Parlaying Values

        In the journal article “Parlaying Value: Capital in and Beyond Virtual Worlds”, the author Thomas Malaby discusses three forms of capital in the synthetic world. Synthetic world is another way of saying virtual world however, Malaby uses the term synthetic instead of virtual, because it shows that the world in question is made by humans. He states that the term virtual although can be seen in a positive light for giving an image, it is also a term that created the real vs unreal division.

Let Me Post Cosplay...

In class on Thursday, April 14^th we watched video poking fun at the “selfie” phenomena that seems to have taken over social media everywhere.  Selfie’s are the now expected photos of your friends that you see when they are out having a good time that they take of themselves, often before they head wherever they are off too.  The video touches on the popularity of selfies, but also communicates what is important to the cosplay community and explores what happens when that is broken.      

Wanna take a selfie?

 

            Last night in class we got the chance to watch the parody video of “Let me take a selfie” only on cosplay instead.  The major message I got out of this parody was the dislike many cosplayers have for “fake” cosplayers.  How she makes fun of how people only posting pictures of them in their cosplay for “likes” and how they take the pictures just to look sexy online.  Another reference was “I bet she didn’t even play that game” basically saying how some people dress up in cosplay but don’t know the actual game or character they’re cosplaying as.  As someone who doesn’t cosplay or know much about cosplay or the games in general I get the impression right away that a lot of girls dress up in cosplay and try to make it more of a sexy costume rather than more realistic.  That’s why I think I originally felt like this video was targeting girls who just try to look sexy. After the discussion we had in class from watching the video I realized that these games actually make women have over the top sex appeal and that when woman do cosplay it isn’t them looking for attention by altering the characters outfits.  So the video was more so aiming at those who aren’t real fans, not people looking for attention in a sexy outfit.  Another issue brought up was the idea of “steampunk” which I didn’t even know existed, or would be considered a bad thing in the cosplay community.  I assumed that adding your own custom pieces to outfits for cosplay would be cool and something that would be enjoyed in the cosplay community.  I didn’t think that making things identical to the original version was so important because now a day’s most people strive to be unique and stick out as much as possible.  I think after the classroom discussion on the video my entire views on what she was trying to say changed, my original thought was that she was sick of seeing girls just there in super sexy outfits or posting on facebook or other social media sites for likes.  However her problem more so comes from the idea of people faking their belonging in the cosplay community by not knowing the real games or characters they are cosplaying, and using it as bragging rights on social media, but not for the reason of actually having a passion for the game or cosplay.

Cosplay, You're Doing it Right

In class, we watched the parody video titled Cosplay Music Video (#Selfie Parody). In this video they are judging other people's cosplay for a variety of reasons, such as if they are a fake cosplayer who isn't even a real fan, and also the cosplay they chose in relation to the convention. Personally, I don't think it matters what you cosplay at what convention, or how die-hard of a fan you are. In a sense, isn't to be a cosplayer to be a fan? When you think about it, we're all just nerds in costume, so what's the big deal if you want to wear something that's not Japanese at the anime convention?

In the video, she says "why is there a stormtrooper at an anime convention"? Well, why does it bother you? In the grand scheme of things, aren't you just happy to see other people expressing their love for whatever show, movie, game, or comic book of which they are a fan. There aren't a lot of opportunities to cosplay, so people are going to cosplay their favorite characters wherever there is an acceptable place to be in costume, no matter what the theme. Cosplay is such a huge part of all conventions; I think it's fun to see all sorts of different characters. On animecons.com, someone on a forum says "Even if the con itself has said it will only have programming related to anime, manga, J-games, and Japanese culture, anime cons have become huge meccas of nerds and geeks in general. How is it any different than someone wearing an Iron Man or TMNT shirt"? In the end, does the stormtrooper at the anime convention really affect your experience at all? Conventions are a community experience, so let your fellow geeks and nerds show off their love of their favorite characters.  

In the video, she also days "That cosplayer is such a fake, she definitely didn't play the video game". In the end, is there really such thing as a 'fake cosplayer'? Why not let people dress up as whatever character they want, regardless of the reasons? In an article titled Cosplayers are passionate, talented folk. But there is a darker side to this community,too, the writer states that "To be a cosplayer is to be a fan - the cosplay itself not much different in spirit than writing a fanfiction or hoarding collectibles of your favorite media". Maybe you aren't a die-hard fan, maybe you're just a fan of the way the character looks. But can't that be reason enough to cosplay?

There is then a quote in the article by Elizabeth DeLoria that says "I don't think anyone in their right minds would hot glue N7 armor to their skin for a Mass Effect Cosplay or go two days without sleep while sewing Super Sentail suits if they weren't a fan of it". In the video, she also judges the quality of people's costumes, saying that they were probably bought at a Halloween store. Well, cosplay, as far as I am aware, is an expensive and time-consuming hobby. Many people probably don't have the time or the funds to make a truly accurate costume. Maybe you see those people and think "their costume sucks, so they must not be a true fan", but the quality of the costume does not define the quality of the fan. 

So, let people cosplay whatever they want and take your judgments elsewhere. Conventions are for a community, a community of nerds and geeks with a variety of interests. The video showed that the cosplay community can be a judgemental place, but that shouldn't stop people from dressing up as whatever it is they are a fan of. maybe you don't know every detail about the show, or movie, or game, or comic book. Maybe you don't have the funds or the time to make professional and accurate looking cosplay. Maybe your favorite character is Gandalf, but the only convention you can attend is an anime convention. But who cares! Cosplay as that character for whatever reason you want, wherever you want, despite some of the petty judgments. Do your thing and forget the rest, 

Citations

E. (n.d.). - AnimeCons.com Forums. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://forums.animecons.com/showtopic.php?tid/2565/

Hernandez, P. (2013). Cosplayers Are Passionate, Talented Folks. But There's A Darker Side To This Community, Too. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://kotaku.com/5975038/cosplayers-are-passionate-talented-folks-but-theres-a-darker-side-to-this-community-too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCDGSpXcChU

Getting a drink with the Nerds

“What have we done” was said multiple times after answering questions on this week’s podcast. The podcast featured Lynn and Tony, owners of 42 Lounge which is a popular nerd bar in Milwaukee. At the time of the podcast on April 21^st 2014 the bar was coming up on it’s one year anniversary and David and Shawn wanted to talk about the start of the bar and how the bar is growing.

Being Social with the Antisocial

            The 42 bar interviews about PAX and the bar are great examples of how social geeks truly are. The example of the lone person hiding from the world only going out when forced to by others is a common model in most American’s minds. The fact is that when put into certain social settings geeks seem to be the friendliest and social people around. If I went to a typical bar I will not socialize with anyone there if I did not come with you I know I have nothing in common with you, but at 42 I would talk to everyone.

 

Getting down n' nerdy

So you've had a long week or day and now its time to reward yourself with a little 'me' time. How are you going to spend that time? A big part of you would love nothing more than to sit around playing games all night in the comfort of your home. However, another part of you, a nagging voice in the back of your mind that sounds an awful lot like your mother, is telling you to get out of your house and go meet people. While the idea of going out, having a few drinks, and meeting new people sounds fun, the reality of it can be the opposite. You finally work up the nerve to start up a conversation with a stranger only to find that you have nothing in common with them. Eventually you get bored of the conversation, pretend you have to go to the bathroom, and then avoid them for the rest of the night. We've all been there, and the more times it happens to you, the more you may feel like you just don't fit in or belong there, so you cut the night short and go home where you happily play games for the rest of the night with people that actually do share your interests. What if you didn't have to choose between a night out and a night of gaming, though? Luckily, you no longer have to. Introducing: Geek Bars!

Geek havens are popping up everywhere, welcoming geeks of all types to a place of their own where they can interact with likeminded people face-to-face all the while doing what they love whether it be gaming, watching anime, or any other activity associated with nerd culture. Here are a few popular ones in and around the Milwaukee area:

Even if you haven't been to 42 Lounge yet you should be familiar with it, as it was the main focus of this week's class podcasts. They've got a wide variety of geekdom and fandom themed drinks, like Butterbeer, a Harry Potter themed drink, and Han Shot First, a Star Wars themed drink. They also host awesome events frequently, like cosplay parties, anime nights, League of Legends nights, and many more. Although the events are a lot of fun, this place is also a great place to kick back and play the some of the many games they have to offer.

The Safe House is another popular location where geeks tend to gather in Milwaukee. It's a spy-themed bar full of fun surprises. Starting at the entrance, visitors are asked to present a password to get in, although they can still get in without it for the small price of a little public humiliation. Although, more of a theme bar than a geek bar, this place is also a restaurant, and the food makes up for that.

In St. Francis is 42 Ale House, another bar owned by the same people who run 42 Lounge, Anthony and Lynn Nilles. This bar has all of the things that make 42 Lounge great and then some. In addition to the fun drinks and video games, this place also has more table top games, beer options, space to spread out, and the addition of food.

Let's Grab a Drink and Nerd Out

When you list off the characteristics of a regular bar, you don't think of playable video and table-top games, regular cosplay events, and plethora of nerd-fueled conversation about Doctor Who, Star Trek, and everything in between. What I'm referring to is the growing phenomena of "geek bars". From the AFK Tavern in Washington to the Dragon Quest-themed Luida's Bar in Japan, the world is being taken by storm by this alcohol-soaked geek fandom. 

Gamers: Not the Basement Dwelling Virgins You Thought They Were.

When the identifying word "gamer" is used, many people imagine an obese 30 year old man living in his parents basement and completely isolated from social interactions.  The ultimate introvert surrounded by Code Red Mountain Dew and Doritos.

Image from South Park: Make Love, Not Warcraft

One More Fight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtBogA9mwVg

This video is intended as a parody and was made, I assume, in all fun and games, but it highlights a major problem within the gaming community, sexism.  Being both a gamer and female myself, I have been fortunate that most of my fellow male gamers have accepted me at face value but I have indeed encountered the sexism that runs rampant in our community.  Usually it’s not anything too horrible, mostly just sexist comments about my looks or such.  I do know plenty of other women who have had much worse happen.  My little sister inherited my nerdiness and is a pretty skilled Call of Duty player.  However, she refuses to speak during matches.  She’s worried she’ll get kicked off the team, as she had been in the past once her male team members found out she was female.  Not to mention had some horrible remarks thrown her way, and much wounded male pride, insisting that she had to be cheating.  That’s not to say that every single male gamer is sexist, both myself and my sister have had very positive responses once our gender was revealed.

The video put a fun little spin on this in the end though.  The video starts with the girlfriends trying to pry their boyfriends away from whatever co-op game they’re playing.  The video paints them as stereotypical women-always wanting to go out and party, listen to music the boyfriends don’t like, and do “cheesy” things together like cooking.  Eventually the girlfriends get tired of this, and decide to get even.  The twist is that they are all gamers themselves, and fairly high level/skill gamers at that.  They are all good enough at their respective games to sign in and quickly lay waste to their boyfriends.  It’s a nice little positive note for the video to end on. 

WoW, Why Are You so Angry?

It's safe to say that WoW is one of the most, if not the most, popular MMORPG game in the world. It offers the opportunity for players to escape reality by crafting their own adventures in fantastical lands, battle hordes of enemies, plunder untold riches, and more importantly belong to part of a large online community. Players become so obsessed with WoW that they end up spending hours, months, and even years of their lives devoted to this one game. So does there become a point where the amount of time spent playing the game outweigh the rewards?

Checkmate to Dystopian Warfare

       Board games have one of the widest ranges of gameplay available out of any kind of real life or virtual game.  From a simple knocking out the king piece to obliterating entire armies, the strategies in board’s games are what make them so fun and appealing.  Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is one of the most popular board games around with one of the most interesting kinds of gameplay. 

 

 

                                  

  D&D was first published in 1974, becoming to most iconic role playing/war games ever created.  The games publication became recognized as the beginning of modern role playing games and the role playing game industry.  With it being so successful you wonder what are the aspects of the game that make it so fun?  Coming from a personal background of playing war strategy games like Warhammer and Warhammer 40k (dystopian galactic warfare kind of games) I already knew that war strategy is a very fast paced, energetic way of thinking.  Having to come up with your on strategy based off of your specific army or hero and then adapting your strategy to fight someone else’s army/hero is very interactive and makes you put some real thought into what you are doing.  Really engaging your brain with strategy is what separates big games like D&D and Warhammer from simple ones like checkers or tic tac toe.  Another huge part of D&D is storytelling.  This adds some fun to the game while keeping it intriguing with the background lore of your hero or environment.  With all kinds of classes, races, monsters and missions the storytelling can be endless and with the game always evolving it will never get old.  That is one thing that D&D has over a lot of old classic games, updated gameplay to keep their players amused and wanting more. If you have never tried D&D I suggest you do!  I have numerous friends who play and after researching more into the game I, myself am more interested in it too.

Checkers Anyone?

Before the times of pac-man and WOW, dice and card games were the most popular games to play.  To this day they are also still some of the most popular.  Tabletop games were the beginning of the gaming world, with the first ones dating back to ancient Egypt during 3500-2700BC.  In the US tic-tac-toe was one of the first table top games with the simplest rules, ranging to Dungeon and Dragons which has one of the most complicated set of rules for table top games. D&D is one of the most popular tabletop games, and has also helped keep the popularity of them alive. 

D&D was first published in 1974, and has been said to be the start of role-play games, based off of war games.  Players pick a character and go on adventures that are usually in a fantasy-like setting.  Majority of other table top games aren’t as complicated as D&D however.  Which is a reason why tabletop games are so popular amongst so many different age groups.  As children most of us grew up playing games such as monopoly, checkers and scrabble, which are timeless.  Another reason why tabletop games remain so popular.   

Serenity in Dystopia

In the world of anime, the apocalyptic world is a large part of the setting. Based on the reading, we can see that these post-apocalyptic worlds are coming out more and more on film and television, especially in the United States. Serenity (and the series it is based off of, Firefly) are set within this world. It takes place 500 years in the future. From what we hear in the film, the earth became overpopulated so humans left and made other planets their homes. The ruling powers that came to be in this post-apocalyptic world wanted a utopia but created a dystopia.

DKP

In the MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game) World of Warcraft (WoW) the main goal is the creation, and then development and advancement of a character or avatar.  Players gather experience points in order to gain levels, which in turn advances their character in terms of strength, magic abilities, items that can be used and/or equipped and so on.  The most common way of accomplishing this task is through completing various quests, often from in-game non-player characters, or combat with in-game enemies/raids.  As your character becomes more advanced, the quests become more complicated and eventually require large groups of similarly leveled players and quite a bit of strategy.  In order to complete more complex raids and quests players began to form guilds, player created and governed communities within the larger community of WoW itself.  In her paper, Dragon Kill Points; The Economics of Power Gamers, Dr. Krista-Lee Malone provided a fascinating insight into these guilds, focusing on the economic system known as Dragon Kill Points, or DKP. 

Raids are done in order to gain experience and loot, in-game items like weapons etc.  As the difficulty of the raids increase, the drop rate of loot decreases, but the loot is generally much more rare and valuable.  The maximum size of a raid is usually between 20 and 40 players, so this can be a bit of a problem.  How does one share a few items amongst that many people?  Enter the DKP system. 

Dragon Kill Points are essentially a score keeping system that also functions as an unofficial form of in-game currency specific to each guild.  The dropped loot is collected by the guild and given a price in points.   Points are given to players who participate in a raid, and can then be exchanged for said loot.  There are several different variations of DKP, and differing opinions on whether it’s a useful system or not.  In order to engage some of the end-game dungeons, specific items were needed.  In order to get those items, players would often have to replay the same raid scenario multiple times.  This led to some players getting burnt out, and contentions between veteran and newer players. 

DKP takes into account time and effort put into a raid, thus leveling the playing field a bit in the eyes of the veterans.  Some players felt this was unfair since they simply weren’t able to commit as much time as others.  There are contentions on whether DKP takes the fun out of the game, but fun is in the eye of the beholder.