The uses and gratification theory is an approach to see how
the audience is using media Texts and Why. This theory believes that the
audience is attracting to the media which are useful or provide them with gratification.
For example, the audience from star wars battlefront probably use the media as
a use of gratification because it provides then of pleasure and bit of
satisfaction and probably pride when earning achievements and completing
missions on the game. The audience in
this theory is usually an active audience which means the audience is actively
involved in determining what media they engage with and how.
Basically, the
audience has the power and the producers do not, the audience is not being
duped by the media and the audience is free to choose which media and reject
the media of their choice. For instance, the audience for Star wars is not
being made to play this game, in fact according to the response of the audience
they actually play this game because it is what their friends are choosing for
their gratification. The gratification and uses theory is the complete opposite
of the effect theory which states that the media can affect society and how the
society affects the media. The gratification theory states that the audience uses the text of the media the way that they want to use it. In fact it even states that the audience even uses the media to help gratify some issues such as using the media for diversion which means the audience is using the media to help escape real life and using the media to relax and pass the time.
The audience who play star wars battlefront uses the game for diversion because playing video games is a great way to escape from your surroundings and everything that is going on around you.
Some of the audience uses the media for their own
personal relationships with friends and family for instance using the media to
find out information so you are able to talk to your friends about it in a
conversation. Media also allows the user to identify who they are and have Surveillance,
this means the media allows the audience to watch the news and find out what is
happening in the world, just by using the media.
The theory also believes the media also helps the audience with sexual
stimulation, learning, emotional satisfaction, relaxation and help with their
issues of aggression and violence. For instance the theory suggests that
violent images can be helpful than harmful and video games which allow the
audience to use violence is less likely to commit violent acts in real life. I
think the audience for star wars battlefront uses the game to stratify many
needs according to the theory. For instance they probably
use the game to have diversion from the real world and be able to relax, using
the game to help with issues of aggression and violence which I’ve just
mentioned because even though Star wars battlefront does not have extreme
violence and gore it has enough violence to stratify the audience.
All these different needs and wants for different gratification is broke down into different sort of needs for instance there is cognitive needs, effective needs, personal integrative needs, social integrative needs and tension free needs. I am now going to explain each individual need and I am then going to explain which one the audience for Starwars battlefront is.
All these different needs and wants for different gratification is broke down into different sort of needs for instance there is cognitive needs, effective needs, personal integrative needs, social integrative needs and tension free needs. I am now going to explain each individual need and I am then going to explain which one the audience for Starwars battlefront is.
Cognitive needs -
These people use media for knowledge and information. In order to get this
knowledge and information they will watch news to satisfy the need, search
questions on Google or the internet, they make use of these to gain more
knowledge in basically no time at all.
Effective Needs - These people use the media to satisfy
their emotional needs, in order to have satisfaction of this need the audience
can watch the news or go on a social media such as Facebook which expresses the
moods of other people.
Personal Integrative Needs - These people use the media to
build up their self-esteem for instance they might use a social media such as
Facebook to help reassure their status and gain credibility by getting 'likes'
and 'comments.
Social Integrative needs - These people feel like they need
to socialise with family, friends and relations through the media using
websites such as Facebook and twitter to communicate and socialise. They do not
need to meet up with their friends on the weekend etc. because they use this to
satisfy their needs.
Tension free needs- These people use the social media to
'escape' real life problems to help relief their tensions for instance to do
this they could watch TV, listen to radio or by reading a social media website
like instagram.
Star wars battlefront is for effective needs, personal
integrative needs, social integrative need and tension free needs. This is
because the audience who play star wars will use the game to satisfy their
emotional needs by achieving goals and feeling more satisfied with the media,
although the audience also uses the game for their social integrative and
tension free needs. For example the audience uses the game to be social and communicate with other plays on the game from online mode although I have also noticed social integrative when the audience is talking to a group of friends about the game.
The audience also
uses the game for diversity, they want to escape real life and go in to the
game. From my previous response’s I got feedback which expressed how when you
play the game you think you are in Starwars because of the music and how the
game is constructed. Being able to escape into the game helps the audience use
the game to escape real life problems and to relief stress and tensions.
I personally use this game to help gratify my social integrative needs and to be tension free simply because I usually play this game on the Xbox one when my friends visit. Starwars battlefront is the game I normally just play with a friend when we want to play a video game because the game is fun and not serious. For example If i wanted to play a serious game I usually play a game with a interesting story line like border lands or tomb raider but starwars simply does not have a story line so its a good game to play with friends simply for entertainment and to be able to escape reality.
Image Links
https://torajoypatrick.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/uses-and-gratifications-theory/
https://sdsujms408su2011gp4.wikispaces.com/Overview
http://www.ibtimes.com/star-wars-battlefront-has-no-single-player-campaign-thats-shame-2056838
I personally use this game to help gratify my social integrative needs and to be tension free simply because I usually play this game on the Xbox one when my friends visit. Starwars battlefront is the game I normally just play with a friend when we want to play a video game because the game is fun and not serious. For example If i wanted to play a serious game I usually play a game with a interesting story line like border lands or tomb raider but starwars simply does not have a story line so its a good game to play with friends simply for entertainment and to be able to escape reality.
Image Links
https://torajoypatrick.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/uses-and-gratifications-theory/
https://sdsujms408su2011gp4.wikispaces.com/Overview
http://www.ibtimes.com/star-wars-battlefront-has-no-single-player-campaign-thats-shame-2056838