VIDEO GAMES: Henry Jenkins

Factsheet #107 - Fandom

What is the definition of a fan?

• A 'fanatic' or fan is someone with an extreme or uncritical enthusiasm or zeal for something. 

What the different types of fan identified in the factsheet?

• 'Hardcore/True' fan, who identify themselves as experts within the fandom and are usually seen as 'insiders' within the respected Fandom. They usually pride themselves on the length that they've been a fan and have spent a lot of money or time in reaching this hypothetically superior situation. Secondly, there are 'New' fans or 'Newbies, who as the name suggests, are new fans to a text and don't have the knowledge of a hardcore fan or the time within the fandom to achieve that status. The last archetype is an 'Anti-fan' who associates themselves with a media text albeit negatively and develop an emotional connection 'at a distance' [Gray] but could also refer to the negative stereotypes that follow fans [Hills].

What makes a ‘fandom’?

• A fandom is a 'subculture' in which fans can share an aspect of comraderie concerning specigic media texts and engage and interact with eachother in numerous ways- from creating content or supporting specific celebrities, hobbies texts etc. 

What is Bordieu’s argument regarding the ‘cultural capital’ of fandom?

• Bordieu argues that the cultural capital of fandom 'confers a symbolic power and status for the fan, expecially within the realm of their fandom' 

What examples of fandom are provided on pages 2 and 3 of the factsheet?

• Fan-art for a Sherlock Holmes book
• A Liverpool Football Club themed Bedroom
• Rocky Horror Show cosplayers
• The Walking Dead fan art
• Harry Potter 'Headcanons' 

Why is imaginative extension and text creation a vital part of digital fandom?

• Imaginative extension and text creation separates a consumer from a fan- it allows for fan interaction and support within a fandom whilst the role of a 'prosumer' allows fans to gain traction within the fandom itself. 

Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom research

Look at this Tomb Raider fansite and answer the following questions: 

What types of content are on offer in this fansite?

• Discords for certain aspects of the game - Mods, Cheats Gameplay tips
• Discourse forums
• Links to other fan content - Fanart, Fanfiction etc. 

What does the number of links and content suggest about the size of the online fan community for Tomb Raider and Lara Croft? Pick out some examples from this page.

• The number of links suggests that Lara Croft, and the franchise, have a cult following who are clearly invested in supporting this specific text and creating art that links to the text through the fanfiction links. It also suggests that Lara Crofts 'celebrity' role has not lost its following in recent years with an array of cosplayers and specific aspects of the website dedicated to this preservation of character. 

Scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the short ‘About me’ bio and social media updates. Is this a typical example of ‘fandom’ in the digital age? Why?

• Yes. The digital age has called for a high social media presence in order to be successful. This credits the artist and creator of the fansite and also allows the people who interact with the site to relate to the creator and create a sense of personal relationship which is gratifying for both creator and consumer. 

Now look at this Metroid fansite and answer the following: 

What does the site offer?

• Games
• Interviews
• Fanart; community 'spotlight'
• Features
• Other Social Media platforms

Look at the Community Spotlight page. What does this suggest about the types of people who enjoy and participate in fan culture?

• They are invested in the texts they support, and the comraderie within fandoms is based on whether they can understand niche memes and articulate references concerning the text they support. Without cult knowledge, it would be isolating. 

There is a specific feature on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What do the questions from fans tell you about the level of engagement and interest in the game and franchise from the fan community?

• The fans are dedicated and interested in the numerable ways you can complete the game- it is a sense of genuinity about their want to figure out how to navigate the game and suggests that completing the game has a higher level of reward than the average consumer. 

Henry Jenkins: degree-level reading

Read the final chapter of ‘Fandom’ – written by Henry Jenkins. This will give you an excellent introduction to the level of reading required for seminars and essays at university as well as degree-level insight into our current work on fandom and participatory culture. Answer the following questions:

There is an important quote on the first page: “It’s not an audience, it’s a community”. What does this mean?

• The consumers are no longer just casually interacting with media texts but now with each other- there is a community within the audience in which they consume the media text as a collective rather than an unidentifiable audience. 

Jenkins quotes Clay Shirky in the second page of the chapter. Pick out a single sentence of the extended quote that you think is particularly relevant to our work on participatory culture and the ‘end of audience’ (clue – look towards the end!)

• 'In the age of the internet, no one is a passive consumer anymore because everyone is a media outlet.' 

What are the different names Jenkins discusses for these active consumers that are replacing the traditional audience?

• Loyals, Prosumers, Inspirational consumers, Connectors, Influencers

On the third page of the chapter, what does Wired editor Chris Anderson suggest regarding the economic argument in favour of fan communities?

• Anderson states that investing in niche properties with dedicated fan bases 'makes sound economical sense' as long as you can justify lower production costs and replace marketing costs by building a relationship with the loyal consumers. 

What examples does Jenkins provide to argue that fan culture has gone mainstream?

• He says that 'Game modders are being recruited by big companies' as well as talking about fan service by corporations particularly in film and television that appeal to the masses by delivering what the audience vocalise that they want to see. 

Look at the quote from Andrew Blau in which he discusses the importance of grassroots creativity. Pick out a sentence from the longer quote and decide whether you agree that audiences will ‘reshape the media landscape from the bottom up’.

• 'A new generation of media makers and viewers are emerging which could lead to a sea change in how media is made and consumed' I completely agree with this sentiment, over half of teens online can be considered media creators and even on a personal level the cult following of a lot of named tv shows and film franchises has lead to the renewal of media texts [See 'Brooklyn Nine Nine'] as well as the cancellation of others [Figures plummet after Weinstein accusations] this combat of corporative power is hopeful that audiences can play a significant role in reshaping the power imbalance and traditional media landscape from the bottom up. 

What does Jenkins suggest the new ideal consumer is?

• Active - they 'talk up' the program and act as a word of mouth promoter.

Why is fandom 'the future'?

• Fandoms are communities with a large social media presence that can essentially act as a promotion for a media text, which could impact the future of media marketing greatly. 

What does it mean when Jenkins says we shouldn’t celebrate ‘a process that commodifies fan cultural production’?

• Fan culture should not be priced, we shouldn't commodify fan ideas and sell it back to them at a 'marked up' price as it takes advantage of the prosumers and fandoms that the companies are trying to appeal to.

Read through to the end of the chapter. What do you think the future of fandom is? Are we all fans now? Is fandom mainstream or are real fan communities still an example of a niche media audience?

• I think that the future of fandom is entirely subject to whether companies successfully commodify fandom culture and whether we can navigate the new laws regarding content creation. Fandoms are multi-faceted and although the longevity of certain aspects such as the creation of fanart and headcanons is almost a certainty whereas the social media hierarchies and promotion is less certain as platforms become more strict and texts become scrutinised by the masses particularly with online communities such as Instagram influencers and such. Therefore although I think fandom will see a spike- it's assumed immortality could be at risk of a decline as dynamics change online.