GAME TRAILER RESEARCH
WHAT IS A GAME TRAILER?
A game trailer is were game developers can
showcase there new game to the public by creating
a montage of clips from the game or creating an
Animated clip from the game showing off what
could be the outcome of the final product. This
makes the audience want to buy their product.
These trailers can sometimes have music playing
over them.
HOW ARE GAME TRAILERS CREATED?
 Game trailers are made by either:
 Taking short clips from actual gameplay of the game and rearranging
them into a montage.
 Hiring actors to play out a certain key plot in the storyline.
 Or by showing a cutscene in the game or a couple of minutes of
gameplay. This is called a teaser trailer.
WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?
 A trailers purpose is to whet the audiences appetite and make them
want to preorder/buy the game. It also shows off what the game is
starting to look like and what its shaping up to be. And to show to the
publishers of the game how the development crew are coming along
with the game.
WHERE/HOW ARE THEY NORMALLY
SHOWN?
 Trailers can be shown in numerous places, including:
 Magazines (pictures)
 Billboards
 The internet
 TV
 Mobile devices
 DVD’S
 Interviews for branded companies
 They are also shown to the games publishers so they can see how the
game is coming along.
ARE THEY TARGETED TO PARTICULAR
AUDIENCES?
 Games like GTA are targeted at 18 years and over. Whereas a game like
Lego Batman is mainly targeted at children, although some adults will
still play it. Overall different games have different age ranges even
though some kids games also apply to adults.
 The majority of all games are unisex but are stereotypically targeted at
boys even though there are some games that are meant for girls like
‘Barbie hair dresser’.
DO THEY FIT INTO CERTAIN GENRE’S OR
STYLES, CAN THEY BE CATEGORISED?
 All trailers can be categorised, depending on what type of game the
trailer is about. For example a trailer of a fps game will have a lot of
gameplay clips in the trailer. However a trailer for an rpg game would
have half gameplay and half cinematic footage to show off the story.
DESIGNING A GAME TRAILER TO INCLUDE
MUSIC PART 1
 If the trailer was about a FPS or an action game the music should be
rock, dubstep or heavy metal music. However if the game was a
platformer, the music should be very happy and gentle. This is because
the trailer must be suitable to the games audience and must fit in with
the the style of the game.
DESIGNING A GAME TRAILER TO INCLUDE
MUSIC PART 2
 If there is music in a game trailer it is usually synced up to the clips in
the trailer. For example in the ‘Battlefield 3’ trailer the music is quieter
when there is no gameplay and gets louder when the gameplay footage
is shown. In my opinion this trailer was put together so well that It
made me want to get the game.
REFERENCES
 Slide 1 image
 Battlefield 3 trailer on slide 9
ILLUSTRATED STORYBOARD
The intro should show a part of a cutscene that
leaves the viewers in suspense. Like the main
character waking up in a train that is dangling off of
a cliff. The first scene of a trailer should usually get
the viewer interested in the story.
ILLUSTRATED STORYBOARD PART 2
The next scene should show some of the characters that are
in the game, whether they were in the previous game or are
entirely new characters added to the story.
ILLUSTRATED STORYBOARD PART 3
The next scene should show quick
snippets of gameplay from the game with
lots of action scenes and gunfights to
draw people into wanting to buy the
game.
ILLUSTRATED STORYBOARD PART 4
The next scene should show off
some of the multiplayer features
of the game. But not as much as
the single player gameplay.
ILLUSTRATED STORYBOARD PART 5
The final scene should return
to the first scene and show
the main character about to
die. Straight after that the
trailer should end and the
logo/title of the game should
appear, with the release date
shortly after it.
MUSIC IN THE TRAILER
 The music playing throughout the trailer should be very suspenseful and
dramatic to show the drama and the action in the trailer. This will make
the viewers want to keep watching to see what happens next.