Chapter 9

Which of the following examples of hypothetical player responses demonstrate effective product placement?

"That game made me want to have a Gatorade." "Get to the screen where the Pizza Hut sign is."

How much does development generally cost for today's average game?

between 25 and 50 million dollars

Which of the following represent new competition that exists for companies that sell home game systems?

cable providers and online gaming

What are casual games?

classic games, such as card games or word games

Which term refers to the practice used by video-game makers and advertisers in promoting each other's products?

cross-promotion

Virtual reality games are those that

generate an imaginary environment, simulating players' physical presence there.

Which of the following best defines loot boxes?

in-game mystery treasure chests that can be opened through gameplay or paying money

An advocacy game

is a way for nonprofit organizations to spread their messages.

Advergames typically occur in which of the following ways?

on brand-specific websites

Most American video-game players belong to which of the following demographic groups?

people over 18 years old males

A majority of video-game ______ want the games to rely less on sequels and licensed material.

players

Advergaming is a form of video-game advertising in which

the brand itself becomes the game.

Which of the following best explains why console systems added extra features?

to remain competitive

Which of the following are true of the market for virtual reality games?

Eight percent of U.S. households already own a VR gaming device. Sony's Playstation VR and Microsoft's Scorpio are two virtual reality game systems. Americans' comfort with technology has been a key factor behind the early growth of virtual reality games.

What do Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony have in common?

They share the market on home console sales.

Which of the following is an example of product placement in video games?

A company's brand name is programmed permanently into the game.

Which of the following companies leads in video-game sales, with nearly 50% of all sales?

EA

Which of the following statements about why game designers want product placements in their games are true?

Brand names add some realism to the games. Designers can engage in cross-promotion with advertisers, which is lucrative.

Pogo.com, ______ game site, is one of the most visited websites in the United States.

EA's

Why does success in selling consoles give Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony an advantage with third-party publishers?

Game publishers want their products to run on the most popular game systems.

Why do advertisers like to use online game sites for marketing campaigns?

Gamers tend to spend more time on game sites than on informational sites.

Which of the following statements about brand-specific game websites are true?

Games are sometimes downloadable. Games can be played online.

Why would a large company, such as Nintendo, use third-party games?

Highly successful games, even when written by other companies who profit from the software sales, lead to more console sales.

Why do advertisers see games as much like magazines?

In both media, it is easy to target a very specific group.

What major effect does cross-promotion have for both the game maker and the advertiser?

It increases the profit margins for both companies.

Which of the following is an apparent effect of converging technology on gaming?

It makes game playing more accessible.

In its first 2 months on the market, ______ sold 8 million units and became the fastest-selling electronic device in history.

Kinect

Which of the following statements about massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMOs) are true?

MMOs are virtual worlds games that can be played on a number of platforms. One of the most popular MMOs is World of Warcraft.

The video game Myst was originally written for

Macintosh computers.

Which of the following statements about best-selling video games are true?

Many best-selling video games are produced by third-party publishers. Many best-selling video games are produced by console makers.

Which of the following is a reason that Microsoft introduced Kinect, a new type of game system, in 2010?

Microsoft needed to compete against Nintendo's Wii.

Which of the following reasons contribute to the video-game industry's continued reliance on sequels and licensing?

Most of the top selling video and computer games are franchise sequels or licensed titles. Production, promotion, and distribution costs are soaring. Half of all new games fail.

What is the impact of concentration and globalization on the video-game industry?

Much of the industry is controlled by a few companies that sell to a global market.

Which of the following is true of smartphones as a game technology?

Ninety percent of all U.S. smartphone users play games on their devices.

The 3DS has revolutionized handheld gaming and allowed ______ to remain number one in sales in the handheld-device industry.

Nintendo

Which company's gaming releases have clearly dominated handheld devices?

Nintendo

Which company's gaming system changed the nature of home console play?

Nintendo's Wii

Which statement reflects a criticism of the use of licensed content in the video-game industry?

Paying for licensed content diverts resources from the development of original content.

Which of the following best describes how advertising works in a freemium game?

Players choose to view advertising in order to gain special game advantages.

Which of the following have long dominated game console sales and time-of-play?

Playstation Xbox

Which of the following are true of video game streaming?

Streaming is made possible by cloud computing. Games can be streamed on any device. Even the most graphic-heavy AAA games can be streamed seamlessly.

Which of the following is predicted for the future of console gaming?

Streaming technology is bringing console gaming to an end.

Which of the following is a requirement of a video game?

The action must take place interactively on a screen.

Which of the following statements about gamers is true?

The average game player is 34 years old.

Why has the average video-game player become more likely to play on multiple video-game platforms?

The average gamer has grown up using multiple video-game technologies. The distinction between video games' underlying technologies has diminished.

What nongame features do many of today's console systems offer?

They play music CDs. They allow Internet access. They can play and stream movies in HD.

Which of the following examples are freemiums?

The player can buy special privileges with actual cash. The player can use a brand-name product that is part of the game to gain special skills or attributes. The player can obtain virtual goods after watching a commercial.

Which of the following are reasons that video games are becoming more expensive to produce?

The production technology itself has become more sophisticated and expensive. Writers and programmers can demand more money once their games gain popularity. Games cost much more to promote today.

Which of the following best explains why Amazon bought Twitch, a game-streaming site?

The video-game audience is large and lucrative.

Why are casual games so popular among cell phone users and Internet users alike?

They can be played for short periods of time.

The purpose of a brand-specific game site is

To promote a product in a fun way

True or False: The home version of Trivial Pursuit is not considered a video game.

True

True or false: Product placement is a source of extra revenue for video-game designers and adds an element of reality to their games.

True

Why do some advertisers choose video games for their campaigns?

Video games have audiences in almost every demographic.

Which of the following statements about video-game players and the money they spend are true?

Video-games brings in more money per year than any other form of entertainment. Millions of viewers watch video-game tournaments on the Internet.

Which of the following is the immensely popular MMORPG that has more than 10 million subscribers?

World of Warcraft

Within the video game industry, the term "licensed" refers to

a fee paid to other companies to use their name or concept for a video game.

Which of the following games would be considered an advocacy game?

a game that teaches children how to choose healthy foods

Which of the following are among the four main ways advertisers use games to reach their targeted audiences?

advergaming product placement freemium games