Avatar Research

I have been thinking long and hard about which direction to go in with my Avatar. i want an Avatar that is quite simple but also looks good. I think it is important that whatever design i decide to go with it represents me in some way.

While randomly watching Music channels on TV a few day ago i saw the video for Keanes' 'Spiralling'. I couldn't help but thinking the characters in the video have been made in 3ds Max, they looked quite basic and the movements were very similar to what i have been making my biped do in the program! I liked the look of these Avatars and want to do something similar with mine.

Identities Research - Websites

Another site I went on was Coke Zero Dance Hero. This is to promote/advertise the Coke Zero soft drink. The game is based on a dance off between two different characters, an eyeball and a tongue. At the start you are asked to select which character you want to be, I chose the tongue.

When the game actually starts circles pop up on the screen displaying a number, these circles must be pressed in the correct order for your character to do the dance correctly. The better and faster you are at clicking the circles the better score you get and the better the dance is.

At the bottom of the screen there is a green bar that moves to whichever side is doing the better dance, for example if the tongue is doing better then the more green that characters bar is.

As for advertising the product I don’t think the website has much affect. I don’t feel compelled to go out and buy some coke zero after playing the game. I think the website has been created with not the intention of marketing the product but to make the coke website itself more worth a visit. Websites for companies advertising food and drink are never that entertaining so this game adds something extra to it.

Identities Research - Websites

I found a website from Toyota called virtual test drive. The website is to advertise/promote their new car model the IQ. This is done by offering the customer the ability to text drive the car on the internet. The concept of being able to test drive a car interested me.

When I opened the site I was given different menu options to choose from, each one was a different kind of test drive for the car. Each menu option led to a track where I used the direction keys to drive around the track and complete different tasks based on the option chosen. The handling wasn’t the best as only the keyboard direction keys could be used, giving the car a rigid feel; it either turned or went straight!

The website itself doesn’t really make the car look that good, it looks rather boxy and a bit plain, and not the best advert for the car! The idea of letting a customer have a virtual test drive is quite good though and if done to a higher standard it could be very effective.

Identities Research - Websites

The next site I looked at was the Talk to Frank Website. The aim of this website is to inform people about the effects that Cocaine can have on a person. This site is based on the recent TV Ad campaign on Cocaine.

It is set in a basement. Each area of the basement is interactive meaning the user can navigate around the basement selected different objects. Each object has a different effect that cocaine has on a person who takes it. For each effect there is an interactive ‘game’ which lets the user find out information about cocaine and also what it does to a specific body part.

My two favourite interactive games involved a heart and also snorting lines of cocaine. The heart game consists of a heart beating normally in a glass jar, the user then pumps cocaine into the heart and the effects of it are then shown by it beating faster and faster till it eventually explodes. The other game is about the purity of cocaine. The mouse is transformed into a rolled up piece of paper, the user then drags it down a line of cocaine and is informed about its purity and how much other bad stuff is in it.

The website is really informative and I think will open people’s eyes to the bad effects of cocaine. The site had a high level of interactivity which makes navigating the website quite fun. The little side games on each object will interest the user and will make them read about the harmful effects.

The website is very well organised and is also structured well as the website is viewed in a specific order. The user can replay the games as many times as they want. The site is sticking with FRANKS image well. Talk to Frank has always been seen as an informative source rather than telling you what and what not to do, this site sticks with this by simply informing and not preaching.

Identities Research - Websites

I went onto the FWA (Favourite Website Awards) and looked at some of the different websites on there. The first one that jumped out at me was the FIFA 09 site. This website is to advertise/promote the video game. The release of each new game in the FIFA franchise is widely anticipated among the gaming world and always has to compete with its rival Pro Evolution Soccer (PES).

The website involves two different football matches involving four different teams, the teams are Manchester United, Shalke 04, Lyon and Real Madrid. The teams have been chosen to cover the largest fan base possible.

When the website loads up you are asked to choose which match you want to watch and also what team you support. Then you are shown the game from your chosen team’s perspective. The game is shown on a big screen in front of the teams ‘fans’ and is played out on the FIFA 09 football game. As expected the match is drawn to avoid any bias.

This website isn’t that interactive, there’s not much the user can do or explore, and they just pick a team and watch a game played on FIFA 09! The only interactive part of the website is after the game has been played and you can view different features of the game.

The content of the website is well organised however and is relevant to the product the company is advertising. Anyone who likes the FIFA games will probably be interested in the website, especially fans of the teams that are involved. The website is also easy to use with only a few buttons that need pressing, however this makes the interactivity not very good.