Keep Moving Forward

This video essay depicts why people find Animal Crossing unenjoyable. The speaker states it’s because the game is too perfect. There is no hate in the game, there is no objective. Reyes describes how our culture loves to hate, we love to be negative and complain. We constantly talk about hard classes, how little sleep we got, and the people that annoy us. But in the game Animal Crossing that behavior doesn’t exist. You get to do what makes you happy and live how you want, it’s kind of impossible to complain about that. This essay is based off opinion, no research was put into it. The speaker was biased, as she claims that Animal Crossing is “one of the best games ever.” This may not be the most qualified of sources, but opinion drives topic. Opinion drives arguments and reason against what we believe and write about. At first, I wasn’t going to use this source because I wanted an opposing thought. But I admired Reyes’ how grabbing the title of the video was and how she put together her rationale in using pathos and kairos to support her claim. Her point of hate in society was really powerful, something I never really thought about before on terms of my topic. Her point would be interesting to research more about and implement it in my final essay.

Since the last research update, which was last Monday, I haven’t accomplished much when it comes down to research. I wish I could say I’ve moved ahead, but after reading articles, writing blog posts and annotations, more reading (art history have mercy on my soul), work, practices, two games, and getting sick all in one week, I haven’t been able to do much. I am happy I did the readings for class though. A couple of the last bits we were assigned to read were about the thesis, introduction, and conclusion of our paper. Because these are the main three areas where I struggle the most, I took notes and sampled the different types of writing with my own topic. This really helped to line and introduction and thesis that would fit my writing style. I always have trouble with writing conclusions, making them too short. Teachers in high school had always said to restate the thesis, but the introduction and thesis would always be too similar or repetitive of one another. The reading from the Bedford Researcher will now help when forming a true conclusion to my research paper, and to help my writing from now on.

Another annotation on a calming video game. This time the video game doesn’t just happen to be calming, it was created to do so. There’s not a lot of information available about this game because it was made only available in New Zealand. But what we do know is that it was created for teens or adolescents at risk to combat depressive symptoms. In the game, players are able to create their own path to self-help and explore lands that work directly with unhelpful thoughts and other symptoms. The results were even to that of time in therapy. I was really impressed by this article. It was short, but to the point. It contained the information I needed, no extensive description or ramblings. Some information about the game itself was a bit confusing. But overall it provided useful information and research. I plan to use this when supporting my argument in my research essay. I keep running into blockades when it comes to the positive effects of video games. The majority only believe that they can only result in violence and addiction and going against the majority can be difficult in research like this.

At the beginning of this semester I had no vision for what my fandom-based research paper would be about or what it would entail. The first step toward my topic occurred when I was making a list of possible subjects. I had others like Parks and Rec and its influence on women in government or leadership roles, and an anecdote about the effects of playing rock music on stage in games like guitar hero. But Animal Crossing stuck out to me, especially after reaching a stressful point in the semester when I thought to myself, “I just wanna relax and play Animal Crossing right now.” Starting research was difficult, there was no clear-cut research or scholarly article that would make my writing easier. Instead I started piecing together articles for multiple talking points; video game violence, social simulation gameplay, music therapy, etc. Reading different articles helped frame argumentative topics and my stance on such. What’s been most helpful is YouTube. There are countless videos of people talking about the game; its history, gameplay, and even talk about its calming effects. The only thing I haven’t started doing is writing. But, because I don’t think my research is complete, I don’t want to push myself to complete something I don’t have the tools to do.

This video was created by a licensed psychiatrist as a response to President Trump’s statement about violence as an effect of video games. In the video, he talks about how significant events like mass shootings are not outright events caused by video games. He states there should be more background checks for criminal record history and, if applicable, a period between which a buyer can even receive a gun. He notes that how much time children spend on violent games should be looked at, but events like these are not caused by working video game designers. This is a great source for referencing ethos. Because of the speaker’s profession as a psychiatrist, connecting that to the development between video games and violence makes what he says believable, or more trustworthy. What he says about background checks is opinion, but his ethos and logos, logic to his reasoning, supports his case. I plan to use this in supporting my opinion on the effectiveness of video games, how intense or subtle it may be. Before I didn’t know where exactly I stood in my opinion on violent video games, but with doing more and more research like this I’m getting closer to a clear foundation to rest my thesis statement on.

The group in this video/podcast talk about their favorite video games to relax to. They bring up games like No Man’s Sky, Pokémon, and Animal Crossing. A major reason why they find these games relaxing is because you really don’t have to think to play, these games are more of a distraction than a competition. You can zone out and enjoy the scenery or animation of the game. One complaint they had was about how a couple of these games have modernized. In Pokémon Go, players feel like they’re on the constant prowl for items, like the game is demanding them to play. They resolve their discussion with agreeing that the best game are those you can freely play. One thing I was confused about with this source is pinpointing what type it is. Would it be considered a primary source because of its similarity to an interview, just more casual? This group also talks about their firsthand experience and opinions about each of these games. I plan to use this source in my research paper. I have a focus on Animal Crossing specifically, but with this source I was planning to branch out research-wise. Thoughts on these games that have similar attributes to Animal Crossing can be very helpful because of the lack of researched or written articles about the topic.

I have also been wondering if there are any other games like Animal Crossing that could foster positive effects. Minecraft can stimulate competitive gaming depending on the situation. Another calming game a friend mentioned that I could include in my research would be the Sims. If you play them the right way, could violent video games be calming? Something I used to do when I would feel tense or angry is start up GTA5. I wouldn’t follow the gameplay at all, I would just pick out a nice car and race down an empty highway. It sounds strange, I know, but there was something about racing without the competition that just felt so good.

This article talks about the beliefs surrounding the audience of metal bands and the results of questionnaires debunking said beliefs. The researchers explain in depth the background of the music and the issue with those who perceive metal fans negatively. They then went on to explain their methods of how they would initially want to get the questionnaires filled out; going to a concert, surveying people who looked like metal fans, and then the internet route. They took into account gender, age, job/student status. After they accounted the information to how these fans changed appearance for the culture, diagnosed with anxiety or depression, or were violent. I found this article on the database provided by Ball State Library, EBSCOhost. This was written by a small group of professors from ranging universities. They reference a list of supporting sources and citations. I did like the use of the primary source for research, the questionnaire. This article was released almost ten years ago. I don’t see a change to the general views of metal fans and believe this still applies, though one question that we could now go further into is how social media ties into this topic. I’m using this source as a sort of precursor to taking a firm stance on the issues with my topic. I see this as a parallel to the discussion about violence in video games tying into aggression with its fans. It also helps that this article is centered around music since soundtracks for video games can be a huge boost to the entity of the game.

My research topic will be related to the video games and its effect on mental health. I’m gearing toward the game Animal Crossing specifically, but I’m also interested in some other games like Guitar Hero because of its attachment to music and Minecraft. I chose this based off my personal experience with each fandom and the different long and short-term effects video games have had on my, and my friends’ lives. Trying to research for this topic, I found that I’ve been repeatedly running into similar articles that discuss how video games can result in negative long-term mental health issues. I know it’s a sort of stigmatization to blame video games for real world violence and aggression in kids, but these video games don’t spark much of that same feeling. Is it video games that make kids aggressive? We see calming effects in Animal Crossing, so could this be true? Or does it come from another source? Is it just the way we play? Another point to take into account is multiplayer modes in games. Animal Crossing and Minecraft can be calming to play alone, but from experience I can say people play much differently based on who they’re playing with. Playing with a friend who is loud and destructive can have a different effect than a friend who is the complete opposite.

In this video, Youtuber Boldly Wired talks about his firsthand account with dealing with depression and what affect Animal Crossing had on him during this time. He talks about how the mayoral tasks gave him something to look forward to everyday, and how pleasant and positive the interactions were and how they reflected onto him. He points out that Animal Crossing is not a cure to depression or anxiety, but it is something that definitely helped him back to his feet, back to reality. This is a primary source, classified as a video essay based on his own experience with the game tied to mental health. YouTube isn’t exactly the best place to find true information, but there are many interview or essay videos on firsthand accounts on different experiences that many could use in the research process. I was very curious to see how many accounts there were on this topic, and it really surprised me to see just how many people related. I plan to use this to support my take on how video games and other forms of media like television, music, and memes can help someone who may be suffering, or just in a dark spot of life.

Being in multiple fandoms, it is difficult to be equally involved in each one and contribute just as much as other fans do. I do contribute to every fandom I’m in socially by sharing tweets and liking pictures or art created by other fans, but sometimes I do feel like I may not classify as being a part of some fandoms just because I don’t contribute as much as more extreme fans, some who have created careers or greater followings because of how much time and creativity they put into this one person or thing. For example, one artist I follow on Instagram built their career solely off of painting portraits of Tyler Joseph from Twenty One Pilots. I have drawn heroes like Wonder Woman and Deadpool, which may have helped me gain a few followers, but time-spent wise I don’t compare to these other fans. Another thing that can make me feel like less of a fan is not knowing a lot about the artist, musician, writer, etc. I know people who can talk about Freddie Mercury’s entire career in detail, but does not being aware of the time he performed sick make me less of a fan? Am I less of a fan because I’ve never been to a concert before? Not just Queen, but does having no experience of seeing or meeting someone I’m a fan of make me less of a fan? I really do wish I was able to have these experiences others have had, but there’s always been an invisible barrier that’s prevented me from doing so, and consequently making me feel like I can’t say in confidence “I’m a huge fan of (fandom.)”

This article talks about how internet memes have evolved in the past few years and how they’ve become intertwined with politics and how they have influenced voters in the campaign process. From Hillary gaining a following for tweeting “delete your account” to Donald trump to citizens of the United States believing and creating conspiracy theories over the popular meme – Ted Cruz as the Zodiac Killer. Politics and popular media have become like a science in how they relate to millennial generation of voters and affect who they chose to lead the country. Sometimes popular magazines can be difficult to trust information-wise. But I do believe there is a correlation with memes and politics. My generation can make a meme out of anything. When reflecting back on the 2016 election, I wonder how large Cruz’s campaign would’ve been if he wasn’t considered a meme. Would I even have known he was a candidate? Nevertheless, this article did hold some information and less opinion, which I would have expected from a tween magazine company. This is another big point I’d like to bring up in my podcast – how have memes affected politics? Similar to the social media question, I expect people of my generation to have thoughtful answers and their own experiences when dealing with the mixture of meme culture and the political world.  

Before, I would have never classified supporters of Barack Obama as a ‘fandom.’ But with what I’ve learned I’ve come to the conclusion that any person or subject with an excited following can be defined as a ‘fandom.’ I’ll be honest, I wasn’t always a part of the fandom. Barack Obama first began his presidency when I was in elementary school, and as a third grader I had no concept of the political agenda or anything to do with congress; for his first term I would say I was more invested in dodgeball and Bill Nye than political leaders. Eventually, I started forming my own moral compass and social opinions and became fond of the reforms Obama passed during his time in government. Whereas I’ve come to be appreciative of the change Obama brought, in reality I’m not very acknowledged on his work other than what is really well known. In researching for my podcast, I want to know more of what lead Barack Obama to the presidency and what challenged him to change what he did. I would also like to get opinions from democratic citizens who had supported him during his first term and how their views on certain subjects like same sex marriage in years past may have changed just as we saw Obama’s views change.

When asked about what fandoms I’m involved in, I instantly thought of TV shows and fictional characters like Wonder Woman and Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec. Generally when we use the word ‘fandom,’ we’re talking about fans of a specific category of entertainment, usually TV or comics. But fandom isn’t specific to anything. Fandom is very broad, according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, fandom is “the state of being a fan of someone or something.” So fandom doesn’t necessarily conform to one idea; you can relate to the Marvel/DC fandom, or even identify as being in a fandom involving mathematics, basketball, or Rihanna. If it’s something or someone that makes you happy, you are a part of that fandom. We all participate in fandom, even if we don’t think we really play a major role as a fan of any specific thing. I draw characters and celebrities like Deadpool and Taylor Swift now and again, but I believe that just by having a song by said artist on your Spotify playlist, following them on social media, keeping up with a show, or just talking about whatever it is you love, you are participating in fandom. Whereas I take art more seriously and spend time on fanart, I find it just as rewarding to attend a hockey game, listen to Lana Del Rey, binge Brooklyn 99, retweet my favorite vines, and look at others paintings of Shane Dawson. In the tiniest ways, without noticing it, we all participate in fandom.