Avatar photoSteven Savage

Your Fandom Edges

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We all have things we're good at.  Maybe you're a leader.  Maybe you're an artist.  Maybe you're the Funny Guy, the Support Person, etc.  We all have our edges.

Your fandom is often vital to maintaining these edges – it's one of the many reasons you shouldn't discount it.

What we do in fandom, as I have gone on endlessly here and elsewhere, is usually an expression of ourselves, of who we really are.  It often comes from very deep places in our psyches that we may not otherwise be aware of.

Fandom also is an expression of what we do and what we like to do, what we're good at.  We may love art, or role-play games.  We may love sports history or writing stories.

Fandom is often about expressing your personal edges and your special skills.

That's why it's vital, for your peace of mind, for your career, to not take it for granted.

Our hobbies express who we are, what we do – and reinforce and improve these things, especially if we're aware of the benefits our hobbies have.  They make us better, stronger – and more "us."

So don't look down on your fandom.  It tells you a lot about yourself.  It expresses what you like.  Take it seriously – in the right way.

It's about your own, personal edges.

– Steven Savage

Go Farther: MMOs

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There's a lot of great properties out there that could make kick-butt MMOs.  As I've speculated I can see a lot of companies looking into making MMOs to maximize return, keep people involved, and extend their brands.

So I asked myself what properties would make good MMOs?  I'm sure I'll come back to this again, but here's what springs to mind off the top of my head:

NARUTO:

  • PROS: Naruto is popular.  Everyone likes crazy ninja-action.  It is well-known.
  • CONS: In some cases Naruto has vastly overstayed it's welcome.  The obscenely powerful characters would be hard to implement.
  • BEST WAY TO DO IT: Naruto should be set in the future (or past) of the world to avoid the current plotlines and be envisioned as more a Naruto-branded Power Ninja Game.  Base it more on Superhero games for gameplay.  Create it as a side brand, perhaps with the launch of a sequel series in the same setting.
  • CHANCE OF SUCCESS: Medium – likely not to fail but may have trouble going really big.  It would require a careful bit of timing, development, and branding to make it work.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER:
I know there is a more simple MMO available for this property, but I see potential for a much more epic-scale production.

  • PROS: A well-defined world in a well-received series that also has a series of live movies  coming out.  Kicky-fun mystic martial arts action.
  • CONS: Brand may have had its time come and gone.  Implementation of an MMO would require careful balance for distance audiences.  Would require the right publicity campaign.  Character abilities are environment-dependent so gameplay would have to be carefully planned (your Earthbender can't do much on a blimp).
  • BEST WAY TO DO IT: Move the setting into the future so people can experience what happens after the series ends (as I am still watching it, perhaps that is not possible – I haven't seen the end).  Leverage some of the steampunk elements to explain faster transportation.  Work in the various powers and carefully design environmental effects.
  • CHANCE OF SUCCESS: Mixed – either decent to excellent success or serious failure.  The series may have had its time, it would be dependent on the films to review interest.  Best done as part of other efforts in the same setting.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS:

  • PROS: Space policemen with willpower-powered superweapons is an instant sell.  Good reputation.  Could make for creative gaming.  Make customizable alien races.
  • CONS: Would have to be a its own thing separate from the DC MMO.  Could have marketing issues.  Power sets would require some careful development.  Endlessly reworked continuity to deal with.
  • BEST WAY TO DO IT: Its complete own thing separate from the DCU.  Power sets would have to be very creative and probably require some custom designing.  Semi-random mission generators.  Play up the heavy social aspect with social areas.
  • CHANCE OF SUCCESS: Medium with a chance for long-term.  It could dilute the DCU MMO brand, but a tight focus increases chance of success, and the GL Corps are well known.

So a few ideas for the future.  Maybe you'll be one of the people to push these (or if you think I'm full of it, stop them).  Any others?

– Steven Savage

Imagination And Success

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You're a fan.  You have imagination.  It's what led you to make the ultimate historical fantasy baseball team.  It's what let you make Steampunk Avatar: The Last Airbender fanart.  You are a person that gets into information, plays with it, and shares it.

That imagination is not a waste of time.  It is critical for your success.

I've come more and more to the conclusion that success – we're talking career here, but really in anything – is dependent partially upon having a good imagination.

If you can dream, you can solve problems.  If you can imagine, you can find new ideas.  If you can speculate, you can create.

If you have your imagination going, you also feel alive.  When your mind is able to come up with new ideas and have fun, you're enjoying what you do.

Imagination gives you the power to do.  Imagination also makes what you do fulfilling and enjoyable.

So cultivate your imagination.  Enjoy it.  Play with it.  Apply it.  Enjoy and indulge all those strange fannish, geeky activities from fanfic to fanart to web pages and more.  This keeps your imagination healthy and pumped and exercised.

Then, in your career (and indeed all your life) you have this active, powerful imagination to provide you new ideas.  To drive you.  To play with and enjoy all aspects of your life.

All those seemingly useless Role Play games and LOLArt?  That's exercise for the imagination.

Imagination is key to success.

– Steven Savage