The Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5 is a trailer that seeks to advertise the new chapter of the Fortnite Battle Royale series of games to its target audience of gamers. The advertisement strongly compels its audience to engage with the new game model through the use of several strategies that are evident throughout the one-minute, thirty-second video. New elements introduced to the new chapter and a new chapter mission that differs from those of the previous chapters are significant ways that the authors of the game seek to utilize (MacDonald, 2023). The advertisement features video game characters going after something that belongs to them that had been taken by people on a train; they choose to go after them. During the advert, the company highlights the new features of the game in writing on the bottom left of the screen, written in black over a tiny yellow background. This essay focuses on the use of various rhetorics in the advert and how these rhetorics potentially impact viewers’ decision to join the Fortnite gaming experience.
The advertisement heavily relies on the use of pathos, which is an appeal aimed at the emotions of the viewers. This is especially evident in the choice of music throughout the entire advertisement. The soundtrack of choice in the advert is a pulsating, dramatic one that contributes to a sense of adrenaline and urgency. Under normal circumstances, even in films, the use of fast-paced music usually appeals to the emotions of viewers by either portraying a dramatic scene or a happy scene filled with joy. In this case, the choice to use fast music creates a sense of drama. The importance of adrenaline to the viewers is that since the target market is gamers, it arouses the tension and thrill that encourages them to buy the chapter of the game and play it. Additionally, the fact that the music is fast-paced and not gloomy keeps potential buyers entertained even before they purchase the game.
Additionally, the advertisement appeals to potential buyers’ emotions through the visual elements of the advertisement. The game advert features players engaged in intense battles that contribute to a sense of urgency among viewers as they strive to see who will win the game. Furthermore, the storyline of the advert features players who arrive at their sanctuary to find their place tampered with and a note stating, “We have your,” together with the image of a banana beside the statement (Fortnite, 2023). Therefore, the film creates a sense of justice in this as the players engage in combat to recover their belongings. This is an essential appeal to the emotions of viewers because, upon purchasing the game, they would be fighting for justice.
Apart from pathos, the creators of the advert greatly appeal to the ethos of the viewers in several ways. For starters, the gaming company Epic Inc. has been in existence since 1991. As such, the company has created several series of games that include Fortnite, ZZT, Gears of War, and Infinity Blades, among others (MacDonald, 2023). As such, the company’s name and reputation wholly precede the game, making it a credible source of games. The unparalleled gaming experience through other games produced by the company and the longstanding experience of the gaming company in the gaming arena set the company apart from the rest, making the viewers believe that the company is a credible source of movies.
Additionally, the Fortnite Battle Royale was first released in September 2017. Since its inception, the game has had four chapters, each with a number of seasons that preceded the fifth chapter. The game series has over 650 million registered users (MacDonald, 2023). Therefore, naming this new game Fortnight Battle Royale Chapter 5 capitalizes on the company’s previous success, setting the game apart from others in the market as a successful gaming model. As such, the company makes the credibility and success of the previous games under the same name a selling point for the new game that they launch.
Moreover, logical appeals are used to convince the audience of the benefits of engaging with Chapter 5. This is seen through the new features that the advert highlights at the bottom left of the video. This is seen through statements such as “capture the train,” “introducing new weapon mods,” “revamped movement and gameplay,” and “Grapple blade combat,” (Fortnite, 2023). Introducing these features of the game through the advertisement appeals to the logic of the viewers in two ways. For starters, it explains what sets this new chapter of the game apart from the previous chapters. For example, the mission of the game is to capture a train. This new mission is different from previous missions in the previous chapters of the game. With a new mission in mind, players would be motivated to experience the new chapter.
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