Us.
Content- Content is what is shown to the
audience and what is typically expected to be seen when related to the genre
and game. For example, in a gritty survival-horror game like The Last of Us, you’d
expect to see abandoned cars and groans of zombies.
Construction- The construction of content refers to
how the content is set out or produced. This could be in the form or a
narrative or through on screen prompts like in Just Dance.
Codes and conventions- Codes are signs which create meaning
and can either be technical or symbolic. Conventions are the generally accepted
ways of doing or presenting something and can be genre specific, Like in The Last of Us, the game is very gritty and dark much like all survival horror games, whilst Just Dance is bright and colorful.
Mode of address- Modes of addresses in games relate to
what perspective you are told information which is mostly used for the
audiences benefit. In Just Dance, you are told from an omniscient narrator that
gives you tips on how you are doing. In the last of us, the main character,
“Joel” speaks to himself or his companion “Ellie” to convey information to the
player.
Target demographic- The target demographic is the
audience that the game is aimed towards.
The Last of Us vs Just Dance Comparison:
The Last of Us:
Genre - The Last of Us is a survival horror/action game
Content - As The Last of Us is set in post apocalyptic setting, you'd typically expect to see abandoned cars, zombies shambling through desecrated streets.
Construction - Has a linear story line that is very narrative focused, with the story revolving around a zombie apocalypse.
Narrative conventions - The game play is a mix of stealth and action switching between sneaking past zombies and having a full blown shootout with bandits
Common codes - The game includes elements of combat with gunfights and melee combat being very prominent within the game, much like other survival horror and action games.
Content - As The Last of Us is set in post apocalyptic setting, you'd typically expect to see abandoned cars, zombies shambling through desecrated streets.
Construction - Has a linear story line that is very narrative focused, with the story revolving around a zombie apocalypse.
Narrative conventions - The game play is a mix of stealth and action switching between sneaking past zombies and having a full blown shootout with bandits
Common codes - The game includes elements of combat with gunfights and melee combat being very prominent within the game, much like other survival horror and action games.
Just Dance:
Genre - Just Dance is a rhythm/party/dance game
Content - You would tend to see dancers with flashy backgrounds and big, bright text saying words like "cool" and "awesome" to rate your performance.
Construction - Has a list of songs that the player can chose from and dance to. May also download extra songs from the marketplace. Players copy the on screen dancers and try to mimic them as best as they can by performing the same actions in front of a camera.
Narrative conventions - Game play consists of dancing to various songs and trying to get the best score that you can. No story would be expected from a a game like this, although future songs would be added as dlc to keep the game current.
Common codes - This game, like many other rhythm games, has on screen prompts telling you what button press or move to make. Also, It gives feedback to what you're doing through the use of words like "awesome" or "Bad" based on how well you hit the prompts.
Content - You would tend to see dancers with flashy backgrounds and big, bright text saying words like "cool" and "awesome" to rate your performance.
Construction - Has a list of songs that the player can chose from and dance to. May also download extra songs from the marketplace. Players copy the on screen dancers and try to mimic them as best as they can by performing the same actions in front of a camera.
Narrative conventions - Game play consists of dancing to various songs and trying to get the best score that you can. No story would be expected from a a game like this, although future songs would be added as dlc to keep the game current.
Common codes - This game, like many other rhythm games, has on screen prompts telling you what button press or move to make. Also, It gives feedback to what you're doing through the use of words like "awesome" or "Bad" based on how well you hit the prompts.
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