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Edwin Raya
March 17 , 2016
th

Guns Blazing; Genre and Call of Duty

The gaming industry has evidently grown to one of the most lucrative and prosperous
industries in todays world. Although such games are considered merely a pastime, numerous
individuals have found ways to make a living out of this cherished hobby. Whether its
developing a game, moving up the ranks online, or simply writing reviews about popular games,
the gaming industry has grown into a genre of its own. Highly anticipated video games have
brought highly anticipated reviews like this years Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Arguably the best
game release of 2015, Black Ops 3 brought with it several reviews through high traffic websites
like IGN, Amazon, and Forbes. Without having read the articles and reviews, one who is familiar
with these three websites, will have already identified several differences in how information
regarding the topic is presented. Although these three sources share various similarities, once the
material is examined further, the differences are apparent in areas such as the way information is
presented, the use of a comment section, and the overall point of the article. By analyzing the
reviews of Call of Duty: Black Ops III through websites like IGN, Forbes, and Amazon one can
see the benefits of understanding genre.
IGN is a website dedicated for gamers by gamers, serving everything from cheats and
walkthroughs to game-related news and reviews. Right off the bat, it can be seen that IGNs
review on Black Ops III is quite lengthy in an article-style format. Other conventions included
are labeled sections, video clips on game content, short quotes with summaries, a final verdict,
a comment section, and a game rating out of ten. While the reviews main topic is the game,
Black Ops 3, the author tends to mention past titles from the Call of Duty series. This comparison
assumes the audience has played previous Call of Duty games before. This could mean the

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intended or targeted audience are passionate, avid fans who stuck with the series day in and day
out. The purpose of the review is not to get one to buy the game and it doesnt seem that the Call
of Duty franchise is supporting IGN to promote their game either. The harsh criticism included
by the author suggests hes weighing on the pros and cons while maintaining a fair stance. An
example of this can be see when author Brian Albert states, I was surprised and disappointed to
find that many of the great high-mobility mechanics Treyarch revealed for Black Ops 3s
multiplayer, such as wall-running to be disabled in the game (IGN).
Furthermore, the inclusion of a comment section, a section that currently has 11,619
comments, implies that the author is trying to get as much comments and discussion as possible.
In Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis, author Laura Bolin Carroll states,
As we interact with other people and with media, we are continually creating and interpreting
rhetoric, (Carroll, 58). IGNs site creates rhetoric effectively and is evident in the comment
section. Discussions, opinions, and persuasion are characteristics of a comment section.
Comments are direct responses to authors review meaning he established effective rhetoric
regardless if the readers agreed or disagreed with him.
Forbes is a website committed to bringing in the latest news on business, lifestyle,
finance, and technology. Forbes may not have as much as an impact as IGN does in the gaming
industry, but it does continue to expand its site in trying to reach a new audience. In its review on
Black Ops 3, one can see that the writing is quite lengthy also like IGNs. After further
inspection, one can notice the difference in font size. Forbes uses a noticeable, larger font than
IGN. The author might have done this to give off that lengthy look and play off his shorter
review. Some other conventions for the Forbes review are labeled sections, screenshots of
gameplay, a final summary, a game rating out of ten, numerous links on social media, and a

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gallery. The author fails to make any comparison to previous titles and lacks background
information. He writes about what he sees and how he feels about while taking a positive stance
instead of a more critical one. The length of his writing suggests that the intended audience is for
people who dont have time to read the reviews and are just too busy. The audience would rather
want to know whether or not if they should buy the game. The purpose of the review is to get one
to buy the game. The author even stated, I give the game a Buy on my Buy/Hold/Sell scale. If
youre mostly interested in the solo campaign, waiting for a sale might make sense. But if you
want to get in on the multiplayer you may as well make the leap now, (Forbes). Unlike IGNs
website, Forbes fails to establish rhetoric at the same level as IGNs. At a total of just two
comments, Forbes lacks to engage its readers. Failing to establish engagement causes the authors
review to be dismissed by the readers. The only real value in this review is his final quote.
Amazon is widely known as an online marketplace with almost any item on sale that
includes user reviews on products purchased. It is the largest internet-based retailer in the United
States. Unlike IGN and Forbes, Amazon actually sells Black Ops 3 on its site. After a quick
search, one would see many conventions like a the games cover art, screenshots of gameplay, an
add to cart link, a small description/details/review, item suggestions, support from Call of Duty,
and a customer review section. The differences between Amazon from a more traditional review
website like IGN and Forbes are apparent. However, all three still share the same conventions.
Even though Amazons priority is at the sell part of the spectrum, Amazons inclusion of
customer reviews brings some of the most honest and unbiased feedback on the internet. With
that in mind, its also important to consider who is writing the review which are everyday people
and consumers of the product. Customer reviews range from one sentence to large structured
paragraphs with expressed opinions, thoughts, and conclusions. Instead of having one expert or

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author, Amazon is able to enhance its site by relying on hundreds of customer reviews. This
allows consumers relate to each other rather than trusting one random person on the internet. One
customer wrote, Let me start this review by saying that Im a seasoned Call of Duty vet who
spent most of his adolescent years One Man Army noob-tubing in Modern Warfare 2ProsPlaying the campaign with friends is a lot of fun. This is the first time a Call of Duty has ever
truly had a co-op optionCons-The campaign dialogue is the worst weve seen yetThe corny
jokes and juvenile subtleties make this games dialogue almost impossible to listen to without
cringing, (Amazon). In this condensed review, the customer quickly builds himself up as
someone relatable and wastes no time in talking about the good and bad of the game. His con is
somewhat more revealing than any of the experts view. His list of cons show to the readers that
this game is far from perfection and is quite the opposite of what IGN and Forbes does. For
example, if IGN or Forbes saw something they didnt like they wouldnt heavily criticize it as the
customer did. They would have probably labeled it as different or unique. That way no one
is offended. 76 out 89 people labeled the customers review as helpful, meaning the majority of
people agreed with him and that his review impacted their choice of purchasing the item.
By looking at IGN, Forbes, and Amazon, understanding genre and the conventions that
come with it go a long way in our roles as consumers. By looking at things in an analytical way
and identifying the certain conventions, we see the real benefit from these reviews. A basic level
of a genre is a name, location, and identity separating one trait from another. Despite this,
understanding genre can be a little more complicated. Conventions give us a sense on what a
genres content may be but this might not be true all the time. A song about family, alcohol,
heartbreak isnt always a country song but these are common conventions that many people
define them as. Three reviews on the same topic gave us three different outcomes. One brought

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us closer to our fellow gamers, one straight up told us to buy the game, and the other gave honest
advice on the game many cherish. In other words, conventions dont define the genre. We must
analyze each genre carefully, looking at the format and content to classify it and think rationally
rather than formulaically, to define genre. Understanding genre helps anyone become a better
writer as well as being informed consumers.

Works Cited
Albert, Brian. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Review. IGN, 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
Black Ops 3. Amazon. Amazon, 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
Carroll, L. Backpacks Vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis. Print. 20 Jan. 2016.
Kain, Erik. Black Ops 3 Review. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.

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Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1

Table of Textual Features
Did Not Meet
Expectations
Thesis Statement
Use of Textual
Evidence from
Genres
Use of Course
Readings
Analysis
Organization/Struc
ture
Attention to
Genre/Conventions
and Rhetorical
Factors
Sentence-level
Clarity, Mechanics,
Flow

Met
Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations

Edwin,

Other Comments

From start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Excellent work here, dude.
Take a look at my comments on how to get this to the
next level. If I had two suggestions, itd be: work in
more textual evidence from the sources themselves, and
also, find some ways to meaningfully use/build off of the
ideas in our course readings. Part of the reason that the
course readings are a req are so that you can get
experience with integrating them effectively into your
paper so that they help support your argument.
Again, awesome work.
Z
9/10