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71
From a PR perspective, such an in-and-out integration is also a necessity since it breaks
the wall between the social scopes of gamers and non-gamers, facilitating the experience
exchange between the two groups. These niche networks, although convenient and
popular among players, make the game experience almost inaccessible for non-players—
the two audience groups remain separated. Integration can help bridge players with the
rest of the world, making a game visible to potential players within the players’ social
network.
The future video game world may become an environment in which internal social media
is unified, or at least connected to its external counterpart. Players will be able to share
their real-time playing experience with friends on the social network by posing on-the-scene
screenshots or even live videos. Friends will then see this content in the daily feed
updates and can click to view the details. Once clicked, these feeds will also provide
introductory and promotional information about the game. In this way, both players and
non-players will be engaged simultaneously.
Some game companies have already taken steps in this direction. Blizzard’s Battle Net
users display what Blizzard games their friends are playing and both Xbox Live and
PlayStation Network display a player’s in-game achievements. Despite this, the content
is still concentrated on the niche networks’ side. Only when the social platforms are truly
integrated and mutually shared can the power of social media be maximized.
Object Description
| Title | Social media's role, utility, and future in video game public relations |
| Author | Zhang, Yun |
| Author email | zhangyun@usc.edu; raynezhang121@gmail.com |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Strategic Public Relations |
| School | Annenberg School for Communication |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-20 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-04-26 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Burghardt Tenderich |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Jay, Wang Dimitri Williams |
| Abstract | As two industries that rely on the evolution of computer and information technologies, video game and social media have undergone tremendously rapid development in a short period of time. At the same time, both industries share a similar user group, too. The two similarities lead to the author’s belief that there is a natural compatibility between the two seemingly irrelevant industries, and that social media is an effective and efficient channel for video game marketing and PR.; Therefore, this thesis is intended to explore the state of marketing/public relations activities of the video game industry in the new social media context. It explores the social-network presence of some popular video games, the online communication strategies/tactics employed by their companies, and the effectiveness of such activities. Based on these analyses, the author proposes a comprehensive social media framework for video games, and recommends corresponding PR/marketing strategies as well.; The thesis also includes the author’s predictions on the possible social media trends for video games in the future. As conclusion, the author provides a primer that lists recommended social media “do’s” and “don’ts” for game companies. |
| Keyword | public relations; video game; social media; marketing; communication |
| Coverage date | 2000/2010 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3784 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Zhang, Yun |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Zhang-4542 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume23/etd-Zhang-4542.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 76 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 71 From a PR perspective, such an in-and-out integration is also a necessity since it breaks the wall between the social scopes of gamers and non-gamers, facilitating the experience exchange between the two groups. These niche networks, although convenient and popular among players, make the game experience almost inaccessible for non-players— the two audience groups remain separated. Integration can help bridge players with the rest of the world, making a game visible to potential players within the players’ social network. The future video game world may become an environment in which internal social media is unified, or at least connected to its external counterpart. Players will be able to share their real-time playing experience with friends on the social network by posing on-the-scene screenshots or even live videos. Friends will then see this content in the daily feed updates and can click to view the details. Once clicked, these feeds will also provide introductory and promotional information about the game. In this way, both players and non-players will be engaged simultaneously. Some game companies have already taken steps in this direction. Blizzard’s Battle Net users display what Blizzard games their friends are playing and both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network display a player’s in-game achievements. Despite this, the content is still concentrated on the niche networks’ side. Only when the social platforms are truly integrated and mutually shared can the power of social media be maximized. |
