RE: This is gonna be the thread where we talk about stuff
03-02-2013, 05:39 AM
I think there's a difference between a "fandom" and a "community".
Fandoms are, essentially, about worship. They revere a webcomic, or a TV show, or specific interpretation of the Bible, and then they elevate it to supreme importance. They don't necessarily do it in every setting ever, but most of their projects are first and foremost about the object of reverence.
A community, on the other hand, is primarily about the people. Whether or not MSPAFA started as a fandom, it quickly turned into a community. We weren't just making adventures and talking about adventures. We were trying to help adventures get noticed even as ten or more started every day; we were making podcasts about adventures; we were starting games; we had thunderdomes; we had battles. Most of all, we had shared experiences, and they weren't just about adventures.
And, of course, you can have a community of fans. But over time, those fans will be less interested in whatever they're fans of and more interested in each other as people.
I'm an admin on an Advance Wars forum. Nobody talks about Advance Wars over there any more, because Intelligent Systems hasn't released anything in that series since 2008.
The forum has slowed down as a result, but it hasn't died. People still talk to each other. Maybe not as often as they do on other forums, but they have a reason to stick around, and it's not Advance Wars.
Fandoms are, essentially, about worship. They revere a webcomic, or a TV show, or specific interpretation of the Bible, and then they elevate it to supreme importance. They don't necessarily do it in every setting ever, but most of their projects are first and foremost about the object of reverence.
A community, on the other hand, is primarily about the people. Whether or not MSPAFA started as a fandom, it quickly turned into a community. We weren't just making adventures and talking about adventures. We were trying to help adventures get noticed even as ten or more started every day; we were making podcasts about adventures; we were starting games; we had thunderdomes; we had battles. Most of all, we had shared experiences, and they weren't just about adventures.
And, of course, you can have a community of fans. But over time, those fans will be less interested in whatever they're fans of and more interested in each other as people.
I'm an admin on an Advance Wars forum. Nobody talks about Advance Wars over there any more, because Intelligent Systems hasn't released anything in that series since 2008.
The forum has slowed down as a result, but it hasn't died. People still talk to each other. Maybe not as often as they do on other forums, but they have a reason to stick around, and it's not Advance Wars.