VIDEO GAMES Q 4: GLOBALISATION

 How has globalisation impacted the video gaming industry in terms of development, distribution, and audience engagement? Make specific reference to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in your answer."

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Introduction Globalisation has profoundly shaped the video gaming industry, enabling games to reach vast international audiences while creating tensions around cultural identity, regulatory control and the concentration of ownership. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) illustrates both the opportunities and the contradictions of a globalised industry, demonstrating how a Japanese developer can produce a game with universal appeal while navigating the complexities of operating across international markets. As Curran and Seaton argue, the concentration of media ownership in fewer hands is a defining feature of globalised cultural industries, and the gaming industry is no exception.

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Topic Sentence 1: Development Globalisation has shaped the development of video games by creating a truly international marketplace, encouraging developers to produce content with universal appeal while also navigating cultural differences and regional expectations.

• Nintendo is a Japanese company with a global reach and an estimated value of 55 billion dollars
• ACNH incorporates Japanese cultural values such as communal harmony and a gentle pace of life, while adapting content for Western audiences through localised dialogue and seasonal events
• In-game events reference real world holidays from multiple cultures, including Japan's Setsubun, Mexico's Day of the Dead and Western Christmas traditions, reflecting cultural hybridisation
• Nintendo keeps development in-house through vertical integration, maintaining cultural and creative control in a globalised market
• Contrast with more Westernised franchises such as FIFA or Call of Duty, which more aggressively homogenise content for global markets
• Hesmondhalgh: large cultural industry companies minimise risk through franchise development, a strategy that globalisation has made both more necessary and more profitable

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Topic Sentence 2: Distribution Globalisation has transformed distribution in the gaming industry, with digital platforms enabling simultaneous worldwide releases and removing many of the barriers that once limited a game's international reach, though political and regulatory factors can still disrupt global access.

• ACNH released simultaneously across global markets in March 2020, made possible by digital distribution via the Nintendo eShop
• Became the first console game to reach five million digital sales within a month, with purchases spread across multiple territories
• Physical cartridge sales distributed globally through retail partnerships, reflecting the convergence of digital and traditional distribution channels
• Nintendo Switch Online subscription service operates across international markets, bundling multiplayer, cloud saving and bonus content into a single convergent platform
• However, globalisation also creates barriers: ACNH was removed from sale in China following its use in Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, illustrating how state censorship can interrupt even the most successful global distribution strategy
• Nintendo's vertically integrated ownership model allows it to control distribution across territories while adapting to local regulatory requirements

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Topic Sentence 3: Audience Engagement Globalisation has fundamentally changed how audiences engage with games, creating international communities of players who interact across borders through convergent digital platforms, social media and streaming services.

• ACNH's online multiplayer allows players worldwide to visit each other's islands, trade items and participate in seasonal events, creating a genuinely global player community
• Social media platforms including Twitter, TikTok and Instagram enabled players across the world to share island designs and in-game experiences, generating organic global marketing
• Streamers and YouTubers broadcast gameplay to international audiences, extending engagement far beyond the game itself
• During COVID-19 lockdowns, ACNH became a global cultural phenomenon, with players hosting virtual weddings, political rallies and celebrity visits across national borders
• Players used the game as a platform for global political activism: BLM protests were staged in-game in August 2020 and Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters used the game before its removal from Chinese markets
• Cross-media convergence, including Sanrio collaborations and the mobile spin-off Pocket Camp, extended audience engagement across platforms and territories

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Essay

Globalisation has profoundly shaped the video gaming industry, enabling games to reach vast international audiences while creating tensions around cultural identity, regulatory control and the concentration of ownership. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) illustrates both the opportunities and the contradictions of a globalised industry, demonstrating how a Japanese developer can produce a game with universal appeal while navigating the complexities of operating across international markets.

At the level of development, globalisation has created pressure on game developers to produce content that can travel across cultural boundaries without losing its identity. Nintendo, a Japanese company with an estimated value of 55 billion dollars, has responded to this challenge through cultural hybridisation rather than homogenisation. ACNH is rooted in Japanese values of communal harmony and closeness to nature, while adapting its seasonal events for Western audiences, referencing holidays from multiple cultures including Japan's Setsubun, Mexico's Day of the Dead and Western Christmas traditions. This approach contrasts sharply with franchises such as FIFA or Call of Duty, which aggressively homogenise content for a generic global market. Hesmondhalgh's argument that cultural industries use franchise development to minimise risk is relevant here: Nintendo's vertically integrated ownership model keeps development in-house, ensuring that cultural and creative control remains with the company even as its market becomes increasingly global.

Globalisation has been equally transformative at the level of distribution. The convergence of digital platforms with global telecommunications infrastructure has made simultaneous worldwide releases standard practice. ACNH launched across international markets in March 2020, available both as a physical cartridge and as a digital download via the Nintendo eShop. When COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted physical retail, digital distribution proved decisive: ACNH became the first console game to reach five million digital sales within a single month. However, globalisation also exposes the limits of distribution: the game was removed from sale in China following its use by Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters in 2020, illustrating how state censorship can interrupt even the most successful global distribution strategy and demonstrating that ownership and regulatory control remain powerful forces in a globalised market.

The impact of globalisation on audience engagement has perhaps been the most dramatic of all. Convergent digital platforms have dissolved national boundaries within gaming communities, with players worldwide visiting each other's islands, sharing designs on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, and broadcasting gameplay to international audiences on Twitch and YouTube. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, ACNH became a genuinely global cultural phenomenon, with players hosting virtual weddings, political rallies and celebrity visits that attracted mainstream media coverage across multiple countries. Most strikingly, players used the game as a platform for international political activism, staging Black Lives Matter protests in-game in August 2020. Here, cross-media convergence and globalisation combined to extend audience engagement far beyond anything Nintendo's ownership model had originally anticipated.

In conclusion, globalisation has reshaped the video gaming industry at every level. ACNH demonstrates that globalisation need not mean cultural homogenisation: Nintendo's vertically integrated ownership model has allowed it to reach a global audience while retaining a distinctively Japanese identity, even as convergent platforms have made that audience's engagement a genuinely international phenomenon.

 

VIDEO GAMES: STUDENT GUIDE TO GLOBALISATION

Globalisation in the Video Game Industry: A Guide for Students

Globalisation refers to the process by which media products, capital, technology, and cultural ideas circulate across national boundaries with increasing speed and reach. For the video game industry, globalisation has transformed what was once a predominantly Japanese and American domestic market into a truly worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH), developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo in March 2020, offers a particularly rich case study in globalisation: a Japanese-designed product, manufactured on hardware produced across East Asia, distributed digitally and physically across dozens of markets simultaneously, and consumed by audiences who then created and shared content globally in real time. Understanding globalisation in this context requires examining not just how games are sold internationally, but how production, distribution, audience behaviour, and cultural meaning all operate across borders in ways that no single company, government, or regulatory framework can fully control.

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Production and Globalisation

The production of ACNH reflects the deeply globalised nature of modern media manufacturing. The game itself was developed in Japan by Nintendo EPD, drawing on a distinctly Japanese aesthetic tradition — the concept of iyashikei (healing or soothing entertainment) is widely cited as a cultural influence on the Animal Crossing series, emphasising calm, repetition, and gentle community rather than competition or conflict. This cultural specificity did not prevent global success; arguably it enabled it, offering audiences worldwide an experience that felt genuinely different from Western game design conventions.

However, the hardware on which ACNH runs — the Nintendo Switch — is manufactured through a global supply chain. Components are sourced from suppliers across East Asia, assembled primarily in China, and distributed through international logistics networks. This means that even before a single copy of the game is sold, its existence depends on globalised labour markets and international trade relationships. The COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided almost exactly with ACNH's launch in March 2020, disrupted these supply chains significantly, contributing to Nintendo Switch shortages across multiple markets and demonstrating how vulnerable even the most successful global products are to disruption in the international systems that produce them.

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Distribution and Globalisation

ACNH was distributed both physically and digitally across the majority of global markets, with the Nintendo eShop enabling near-simultaneous worldwide release. This represents a significant shift from earlier decades of the industry, when Japanese games could take months or years to reach Western markets, and regional versions were often substantially altered in content and design. Digital distribution has compressed or eliminated these delays, creating a genuinely global release culture in which audiences everywhere encounter the same product at the same moment.

This simultaneity has commercial and cultural consequences. It generates coordinated global conversation — the launch of ACNH in March 2020, during the first weeks of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, produced an extraordinary shared cultural moment in which players across dozens of countries responded to real-world isolation by retreating into the same virtual island paradise. Social media amplified this, with ACNH trending worldwide across Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok simultaneously. The global distribution infrastructure made this possible; digital platforms made it visible.

However, global distribution also exposes producers to the fragmented and sometimes contradictory regulatory environments discussed in the companion regulation guide. ACNH's removal from grey-market platforms in China following its use by Hong Kong democracy activists illustrates how political intervention can override commercial distribution decisions, cutting off audience access in ways entirely outside Nintendo's control. Global reach does not guarantee global availability.

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Audiences and Globalisation

Globalisation has fundamentally altered the relationship between producers and audiences. Where once a Japanese game developer could reasonably expect its primary audience to be domestic, Nintendo now produces for a worldwide consumer base whose expectations, cultural references, and patterns of engagement differ enormously. ACNH's design reflects a conscious effort to create a culturally transferable product — its soft visual language, its absence of explicit narrative, and its emphasis on player-created content all reduce cultural specificity in ways that make the game accessible across very different audience contexts.

Yet audiences do not simply receive global products passively. The globalisation of platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit has enabled audiences to become active participants in a worldwide conversation about games, generating content, criticism, and creative reinterpretation that circulates independently of the producer. ACNH players shared custom island designs, in-game events, and creative builds across these platforms, producing a secondary cultural layer around the game that Nintendo neither commissioned nor controlled. This participatory globalisation — audiences globally co-creating meaning around a product — represents one of the most significant shifts in the producer-audience relationship in the contemporary media landscape.

The Hong Kong protests within ACNH are the most dramatic example of audiences using a global platform in ways entirely unintended by its producer. Players constructed virtual protest spaces, displayed political messaging, and used the game's sharing tools to circulate images internationally. This demonstrates that global audiences can repurpose media products as tools for political expression, with consequences — in this case, removal from Chinese platforms — that affect other audiences worldwide.

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Cultural Imperialism and Hybridity

A central debate within globalisation theory concerns whether the worldwide circulation of media products leads to cultural homogenisation — sometimes described as cultural imperialism — or whether it produces new hybrid cultural forms. ACNH sits interestingly across this debate. On one hand, it is a product of one of the world's largest media corporations, distributed through a global platform that privileges certain languages (primarily English and Japanese) and certain consumption patterns (digital purchase, online connectivity, disposable income for hardware). In this sense it participates in the concentration of global media power in the hands of a small number of corporations.

On the other hand, ACNH's content is notably resistant to straightforward cultural imperialism narratives. Its Japanese aesthetic values travelled successfully precisely because they offered something different from the dominant Western game design conventions of competition, violence, and spectacle. Theorists such as Koichi Iwabuchi have described Japanese popular culture's global circulation as an example of what he calls "soft power" — cultural influence that operates through attraction rather than imposition. The global success of ACNH could be read as evidence that globalisation does not inevitably flatten cultural difference, but can sometimes amplify it.

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Ownership and Globalisation

Nintendo's vertically integrated ownership model — controlling hardware, software, and distribution platform simultaneously — gives it an unusual degree of influence within the globalised market. Unlike many of its competitors, Nintendo does not license its hardware to third-party manufacturers or distribute its first-party titles through rival platforms. This means that the globalisation of ACNH operates largely within an ecosystem that Nintendo itself owns and manages, giving the company significant control over pricing, availability, and the conditions of access across different markets.

However, even Nintendo's considerable resources cannot insulate it entirely from the pressures of a globalised market. Currency fluctuation affects pricing across regions. Regional regulatory requirements demand localisation and compliance investment. The political intervention that removed ACNH from Chinese platforms was entirely outside Nintendo's control, representing a limit case in which the globalised market and the authority of nation-states came into direct conflict. For smaller publishers without Nintendo's resources, navigating these pressures is a significantly greater commercial challenge.

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Convergence and Globalisation

The convergence of gaming with social media, streaming platforms, and online communities has accelerated and deepened the globalisation of video game culture. ACNH is experienced not only as a game but as a content ecosystem: players watch others play on YouTube and Twitch, follow island design accounts on Instagram, discuss updates on global Reddit communities, and share moments on TikTok. Each of these platforms operates globally, meaning that the cultural life of ACNH extends far beyond the game itself into a worldwide network of content creation and consumption.

This convergence creates new commercial opportunities — Nintendo benefits from the enormous volume of free marketing generated by player-created content — but also new challenges. Content created by players exists outside Nintendo's intellectual property control, and the global nature of these platforms means that content, criticism, or controversy generated in one market can spread instantly to all others. The globalised, converged media environment gives audiences unprecedented reach, and producers must navigate a landscape in which their products are continuously being discussed, reinterpreted, and repurposed on a worldwide scale.

Applying Theorists - Revision Number 1

EITHER: 

Media Language Questions

Analyse the way that Media Language is used to present social and cultural contexts in Source A (The Daily Mail) and Source B (The Guardian Online).​

• Apply Barthes Theories about Semiotics in your answer.
• Apply Levi-Strauss theories about structuralism in your answer.
• Apply Todorov's theories about narratology in your answer.
• Apply Baudrillard's theories about Postmodernism.
• Apply Neale's theories about genre.

NB: Contexts can be social, cultural, political or historical.

Media Representations Questions

Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Source A (The Daily Mail) and Source B (The Guardian Online).​

• Apply Hall's theories on representation in your answer. ***
• Apply Van Zoonen's theories on Feminist Representations in your answer. ***
• Apply Gilroy's Post-Colonial Theory in your answer.
• Apply bell hook's theories on Intersectionality in your answer.
• Apply Gauntlett's theories on Identity in your answer.
• Apply Butler's theories on Gender Performativity. 

NB: Representations can be social, cultural, political or historical.

QUESTION CONTEXT: 

On March 7th, 2021, Meghan Duchess of Sussex gave an Interview to Oprah Winfrey in which she accused the Royal Family of racism. This came just a few hours after the Queen's speech to the British Commonwealth in which she stressed the importance of duty.

 SOURCE A: DAILY MAILCOVER MARCH 8th 2021

SOURCE B: THE GUARDIAN ONLINE MARCH 8th 2021

Hall theorises that Media producers attempt to fix a preferred meaning by manipulating what is present, what is absent, and what is different. He argues that these representations often reinforce dominant ideologies (hegemony) through the use of stereotypes and selective framing guiding audiences to accept certain values and beliefs or viewpoints and ideologies. 

Van Zoonen theorises that media representations of women in patriarchal cultures rely on objectification, positioning women as objects of a male gaze rather than as subjects in their own right. Conversely, men are positioned as active subjects, shaping their environment. She argues that gender is socially and culturally constructed, meaning that newspapers both reflect and reinforce dominant ideological assumptions about gender roles, consistently serving patriarchal power structures.

hooks theorises that media representations actively reinforce a system of interlocking oppressions. Through her concept of intersectionality, she argues that gender, race, class, sexuality and disability interact within representation to reinforce a white supremacist capitalist patriarchal system, making structural inequality appear natural and inevitable.

YEAR 12 MOCK - REVIEW/REVISE

This year, the Year 12 mock examination will take place earlier than previous years. As a result, we will not have covered all of the material needed to sit a full Paper 1. The exam will consist of:

Question 1 (10 Marks = 17.1 mins or 21.3 mins): 

Newspapers : Representation Question (Social Representation or Political Representation) 

        You should revise: 

• Van Zoonen, 
• Hall
• Bell Hooks

Question 2 (15 Marks = 25.7mins or 32.14 mins): 

Newspapers: Codes and Conventions + Viewpoints & Ideologies

You should revise 

• Codes and Conventions of Newspaper Covers
• Left and Right Wing Ideologies

Question 3 (15 Marks = 25.7mins or 32.14 mins): 

Music Videos

        One of the following questions:

• Explain how representations in music videos are chosen to promote the artist(s). Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. 
• Explain how representations of musical artists and their work communicate information about their cultural and political contexts. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. 
• Explain how and why stereotypes are used in music videos. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer.

Question 4 (15 Marks = 25.7mins or 32.14 mins): 

The Big Issue - Unseen

        You should revise:

• How does Source C use Intertextuality to communicate values and beliefs?
• How does Source C use media language to construct viewpoints and ideologies?
• Codes and Conventions of The Big Issue
• Left and Right Wing Ideologies

Question 5  (15 Marks = 25.7mins or 32.14 mins): 

Print Advertising - Shelter Advert + Unseen (Also Charity Advert)

    You should revise:

• Compare the way that values and beliefs are constructed in Source D (The Shelter Advert) and Source E (Unseen).
• Use of Media Language in The Shelter Advert
• A.I.D.A. Model
• Advertising Values 

ADVERTISING: LESSON 1 - MEDIA LANGUAGE AND SET TEXTS

MEDIA LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

• Layout
• Typography
• Use of Image
• Use of Language
• Use of Colour
• Logo/Slogan/Brand Identity

MAINSTREAM (COMMERCIAL) ADVERTISERS USE MEDIA LANGUAGE TO

• Establish brand identity
• Make the the product more memorable
• Promote positive associations with the brand
• Differentiate the brand from its competitors
• Engage with/validate the lifestyle choices of consumers
• Engage with/validate the aspirations of consumers
• Attract new consumers
• Maintain existing consumers

NON COMMERCIAL (CHARITY) ADVERTSERS USE MED LANG TO

• Raise awareness of issues (relevant to charity/service)
• Build up brand image (promote positive associations in the minds of the public)
• Reassure existing supporters of the charity
• Persuade new supporters to donate

SET TEXTS:

DOVE: "Too Many Cooks" Beautifully Real Moms Campaign - 2018

RIVER ISLAND: "Labels are for Clothes" campaign 2018

SHELTER: 

A Level Media Studies Factsheet - Advertising

ADVERISING LESSON 2: AIDA MODEL

 SOURCE: AIDA Model EXPLAINED with EXAMPLES | B2U | Business-to-you.com

Attention

The first level of response is the cognitive stage of customers. This is the act of thinking about the product. At this stage, customers are becoming aware of the product and start to develop some knowledge of the product’s attributes and benefits. The Attention stage is usually triggered through advertising. All products or brands that customers are aware of, are part of the so called ‘awareness set‘. This is a smaller portion of the ‘total set‘ of products and brand that are available within a certain product category.

Interest

After the cognitive stage, customers enter the affective stage. At this level customers have gone beyond mere knowledge of the product and have actually begun to develop attitudes, preferences and perhaps even interest in the product. All products or brands that customers have interest in, are likely to become part of the so called ‘consideration set‘. This means that customers are seriously considering purchasing the product eventually. However before taking action, customers will need to go through two more stages.

Desire

The Desire step of the AIDA Model is still part of the cognitive stage of customers. However, the interest customers initially had, has developed even more into an actual need. Customers are already imagining themselves with the product.

Action

The final stage is the behavioural stage. This is where the customers take action. This could vary from visiting a retailer to see a product demonstration or writing an email to a shop owner for more information on the product. Of course, ultimately these actions should hopefully lead to the purchase of the product. Consequently, products or brands that made it to this stage are part of the ‘choice set‘ or ‘purchase set‘.

ADVERTISING LESSON 3: COMPARING CHARITY ADVERTS

Compare the way that Source A and B use Media Language to construct values, attitudes and beliefs.

In your answer you must:

• consider how Media Language is used to construct media messages related to values, attitudes and beliefs
• make judgments and reach conclusions about how audiences might respond to these media messages

REMEMBER

NON COMMERCIAL (CHARITY) ADVERTSERS USE MED LANG TO

• Raise awareness of issues (relevant to charity/service)
• Build up brand image (promote positive associations in the minds of the public)
• Reassure existing supporters of the charity
• Persuade new supporters to donate

SOURCE A: SHELTER ADVERT

BUT WHERE WILL BE LIVE?

Losing your job doesn't have to mean losing your home. We can help.

Every year we help thousands of people avoid losing their homes.

Search 'Shelter House Advice' now.

HE CAN'T DO THAT

As a tenant it's hard to know where you stand. We can help.

Every year we help thousands of people with difficult or rogue landlords.

Search 'Shelter House Advice' now.

To donate text Home40 £5 to 70070.

I CAN'T FACE IT

Debt can seem too big to face, but if ignored can threaten your home. We can help.

Every year we help thousands of people avoid losing their homes because of debt or other problems.

Search 'Shelter House Advice' now.

To donate text Home40 £5 to 70070.

SOURCE B: THE LIFETRUST.ORG ADVERT

MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION ONE

How does public service broadcasting (PSB) differ from commercial broadcasting in terms of funding, content, and audience reach? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer.

PLANNING

Ideally, you should plan three paragraphs. Some questions lend themselves to this very easily, other will need a little more careful thought. This one is easy.

Paragraph 1: Funding

Paragraph 2: Content

Paragraph 2: Audience Reach

For each section, you need to demonstrate the depth of you knowledge by offering up specific and detailed examples. In the comments section below, post an example of something that demonstrates your knowledge of these three areas. This should form the basis of your answer.

BELOW IS AN ESSAY THAT MAKES USE OF SOME OF THE SPECIFC AND DETAILED EXAMPLES POSTED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. USE THE MARKSCHEME TO GIVE IT A MARK/15

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: VIDEO GAMES / FILM INDUSTRY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING MARKSCHEME

INTRODUCTION

Public service broadcasters (PSBs) such as the BBC are publicly funded and operate under a remit to inform, educate and entertain, whereas commercial broadcasters are profit-driven and rely on advertising revenue. These differences shape the type of content produced and the audiences targeted. This can be clearly seen through The Radio 1 Breakfast Show, which reflects the BBC’s public service values and funding model.

FUNDING (USING SOME OF THE EVIDENCE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION)

One key difference between PSB and commercial broadcasting is the approach to funding. The BBC, including BBC Radio 1 and R1BS, is predominantly funded through the TV licence fee rather than advertising and sponsorship. According to the BBC Accounts and Trust Statement 2024–25, the BBC collected approximately £3.8 billion from licence fee income, with 20% of the licence fee allocated to BBC Radio. However, Radio 1 received only a third of the funding of Radio 4, suggesting that the BBC is more committed to programming that seeks to inform and educate older viewer than it is to entertaining its younger demographic. In contrast, commercial radio stations rely primarily on advertising revenue, meaning content is often shaped to attract advertisers rather than meet public service objectives meaning that they tend to prioritise entertainment. The BBC’s funding model is increasingly under pressure, as a Public Accounts Committee report found that licence fee evasion and non-purchase resulted in over £1.1 billion in lost income in 2024–25. With a charter review underway until 2027, the future funding of PSB, including programmes like The Radio 1 Breakfast Show, remains uncertain.

CONTENT

A key difference between public service and commercial broadcasting is evident in the content of The R1BS. Since Greg James became host in 2018, the programme has actively moved away from celebrity gossip towards listener-led, inclusive content, reflecting the BBC’s public service remit rather than commercial priorities. Greg James has described the show as “a safe space to confess things and be weird” and stated that “this show is all about you”, emphasising its focus on audience participation over profit. Segments such as Is It Just Us? and Unpopular Opinions rely on listeners sharing personal stories and opinions without financial reward, contrasting with commercial radio’s frequent use of prizes and sponsorship. The show also demonstrates digital convergence through its integration of social media, the BBC Sounds app and online video clips, allowing audiences to engage beyond live radio. This multiplatform approach helps Radio 1 reach younger audiences nationally while maintaining PSB values rather than tailoring content to advertisers.

AUDIENCE REACH

PSB also differs from commercial broadcasting in terms of audience reach, as the BBC is required to serve a wide and diverse national audience. The Royal Charter states that it must provide services that “inform, educate and entertain” all audiences and reflect the diversity of the UK, rather than targeting only commercially valuable demographics. While R1BS is aimed primarily at 15–29 year olds, it still seeks to represent a broad range of voices within that group. This can be seen through the use of guest presenters such as Henrie Kwushue, Shivani Dave, and Dean McCullough, who brought Black British, South Asian, LGBTQ+ and regional perspectives to the station during 2020. Kwushue noted the importance of “hearing a voice that sounded like mine”, highlighting Radio 1’s role in offer diverse representation. Unlike commercial broadcasters, which often narrow audiences to maximise advertising revenue, the BBC reaches around 90% of UK adults weekly, reinforcing its role as a national public service broadcaster.

MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION TWO

To what extent does public service broadcasting fulfil its remit to educate, inform, and entertain? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer.

Planning. This question seems, quite naturally to fall into the same category as question one, naturally having three sections:

Paragraph 1: Educate

Paragraph 2: Inform

Paragraph 3: Entertain

This is a perfectly legitimate way to approach the question. However, if your knowledge pushes you in a different direction, you might consider a slightly different tactic. For example:

Paragraph 1: Educate and Inform - Consider discussion of the way that R1BS covers news and how it educated its audience about the election in 2024.

Paragraph 2: Entertain - Consider how R1BS engages its audience as part of its remit to entertain. Also, how it also fulfils its remit to introduce British Artists.

Paragraph 3: Reach diverse audiences - The remit extends just beyond those three elements and so R1BS must also attempt to reach a wide and diverse audience. Consider using the evidence of the different presenters of the Christmas shows. 

Example Essay:

Notice how I am doing my best to include any/all new information from below (comments section), or if I can, to reuse old information.

Public service broadcasting (PSB), such as the BBC, operates under the Royal Charter and is expected to fulfil a remit to inform, educate and entertain, while also serving a wide and diverse national audience. Unlike commercial broadcasters, which are primarily driven by advertising revenue and profit, PSBs are designed to provide public value. This can be clearly seen through The Radio 1 Breakfast Show (R1BS), which demonstrates how the BBC attempts to meet its remit while still targeting younger audiences.

Paragraph 1: Educate and Inform - Consider discussion of the way that R1BS covers news and how it educated its audience about the election in 2024.

Although the main purpose of R1BS is entertainment, it still fulfils the BBC’s duty to inform and educate younger audiences through its integration of Newsbeat, which reflects the Charter requirement to “provide duly impartial news and information” to help audiences understand the world around them. This is particularly significant because young people may not access traditional news sources, meaning Radio 1 plays an important role in civic education. This was evident during the 2024 General Election, when Newsbeat featured representatives from parties such as Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK, ensuring that different viewpoints were given airtime and reinforcing the BBC’s obligation to remain “unbiased.” The news is produced by trained journalists independent from Greg James, ensuring the show can balance entertainment with impartial reporting. This suggests PSB fulfils the remit strongly in terms of accessibility and engagement, even if the depth of political coverage is limited compared to BBC Radio 4.

Paragraph 2: Entertain - Consider how R1BS engages its audience as part of its remit to entertain. Also, how it also fulfils its remit to introduce British Artists.

R1BS fulfils the remit to entertain to a very large extent, as its format is built around humour, participation and audience interaction. Since Greg James became host in 2018, the programme has shifted away from celebrity gossip towards listener-led content, reflecting BBC values rather than commercial priorities. Greg James has described the show as “a safe space to confess things and be weird” and stated “this show is all about you,” showing how it creates a sense of community. Segments such as Is It Just Us? and Unpopular Opinions rely on audience contributions rather than sponsorship, contrasting with commercial radio which often depends on competitions and advertising-led content. The show also uses digital convergence through BBC Sounds and social media clips, helping it remain relevant to younger audiences. In addition, Radio 1 supports British music culture by promoting emerging UK artists, meaning entertainment is combined with public service cultural value.

Paragraph 3: Reach diverse audiences - The remit extends just beyond those three elements and so R1BS must also attempt to reach a wide and diverse audience. Consider using the evidence of the different presenters of the Christmas shows. 

PSB also fulfils its remit through reaching diverse audiences, as the BBC must “serve all audiences” and reflect the diversity of the UK rather than focusing only on profitable demographics. While R1BS targets 15–29 year olds, it still aims to represent a wide range of voices within that group. This can be seen through the use of presenters such as Henrie Kwushue, Shivani Dave and Dean McCullough, especially in special broadcasts such as Christmas schedules, where different ethnic, regional and LGBTQ+ perspectives were represented. Kwushue stated the importance of “hearing a voice that sounded like mine,” highlighting how PSB can provide inclusion and representation that commercial broadcasters may not prioritise. Furthermore, the BBC reaches around 90% of UK adults weekly, demonstrating its national reach and reinforcing its role as a universal broadcaster rather than a niche commercial service.

Overall, The Radio 1 Breakfast Show demonstrates that PSB fulfils its remit to a large extent. While its primary focus is entertainment, it also informs and educates through impartial Newsbeat coverage such as during the 2024 election, and it promotes inclusion through diverse presenters and national reach. Although it may not provide in-depth education, R1BS successfully adapts PSB values to a modern youth audience, proving the BBC continues to meet its public service purpose.

MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION THREE

How has technological convergence impacted public service radio broadcasting? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer. (Explicitly about convergence.)

Planning. Sometimes when you are planning, you may notice that you can reuse evidence from other questions to support your response and that this will direct the structure of your essay.

Paragraph 1: Distribution & platforms

Discuss the way that convergence has changed how audiences access Radio 1. 

Paragraph 2: Content & interactivity

Discuss the way that the show has changed its style because of convergence, especially around content designed to encourage interactivity.

Paragraph 3: Tensions between PSB and commercial competition 

Discuss the way that other broadcasters have co-opted some of the market share from R1BS, in particular platforms like Spotify. 

Intertextuality Question - Exemplar

How does The Big Issue use intertextuality in extract A?

Extract A: Front Cover No. 1214

This front cover was release in July of 2016. The all female remake of the popular movie The Ghostbusters was released in this same month along with Donald Trump receiving the official Republican Party nomination for his first run for U.S. president. Here his face has been placed onto the body of Slimer, one of the more iconic ghosts from the Ghostbusters franchise. The heads of the ghostbusters have been replaced with the heads of (From left to right):

Hilary Clinton - The Democrat Party nominee running against Trump.

Theresa May - The new UK Prime Minister, only the second woman to hold that office.

Taylor Swift - According to Forbes magazine, the highest paid celebrity in the world. 

Serena Williams - The highest paid female athlete in the world. 

MARK SCHEME

• Clear and coherent understanding of Intertextuality [0,1,2,3]​
• Accurately answers the question [0,1,2,3]​ 
• Selects and describes examples with care and precision [0,1,2,3]​   
• Carefully analyses ALL examples [0,1,2,3]​
• Uses terminology like a Media Studies expert [0,1,2,3]

0 - No
1 - A little, but pretty vague 
2 - Yes, but could do it better  
3 - Yes! Excellent

EXAMPLE ESSAY

 

Cut around a solid shape or block capital text (fastest)

 Use this when:

• The shape/text is a solid color

• The background has good contrast

Steps

1. Select the Flood Select Tool

   • Shortcut: W

2. Click inside the shape or text

   • The area fills with “marching ants”

3. Adjust tolerance (very important)

   • In the top context toolbar:

     • Increase Tolerance if it doesn’t select everything

     • Decrease it if it grabs too much

   • Turn Anti-alias ON

   • Turn Contiguous ON (usually)

4. Refine edges (optional but recommended)

   • Click Refine in the context toolbar

   • Feather slightly (0.5–1 px)

   • Click Apply

5. Cut it out

   • To isolate:

     • Click Layer → New Mask Layer

   • Or to delete background:

     • Press Delete

How to resize a pasted image in Affinity Photo 2

1. Paste the image

• Copy the image from anywhere

• Paste it into Affinity Photo (Ctrl + V / Cmd + V)

• It appears as a new layer in the Layers panel

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2. Select the Move Tool

• Press V
  or click the Move Tool (arrow icon) in the toolbar

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3. Resize using the bounding box

• Click on the pasted image

• You’ll see a bounding box with corner handles

To resize proportionally (no distortion):

• Drag a corner handle

• Hold Shift (Affinity 2 requires Shift to constrain proportions)

To resize freely (distort):

• Drag without holding Shift

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4. Apply the transform

• Press Enter
  or click Apply in the context toolbar (if shown)