Gaming

  • Links Roundup for 28 November 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Monday, 28 November 2011 - 10:12pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Anime and Manga, Cosplay, Comics, Gaming, Fanfiction , Fanfilms, Music

    Here's a roundup of stories about fan creations that might be of interest to fans:

    • The Daily Dot recently featured an interview with the creators of the Rap Industry Fan Fiction Tumblr blog. "“Why rappers? Because no one writes about rappers,” Jones told the Daily Dot. There’s something “endearing to read about rappers that feel vulnerable. And I mean vulnerable in a stupid, relatable way, like saying ‘duvet’ instead of ‘bidet,’ not grand lost-love vulnerability,”" Asked about any response from the subjects of their blogs, one replied "Upon two occasions rappers have asked us to post their music videos. I do not think they understand that our site is about made up stuff." Their future plans include podfic, and hopes for a book deal.
    • One of the exhibits by a performance art group in Japan "taxidermied...rats, painted them yellow, and stuck wires in their tails." The artists explained that the exhibit was inspired by the endurance of female Pikachu cosplayers. "These super rats have developed into what they are because of human activities. Even though humans are trying to exterminate the rats, they have become an eradicable [sic] part of society. I also thought that the type of girls that hang around Center-gai are a bit similar."
    • Wizard World recently featured what they called The Best Fan Fiction on Video, a collection of fan films that somehow failed to include last year's Emmy winning Star Wars fan film, "Star Wars Uncut" which was creatively crowdsourced. Crowdsourcing has enabled the production of an increasing variety of fan films for properties such as ElfQuest and Riverdale, an Archie comics fanfilm that "was produced with the help of almost 100 Craigslist volunteers from the Vancouver film industry."

    If you create fan videos or fan films or are part of rap music or Pokemon fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

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  • Links Roundup for 24 October 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Monday, 24 October 2011 - 2:49pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Business Models, Gaming, Books, Music, Entertainment Industries, Fandoms

    Here's a roundup of stories on fandom and creator interactions that might be of interest to fans:

    • This Magazine featured professional book fans Book Madam & Associates who "spread their appreciation through blogs, tweets, and occasional podcasts, events, DJ playlists, and online comics clumsily drawn in Microsoft Paint" from various Canadian cities. The group is focused not only on the interests of readers but on increasing the success of books in the marketplace. "A new returns policy instituted by Indigo Books & Music will soon see Canada’s largest retail book chain sending books back to publishers 45 days after they’ve been ordered, slicing in half the long-standing 90-day returns term. That means some books will have only a month and a half to make an impact on readers."
    • While Book Madam is trying to promote the medium of books, some fans are banding together to promote artists directly. This has usually been done collectively, but in one case, a fan was the sole sponsor of a musical tour: "A physician by trade, Tanaka loves independent, underground music from Japan, not something Toronto tends to have in abundance." Rather than continue to go to Japan to enjoy his favorite bands, Tanaka decided to bring them to Canada. Speaking of his $30,000 in losses, Tanaka pointed out “I could buy a car, but I already have a car. What’s that going to do for me? These are memories of a lifetime.”
    • Taking a contrary view, a blogger at Game Informer asks "How Much Should the Gamer Influence the Game?" After pointing out how fans flesh out the characters and storylines in a game, Oni no Tenshi adds "Bottom line here is that the fans of a series often dictate certain things, which result in the change of gameplay options, story arcs, and even characters themselves. Sometimes it's even more insidious-it's based on "market research" or "test audiences" that basically curtail or squash creativity in gaming stories and ideas simply because games are first and foremost a commercial endeavor and not purely available as artistic and creative outlets."

    If you're part of a gaming, music, or book fandom, why not contribute your perspectives to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Links Roundup for 5 October 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 - 5:17pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Gaming, Movies, Sports, Entertainment Industries, Fannish Practices

    Here's a roundup of stories on next generation fandom that might be of interest to fans:

    • Gaming industry website Gamasutra looks at "a niche social media phenomenon for an example of how expressions of game fandom proliferate in the Web 2.0 era", noting that social media enables "expressions of fandom [that] are often smaller, more specific, the result of a small in-joke that spreads" and concludes it is all "a sign of the continuing shift for games away from controlled product to democratic experience."
    • Movie Line cites the increasing independence of film makers as an experiment in subscription-based fandom, with one creator suggesting it "will totally liberate me to do something without commercial thoughts in my head. The removal of the press attention and critical infrastructure is something I'm looking forward to."
    • The NY Times' feature on American football channel Red Zone describes the success of the channel, which features only real-time winning and game-changing plays of multiple games simultaneously, and finds it "consistent with the wider American evolution in media consumption." Red Zone's "react[ion] to a new kind of demand, seems a kind of naked acknowledgment that a viewer’s interest in his or her fantasy leagues may actually trump loyalty to a single team", not unlike how some media fans find fanworks to be of greater interest than the texts they are based on. As one fan quoted notes, "There seems to be a tiny segment of fans who claim to be football purists and they would rather watch every single play of whatever game Fox/CBS feeds them...As if there's something noble in that. This is 2011!"

    If you're part of gaming, US football, or movie fandoms, why not contribute your own stories and projects to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Links Roundup for 28 September 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Wednesday, 28 September 2011 - 4:24pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Gaming, Books, Fanfiction , Movies, Music, Remix, Fannish Histories

    Here's a roundup of stories about enduring fandom that might be of interest to fans:

    • Last week, US NPR radio show Fresh Air rebroadcast its interview with author Allison Pearson about her novel I Think I Love You, in which she fictionalizes her experience as a Partridge Family fan in 1970s England. She discusses both her own life and the novel, noting, "We carry our younger selves with us our whole lives, and we can measure out [our] lives somewhat by music we've loved or icons we've loved."
    • Liz Danforth, an editor, writer, game scenario designer, and game developer discussed her turn into fan fiction, which she believes has resulted in some of her best work. "I felt the itch to write the first fiction I had even attempted in almost a decade, but I was shamefaced at the prospect of writing fanfic. I was a pro! Fanfic was for amateurs!...To my shock, I found I was still a writer after all. I had stories to tell. I had a character I adored, living in a world that I was passionate about. If there is nothing else WoW ever gave me, it gave me back a part of myself I truly believed lost. And I will be grateful forever."
    • For those who express their fannishness without the written word, a new site, Star Wars Remix, launched this month seeking contributions from those who see their fandom in everyday objects, from thumbtacks to burgers.

    If you're part of music, gaming, or Star Wars fandom, why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Contributions are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Links Roundup for 7 September 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - 2:29pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Fan Conventions, Gaming, Sports, Fannish Histories

    Here's a roundup of stories that contrast FIJAGH and FIAWOL that may be of interest to fans:

    • Writing from the FIJAGH perspective, University of Virginia student paper writer Matt Diton suggests that fannishness has a shelf life, with its peak years being the high school and college time. "I’ve come to the conclusion that each person has the capacity to act on only so much pure emotion, and for someone like me — without a family or a true career — sports can fill that entire hole. However, when the more important things in life come around, sports get pushed to the background. It’s not that the passion isn’t there, that it leaves as you age, it’s just that the active portion of it gets smaller and smaller."
    • Not all fans follow his trajectory however. In this feature on gamer wedding proposals, considerable time and ingenuity has been devoted by fans to make one of their life's special moments one that also celebrates their fannishness. In addition to fannish spouses, for some fandom is a family affair. Cons are one place where this multigenerational fannishness can be quite visible, and according to recent reports "[t]hough teams have been slow to adopt them, fan conventions are on the rise in the sports world."

    If you're part of gaming or sports fandoms why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Additions to the site are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Links Roundup for 2 September 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Friday, 2 September 2011 - 1:54pm
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Conferences, Commercialization of Fans, Gaming, Twitter, Sports, Entertainment Industries, Fannish Practices

    Here's a roundup of stories about "next generation fandom" that may be of interest to fans:

    • The Wharton business school recently held a For the Win: Serious Gamification conference in which business, government, and education providers came together to discuss how to motivate behavior in work spaces and the marketplace by leveraging their experience with motivating television viewers and fans in online game spaces. The participants noted, however, that success in leveraging fannish behavior in the workspace was dependent on both good design and projects "that really get at something core that people really, genuinely want to do."
    • In this ESPN post, a sports journalist notes that Twitter has not only given athletes a way to interact with fans, but has also colored the way that he reports on those athletes based upon what he learns about them through those interactions. He concludes that "Twitter has given fans a vehicle to root for players as human beings rather than as characterless objects, numerical fractions of a team." Twitter is also enabling fans to root for shows before they air. This Adweek article describes how advertisers are pre-identifying audiences by following conversations about upcoming TV shows. This advertiser attention could allow fans to draw in financial commitments for favorite stars' or producers' projects before they even air.

    If you're part of gaming or sports fandoms why not contribute your experiences to Fanlore? Additions to the site are welcome from all fans.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Links Roundup for 19 August 2011

    By Claudia Rebaza on Friday, 19 August 2011 - 11:11am
    Message type:
    News of Note
    Tags:
    Intellectual Property, Gaming, YouTube, Fan Videos

    Here are a couple of recent stories we think are of interest to fans using video streaming sites:

    • One videomaker recounts how her video became part of YouTube's advertising program. YouTube's Content ID software identified the source materials and music she used and matched up ads based on what it found to run with her video. While she stated that she thought the ads were a good fit — they were for her favorite shows — she acknowledged that not everyone whose work had been made part of the advertising program would have the same reaction. Fans have been unhappy in the past with similar retroactive commercialization of their work done without notice or consent, including banner ads. Fan video on YouTube and elsewhere is also a frequent target of copyright holders, who take action such as deleting audio tracks while leaving the video intact or removing videos entirely.
    • Fans utilizing online streaming sites to share videos may also be affected by legislation submitted in the U.S. Congress which could make it a felony to reproduce copyrighted content online. The proposal doesn't stop at restricting the legality of posting content — it would include restrictions on embedding links to copyrighted video. A post made on GamePolitics took a good look at the legal implications of the bill as it's currently written and how it could affect gamers and machinima creators in particular.

    We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about you can submit it in four easy ways: comment on the most recent Link Roundup on transformativeworks.org, LJ, DW, or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

    Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

    Read more

  • Special TWC issue "Games as Transformative Works" released!

    By .fcoppa on Sunday, 15 March 2009 - 6:05pm
    Message type:
    Announcement
    Tags:
    Gaming, Journal Committee, Roleplaying

    The second issue of Transformative Works and Cultures (TWC) has just been released! The March 15, 2009, special issue, entitled "Games as Transformative Works," is edited by Rebecca Carlson and combines TWC's general interest in fan works and fan cultures with a focus on games. Anthropology is the issue's dominant disciplinary approach, but literary and cultural studies also frame the discussion. Although several essays address the role of production, the voices of the fans and the gamers themselves remain ever important.

    The Praxis articles address many of the issues that surround computer games: editor Rebecca Carlson, for example, studies the complex position of gaming journalists, who are simultaneously fans and advertisers; Casey O'Donnell looks at the ambiguous role of game producers; and Robertson Allen's study of the use of games in Army recruiting similarly complicates the social role of games and their real life effects. Three other Praxis essays focus on particular games and the communities surrounding them: World of Warcraft (Mark Chen), Kingly Quest (Anastasia Marie Salter), and tabletop role-playing game Exalted (Michael Robert Underwood). Kevin Driscoll and Joshua Diaz focus on fan creativity in their introduction to and explanation of chiptunes.

    The Symposium section looks back and forward: pieces include Will Brooker's recollection of early computer games of the 1980s and what specific effects these games had on a particular generation; Thien-bao Thuc Phi's powerful analysis and personal response to the depiction of Asians in computer games; and Braxton Soderman's meditation on fan labor and fan activities in various online computer games. Several essays focus directly on fan responses and productions, such as Rebecca Bryant's account of the way players have rejected and circumvented recent Dungeons & Dragons updates; Amanda Odom's look at the sensory experiences of live-action role playing; Joe Bisz's description of player productivity in card collecting; and Julia Beck and Frauke Herrling's provocative suggestion that reads role-playing game characters through the lens of fan fiction criticism.

    The issue also features interviews with Paul Marino, cofounder and executive producer of Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences (AMAS); Doris Rusch, gaming scholar and video game designer; business professor Tony Driscoll; and Diane E. Levin, professor of early childhood education.

    Check out the entire Table of Contents here.

    The third issue of TWC will feature more general submissions and is scheduled for release on September 15, 2009. No. 4 is slated to be a special issue on the WB television show Supernatural, "Saving People, Hunting Things," guest edited by Catherine Tosenberger, and will appear on March 15, 2010 (call for papers available here). TWC has also just issued a call for papers for a special historical issue, "Fan Works and Fan Communities in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," slated for spring 2011, guest edited by Nancy Reagin and Anne Rubenstein (call for papers available here).

    Read more

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