Q8 Prep on
The Uses and Gratifications Theory Applied to The Lego Movie Video Game
‘Everything is awesome’ in the gaming world, so audiences use
the Lego movie video game as a way of fulfilling their needs of escapism,
entertainment and diversion. Their sense of escapism is fulfilled because the
world of the Lego movie video game is nothing like our world, and much more
like the gaming environments they inhabit in universes on-line.
The Lego world is exciting, colourful, infinite and full of
imagination because it is made of Lego bricks and Lego fires all imagination
without limits. The players need of diversion is also fulfilled because the Lego
Movie game shows they watch are things that you would never normally see in the
real lives, as they distract the viewer from a miserable existence and only show
a jolly one.
Finally, the players need of entertainment is fulfilled
because the game has lots of jokes and humorous references for all the ages who
might be playing it. It also includes the quirky Lego spin on the game
amplifying the amount of entertainment gained from playing the game. Another
part of fulfilling entertainment experience is more enjoyable because the movie
narrative and key scenes are incorporated and cut-into gameplay scenes, which
enhances the player experience and allows you relive some of the best scenes of
the movie playing as your favourite character.
The players need for shared values can be fulfilled by the
characters themselves, like Benny’s love of spaceships, which relates to any
young child who likes rockets. It’s also easy to relate to Emmet as an
everyman, no one’s hero but a somebody who relates to everyone. While Lucy
could relate to young girls as a role model, insecure but able to discover her
own mind and inner strength. Vitruvius relates to the older demographic with
his subtle references and jokes. Finally, Lord Business who relates to business
men or those who are perfectionists and leaders who want to control everything
orderly and perfect.
This is portrayed in the game through the different abilities
and personalities of each character means that you have to get to know all of
them in the complete the game. And of course, playing as one of the characters
in the game fulfils the need for relationships, because as you play as them you
get to know how they feel about things and how they act and you form a bond
with them. It is this strong and clever branding position by Lego, as this bond
promotes the buying the real-life counterparts, so that you could have them in
real life.
But which character will I like the most… Why Benny of
course, because I love spaceships!!!
