Quality of Video Game Trailers

Résumé

Game developers can gain competitive advantage in the market by understanding current trends in video game advertising. Based on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, this study examined the persuasive focus and video production quality of video game trailers. Content of 51 top selling video game trailers across three video game genres (traditional, imagination, physical enactment), and two trailer types (cinematic, gameplay) were analyzed. Results showed that peripheral persuasive route was utilized more in cinematic trailers, and for trailers of imagination and physical enactment genres. Employment of peripheral route approaches predicted video production quality. Trailers of imagination and physical enactment genres had more video production quality than trailers of traditional games.