Media Diary; Week 2 (The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition)

Media Diary; Week 2 (The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition)

by

Niamh Gallagher

Name of text: The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

Date/time: Saturday 21st September, 4pm to 7pm

Where did you find it?: I got recommended to buy the Witcher 2 because I'm a fan of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim  and other fantasy games. With the Witcher 2 falling under that caterogry and being desrcibed as 'Skyrim for grownups', I decided to purchase the game off Amazon and I have not been disapointed with my purcahse in the slightest.
Genre: Fantasy RPG

What is the purpose?: The purpose of the Witcher 2 is that the audience enjoy and immerse themselves in the game play. 

Institution producing the text: 

• Developer: CD Projeckt/Metropolis Software
• Publisher: Namco Bandai

Target audience: The target audience for the Witcher 2 was for older and more mature male consumers. I believe this because some of the content of the game could be perceived as male orientated such as the nudity of female characters for sex appeal. Also I believe the game was intended to be for male audiences more so than females is that it is a common stereotype that only men like bloody fantasy and hack and slash sword fighting games which the Witcher 2 defiantly embodies. Also I think another, separate target audience could be fans of the Witcher books that were used as a basis for the game and also fans of the first Witcher game who like the the game franchise.

Your reaction to the text: With liking fantasy genre games I thoroughly enjoyed the Witcher 2 as I think Witcher is a more mature and complex extension of games such as Skyrim and Dragon Age. I thought the game was well-written and the voice actors superb whilst the groundbreaking graphics made the Witcher realistic and immersed me into the land and playing. The main thing I liked about the game is that you get to make the decisions which affect the rest of your game play such as picking sides in an important conflict or letting a character live or die. This is a key aspect as I dislike games where you have to follow a certain path as it makes me feel restricted whilst I play. 

Why would people consume the text?: I think people would consume this text because it is a vastly popular genre and this game is one of the best out there. I believe this because the graphics are superior the story arc is enticing which together create a satisfying and enjoyable game playing experience.

Could some people react in different ways to the text? This type of game tends to polarise opinion. Whilst many consumers enjoy fantasy genre games such as Witcher, others may view the genre as saturated and over exposed. Also they sometimes have a negative view of people who play fantasy games, casting them as stereotypical 'nerds' and 'geeks'. Adding to this, certain people could react to the text by being offended by the sex, bad language and gory violence throughout Witcher. It is widely believed among certain groups that depictions of violence in video games cause real life occurrences, these people would be unlikely to buy the Witcher 2 or any games like this. 

Trailer: