Britney Spears American Dream – Interactive Digital Narratives

An Analysis of Immersion in Games

In a class where the assignment is to play video games, I was very interested to see what my classmates chose to play. And after reading through many of their blogs, a common theme among a lot of games, specifically action games, is that of immersion. And while I have played many games that would be considered immersive, I had never thought about why they were considered as such. Miso talks about immersion in his blog post about Thief and how one of the most important attributes of an immersive game is to make sure the game remain in the world of realism, as games played outside of this world tend to break the immersive experience (he uses a magical fireball not melting ice as a great example). Following up on this, Chris references to how some people prefer a first person perspective in Skyrim as it increase immersion. And while Skyrim does not thrive in terms of immersion due to its mythical setting and use of magic, the use of first person still allows for an immersive experience.

Going further, Jean Paul brings up Jamie Madigan and the “completeness of sensory information” and “cognitively demanding environments” act as a measure for immersion games. This thought really resonates with me, as while I play a game, part of the immersion comes from the details found within a game. The completeness of information hits home, as this is the feeling of being in the game world, seeing the game world and processing it as you would real life. Aaron also talks about Fallout 4’s immersive quality, and how the addition of real world connections, such as having a pet dog that you have to take care of, makes the game realistic. He also references Madigan, and her concept of the spatial presence of being inside a game create this immersive experience.

And lastly, as a counter to immersion, Samantha talks about how Britney Spears American Dream the company uses this idea of immersion as a way to promote its casualness. Instead of developing a world that promotes realism, it breaks the fourth wall often, calling upon jokes and ideas in the real world in an effort to keep it casual.

After reading all these posts and playing some of the games, I definitely feel the my understanding of the use of immersion in games is much more complete. Also, I found it especially interesting in reading about how games that aren’t exactly realistic attempt to model immersion. Games such as Skyrim are not realistic; however, they use concepts of immersion to create a better game play experience.

What’s the Appeal in Celebrity Games?

Glu Mobile created a new genre of video game with its release of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood in 2014. Since then, Glu has released celebrity game with Kendall & Kylie Jenner, Katy Perry, Gordon Ramsey, Nicki Minaj, and of course Britney Spears. Glu has dozens of other mobile games but they are best known for their celebrity games. A writer from the Daily Dot calls Glu’s games “freemium mobile games.” I believe this is a fitting title, as their games are entirely free to download and everything in the game is accessible without any in app purchases. However, in app purchases do make the game a lot easier and more accessible, but they are completely playable without it.

The CEO of Glu says he believes “people are always looking for a way to get closer to the celebrities they idolize.” No doubt this is where the inspiration for their celebrity games come from. This also explains why these games have the potential to be such hits. The combination of good game mechanics with the brand power of a celebrity’s name is what brings true success.

The commercial for Kim Kardashian’s game heavily draws on our desires to know our favorite celebrities and enter their glamorous worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h-uvrvrg3w

While the target audience for the game is obviously Britney fans, the glamorous world and lifestyle that American Dream offers can appeal to anyone. Purchasing nice clothes, cars, and houses and going on high profile dates don’t need a celerity brand stamp to be fun, but with it Glu goes the extra mile.

I have played Kim Kardashian Hollywood and the mechanics are extremely similar to Spears’ game. I imagine all of their celebrity games rely heavily on very similar gameplay, just with a different skin. It seems to me like 6 or 7 identical games with different celebrity faces on it couldn’t all exist and be successful, but I suppose I underestimate the fan base for all of the celebrities I mentioned earlier. When game play is so similar, I have to believe these games’ individual appeal comes from the celebrity name attached to it.

The Daily Dot asked Nicolo Di Masi (Glu CEO) what the American dream is exactly these days. His response: “I think these days the American dream is as important as ever in the world—freedom of speech and expression, democracy, capitalism, and hard work being rewarded.”

I think the American dream as part of a videogame appeals to a lot of people, and is an interesting concept. However, the version of the American dream in Spears’ game is extremely glossed over and sugarcoated. The player never has to pay characters rent, purchase food, insurance, or pay any bills. They don’t have children or other dependents, and their race, gender, or sexual orientation has no effect on gameplay or success. And, as Audra Schroeder points out in her article, the game ignores the sexism, abuse, and harassment aimed at female artists.

Its not hard to imagine why these less than pretty aspects about the American dream and climb to fame were left out of the Spears’ American Dream: they don’t at all contribute to the appeal of celebrity games.

Works Cited

Schroeder, Audra. “Britney Spears: American Dream’ is a mobile game that makes you work, b***h” The Daily Dot. dailydot.com. May 2016. http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/britney-spears-american-dream-glu-mobile/

Referential Humor and Immersion in Britney’s Gameworld

As I discussed in my previous post, the gameplay in Britney Spears American Dream merges real and game world, leaving users in almost a constant state of play. American Dream is not concerned with creating a unique and separate space in the game that is separate from the real world. Rather, it plays on and borrows jokes and…

As I discussed in my previous post, the gameplay in Britney Spears American Dream merges real and game world, leaving users in almost a constant state of play. American Dream is not concerned with creating a unique and separate space in the game that is separate from the real world. Rather, it plays on and borrows jokes and ideas from the real world.

Britney at “Starbeans Coffee” making a joke about how the baristas never get anyone’s name, employing a real joke about Starbucks made all over the internet.

Some of these references are more heavy handed than others.

The player’s manager calling about a gig at “The Paperclip Center” in the game world’s Los Angeles

Player invited as backup singer for the comedy TV show “Friday Night Laughs.” Referred to later in the game as “FNL”

I think some of these references are useful in conveying to the player the importance behind the gigs they’re landing. For example, I know that the Paperclip Center in the game is meant to be the Staples Center, and therefore I know that landing a performance there is a pretty big deal.

Additionally, these reference are funny (at least, they made me laugh.) The not so subtle play on worlds they all use and their familiarity to almost any player can probably muster a laugh in most users.

In my game experience, these jokes and references have consistently pulled me out of the game world. While they may make me smile, I think of the actual thing the game is referring to rather than the object in the game itself. I may also recall another time where I saw the same joke on the internet somewhere. Either way, these techniques take away from the immersive quality of the game. The game world in American Dream is not unbrokenly presented. These references function the same as a loading screen or a game error, they remind me of the real world and its power over the game world. (An unbroken presentation of the game world is one of Jane Madigan’s criteria for an immersive game: http://www.psychologyofgames.com/2010/07/the-psychology-of-immersion-in-video-games/)

The level of immersion is often the number one criteria by which people (including myself) determine the quality of video games. This is not always a fair judgement, perhaps especially in a game like American Dream. It’s a casual game through and through, and its mechanics do a great job of making it so. It’s possible Glu Mobile aimed to maintain a certain low level of immersion in order to preserve the integrity of a casual game. American Dream is not meant to be played nonstop, its mechanics make it nearly impossible to play for even 30 straight minutes. The game is meant to be picked up multiple times in a day for a quick play, and it’s lack of immersion ensures this.

Where Does the Magic Circle End in Britney Spears American Dream?

Earlier this year Britney Spears released her namesake videogame with Glu Mobile- the same developers of the wildly successful Kim Kardashian Hollywood. Britney Spears American Dream is the ultimate casual game: a free app available on the app store and Google play. In the game the player’s goal is to become an A-list pop star. The…

Earlier this year Britney Spears released her namesake videogame with Glu Mobile- the same developers of the wildly successful Kim Kardashian Hollywood. Britney Spears American Dream is the ultimate casual game: a free app available on the app store and Google play. In the game the player’s goal is to become an A-list pop star. The player completes tasks (dates, meetings, recordings, photo-shoots, etc.) to climb their way through the industry. In order to complete these tasks the player must use up units of energy, which replenish every few minutes in real time (a brilliant mechanic that keeps players constantly returning to the game multiple times per day.)

The game makers have employed other arguably brilliant techniques to earn money off of the game and reach out to new users. Players can buy energy, in game money and other rewards with real dollars. Players also earn in game prizes by sharing and promoting the game and the songs they’ve created in the game with others via social media. Linking the in game account with Twitter or Facebook accounts and sharing posts about the game gives players in game rewards and advances their rankings. Players’ real life friends can access and up-vote the songs created in game, boosting their ranking on the in-game charts. By reaching certain levels players can also unlock content relating to Britney Spears’ real life music and career.

Special promotion offered for reaching level 6: players get sneak peek of Spears’ upcoming music video

A similar game mechanic is used in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, where developers will make clothing items and events that occurred/ existed in real life unlockable in the game. Glu Mobile also released games with Nicki Minaj, Gordon Ramsey, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Katy Perry, all with very similar gameplay and merging of game and real world.

This style of game blends the game world with the real world, almost requiring players to participate in both at the same time. Just by having a main character that is a real person (Britney herself) American Dream is trying to entangle itself with the real world. So, if a player of American Dream sends out tweets and statuses about their gameplay, does the magic circle really end once they quit the game app? Their posts on social media continue to exist for the purpose of drawing likes and in game advancement, leaving them in a constant state of play.