The nature and purposes of research in the creative media industry.
Types of Research:
Quantitative/Qualitative;
- Quantitative data is numerical and can be presented on the graph, or display values in the form of symbols on charts. Quantitative research is conducted by using closed-question surveys which provides you with quantifiable data. In general, this data is more objective and comparable. In the context of games, the production team would use this form of data to assess the budget, workload and deadlines. After careful analysis on each workers daily out put the team manager may assess how much time is necessary to complete a project. Having a planned work journal is the back-bone of each production. EA clearly disagree, releasing unfinished games and then making all the DLC's expensive to milk dry their customers who cant play the games if they don't buy the DLC's. By analysing the quantifiable statistics such as previous sales or youtube likes on trailers, big companies can roughly estimate how many copies of the game will be bought and as there is is a limited amount of triple-A games, they can earn more as they are certain most players will still purchase the DLC's. Then again the dislikes for a trailer post the game release proves that planing ahead and finishing games is vital to games success.
- Qualitative data is usually presented in written form. The research is conducted by using open-question questionnaires which provides subjective data making less reliable and not quantifiable. Qualitative data however, holds a great amount of detail that can't be found in quantitative data. For example, a review for a game could also hold suggestions how to improve a game and point out its short comings, so its directing the production teams to areas that need improvement while, likes only say whether someone likes it or not. Thats also why anybody developing a game will have a team, or personally scan the different forums and social media to find opinions and reviews not only on their games but, also for similarly themed games to see what the audience wants to later appeal to the buyers taste. For example, in MOBA's (Multi-player Online Battle Arena) champions are constantly reevaluated some skills are toned down so there is no distinct advantage between different champions. Of course, this is impossible which is why developers such as Riot Games must constantly analyse the complaints and advice that full time players have to offer. Riot Games offer discussion boards where players may contribute their opinions on the game.
Method of Research:
Primary / Secondary;
- Primary Research is new research that is collected by the use of questionnaires and surveys to name a few. This means this form of research is the generation of new data. The definition of this type of research is the methodology of collecting data directly from a primal source. In the case of games, primary research may be conducted by personally by reviewing games and playing them yourself. The data collected then is your own and the conclusions your make about your game are what you can later use to improve it. You may assess the quality of the assets and eliminate any glitches.
- Secondary Research is the summary or a compilation of already existing research. It uses primary data as a source for further analysis. A common source for secondary data includes textbooks, encyclopaedias and review articles. This is incredibly useful for data collection when developers are deciding on the theme and character in the game. To make interesting lore and environment for their games. The research then may be drawn from history, myths and legends where its really hard to obtain primary information. If the developers are very dedicated, they may contact museum and professors to get the most reliable sources of secondary information on their themes. In most cases however, developers of most indie games settle for a google image search and wikipedia.Purpose of Research:
Audience/Market/Production;
- Audience. As with everything a person wants to present, it to achieve success it must be appealing to an audience. This can range from a very wide audience, such a Disney fans that are made for children but don't exclude adults that also enjoy the medium, to a niche fandom such as the devout fans of Blaze Blue that live on their reddit pages and feed of their mutual love for the game. This means before the making of the game, the pre-production team is required to investigate what games were successful and were not. Apart from that, things such as the genre of the game, recent success in movies and even political standing can be integrated into the game which will make the game more relatable and in consequence endearing to the audience. For example, if a game of low quality will come out, but it was advertised to contain strong female leads and multi-racial characters, people who are not gamers but social justice warriors would be likely to purchase the game as they'd see it as a step to spreading equality in the gaming industry. Studying the audience there for requires a lot more than just trying to convey a cool idea you have but, trying to foresee what games will be popular with the audience, so you can actually earn some money of them.
- Market. To achieve in producing a successful game, the team must carefully analyse the market also. What games sold the most? What games had the best reviews? and what games flopped tragically? Reviewing these games will provide the development team with the insight to understanding what makes games successful or not in this time and age. Good judgment as too what is needed in the market prevents clever people from releasing games at the same time to avoid forcing the audiences to choose which game they play. Especially, if the games are targeted at the same audience, the developers would like avoid a clash of interest were they may lose money. The same may be said for any media. Similarly, this is how Treasure Planet had a disappointing box office that came 30 million short of their budget. Among other things, the movie was released simultaneously to Harry Potter that not only then had a impressive fandom but also was an awaited sequel. This, for a completely new movie is devastating as audiences would not go cinema often and if they did, its human nature they would prefer to see a movie that was renowned for its quality and critically acclaimed. This destroyed Treasure Planet although the movie displayed one of the most beautifully integrated 2D and 3D animation techniques of the time. The movie to this day as incredibly good reviews despite of the Box Office fail, but that will not change the fact that studying the market is crucial to achieving a successful game.
Overall, it is vital for anyone planning on producing any type of media, to not only research their projects well and understand their audience but also carefully plan ahead to have a reasonable dead-line and an even more reasonable budget. This will be crucial to the success of a project.
