Assignment   #1
Game   Advertisement   Rhetorical   Analysis
Overview
In   this   assignment,   you   will   analyze   the   rhetorical   features   and   effectiveness   of   a   game   advertisement.
This   analysis   will   look   at   how   ethos,   logos,   and   pathos   work   within   the   rhetorical   situation   to   “sell”   the
game/gaming   to   gamers.
Rationale
Most   writing   that   you   have   done   (and   will   continue   to   do)   in   school   is   only   connected   at   an   abstract   level   with   the   writing   you   do   professionally,   civically,   and   personally.
However,   the   larger   concept   of   understanding   rhetorical   concepts   does   translate   across   writing   contexts.
Your   first   day   on   the   job,   wherever   that   job   will   be,   will   not   prepare   you   for   the   type   of   writing   that   you   will   do   (and   this   includes   the   writing   you   will   do   well   into   your   major   courses—simply   put,   universities   are   not   in   the   business   of   teaching   professional   genres   because   there   are   simply   too   many).
What   you   can   do   is   read   the   rhetorical   situation—Who   do   you   need   to   be   to   write   this?
Who   is   this   for   and   what   are   their   values?
What   are   you   writing   about   and   what   are   you   trying   to   accomplish?
A   common   language   that   is   used   in   rhetorical   analysis   comes   from   two   main   sources.
The   first,   is   from
Aristotle   (ca.
340   BC)   and   refers   to   the   types   of   appeals   made   in   any   argument:   logos   (logic),   ethos
(ethical   or   character),   and   pathos   (emotions).
The   other   main   source   is   Lloyd   Bitzer   (ca.
1968),   and   refers   to   the   rhetorical   situation   of   writer,   reader,   purpose,   and   context.
Understanding   these   situations   and   this   language   can   help   you   better   analyze   your   own   writing   and   the   writing   of   others.
We   will   discuss   some   contemporary   strategies   for   game   advertising   to   help   you   find   something   to   write
about,   but   there   are   three   main   sources—print   advertisements,   game   websites,   and   game   trailers.
Print   advertisements   for   games   aren’t   as   common   as   they   once   were.
You   can   find   print   advertisements   occasionally   in   game   magazines   and   some   archives   from   the   past   can   be   found   around   the   Internet.
For   example,   here’s   a   collection   of   1990s   advertisements:
http://photobucket.com/images/VideoGameAdsFrom90sComicBooks/
Game   websites   often   are   in   place   before   a   game   is   released,   and   they   were   born   out   of   advertisement   click ‐ through   in   which   a   small   banner   or   Flash ‐ based   ad   points   to   a   full   website.
In   some   cases,   game   websites   that   advertise   a   game   offer   a   complex   view   of   a   game,   and   may   be   the   most   difficult   to   do   a   rhetorical   analysis   on.
Ideally,   you   should   only   use   a   website   for   a   game   that   has   not   come   out   yet,   for   example   Mass   Effect   2,   Bioshock   2,   or   Star   Wars:   The   Old   Republic.
Game   trailers   emulate   the   genre   of   the   movie   trailer   (or   preview).
As   Lisa   Kernan   writes   of   movie   trailers,   the   previews   don’t   represent   the   actual   movie   as   much   as   they   create   a   desire   for   the   movie   we   want   to   see.
Game   trailers   follow   this   same   logic,   although   some   try   to   change   the   formula   some.
Search   Youtube   for   “Game   Trailers,”   or   go   to   Machinima’s   channel   for   a   collection   of   some   current   ones:   http://www.youtube.com/show?p=a ‐ sfJ5LkUII&s=2
Questions
How   do   videogame   marketing   campaigns   work?
What   sorts   of   appeals   do   advertisements   for   games   use?
What   is   the   ethos   of   the   company   and   how   is   it   portrayed?
What   logical   or   emotional   appeals   are   made?
And   most   importantly,   are   these   advertisements   effective?
Assignment
1.
Find   a   video   game   advertisement,   either   video   or   print.
You   can   also   use   a   website   for   an   upcoming   game,   but   this   might   be   more   difficult   to   write   about   given   the   multiple   layers   and   complexity   of   such   a   marketing   strategy.

2.
Watch/read   the   advertisement   several   times.
Take   notes   about   how   the   advertisement   uses   logos,   ethos,   pathos,   and   kairos.
Next,   consider   the   writer,   reader,   purpose,   and   context.
What   are   the   values   that   are   invoked   and   appealed   to?
Take   lots   of   notes   first;   don’t   just   “analyze”   as   you   write   the   draft   of   the   essay .
3.
Once   you   have   some   notes,   think   about   what   is   most   noteworthy   to   share.
What   are   some   of   the   common   rhetorical   strategies   that   are   used?
Logos,   ethos,   pathos?
Why   are   they   effective/ineffective?
The   thesis   for   your   analysis   should   be   fairly   simple—is   the   advertisement   effective   or   not?
Describe   your   criteria   for   analysis   and   then   craft   your   thesis.
This   will   be   your   first   graf.
A   more   sophisticated   approach   would   be   to   consider   carefully   the   context.
An   advertisement   can   be   effective   for   an   18   year ‐ old   male   college   student   but   totally   fail   at   appealing   to   a   35   year ‐ old   mother   of   two.
That   doesn’t   mean   that   you   should   try   to   cover   everything—instead,   focus   on   something   you   know   and   identify   with   as   you   consider   context   and   audience   when   crafting   your   thesis.
4.
The   “second”   graf   will   usually   be   the   summary   of   what   you   are   reviewing;   in   this   case,   describe   the   advertisement.
Every   analysis   needs   a   summary   (think   of   how   movie   reviews   often   tell   about   the   story   first)—never   assume   the   audience   has   seen/read   the   same   thing   you   have   read.
Save   the   details   for   your   support,   but   you   should   at   least   describe   the   general   point   and   narrative   of   the   ad   before   you   talk   about   it   in   depth.
5.
Next,   you   need   to   support   your   thesis   about   the   advertisement.
This   might   include   organizing   by   logos,   ethos,   or   pathos.
Or   you   could   organize   by   audience,   writer,   and   purpose.
The   point   of   this   support   is   to   “prove”   your   analysis   is   correct   by   using   evidence   from   the   advertisement.
These   will   be   your   criteria—you   cannot   select   all   criteria,   so   choose   wisely.
6.
Most   “school”   conclusions   are   summaries   of   what   you   just   wrote.
This   isn’t   how   most   writing   is
Timeline   actually   done.
Instead,   think   of   a   conclusion   as   a   call   to   action.
What   do   you   want   your   reader   to   take   away   from   your   piece?
End   by   improving   your   reader’s   understanding   in   some   way.
January   12   –   Hardcopy   version   due   in   class   for   peer   review
January   13—email   final   draft   to   rcolby2@du.edu
by   midnight
Requirements
•
The   essay   should   be   2 ‐ 4   pages   in   length,   formatted   in   MLA
•
It   should   have   a   Works   Cited   page   with   the   appropriate   citation   information   for   the   advertisement.
When   appropriate,   visuals   (screenshots   or   other   representations)   of   the   advertisement   within   the   text   and   labeled   are   encouraged.
•
It   should   describe   and   evaluate   logos,   ethos,   pathos,   and   rhetorical   situation.
Other   rhetorical   terms   are   optional   but   encouraged.
•
It   is   worth   10   points.