Convention Idea – Have Business Owners speak

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The roundup of ideas for adding more professional events to conventions is here.

Want someone to speak about careers and opportunities at your convention?  Sure you can hope to get some of the big names to speak, get that oddball guest, arrange seminars . . . but you may be missing a great source of professional panelists.

People who already have fannish businesses.  Take a look at your Dealer's Room or Artists' Alley and youll find there's a huge amount of potential speakers on careers, options, and that often-talked of but hard-to-speak on subject of starting your own business.

Career ambition doesn't have to mean working for someone else.  And, yes, at times I see people with fannish businesses invited to speak on such things at conventions – but I think it could go way farther.

The guy whose been running a comic shop for fifteen years has a lot of insights.  The Artists Alley freelancer who manages to survive on her art is going to have knowledge to share few others will.  The couple who runs an anime memorabilia shop out of a warehouse with a tiny storefront is going to have a lot to speak on.

It doesn't even have to be someone whose living on it full time (though I would certainly make sure to try and get such people).  You may have a lot of budding talent, or people who have managed to mix their fannish and non-fannish work, who can speak and lecture on skills, career issues, experience, etc.  They don't have to have "arrived" at doing full-time fannish work to be people with things to share.

Finally, keep inviting such people back.  As their side businesses and personal businesses evolve, they can share more and more insights.

Your next big career panel may mean raiding your Dealer's room.  Go for it.

– Steven 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