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Video Game Fans as Textual Poachers
By Bobby Bokista - 01.01.05
What Poachers Make
The bulk of Starmen.net's content is user submitted. One example is the hundreds of pages of fan fictions covering an endless range of possibilities. Jenkins wrote, "raw materials of the original story play a crucial role in this process, providing instructions for a preferred reading, but they do not necessarily overpower and subdue the reader."15 Since most gamers are unable to program their own games, writing becomes the primary outlet for creative ideas. Authors can use all of the elements in the story in any way they want when writing. This indicates a level of appreciation and contentment with the original modes of gameplay (though some fan games have been made by putting the same characters and environments in a different genre). In relation to narrative, "fiction writing provides fans with ways to explore more fully those aspects of the primary series that most interest them."16 Fan fictions on Starmen.net cover all ten ways Jenkins proposes a text can be rewritten. Stories like "The Mad Quest for the Power" by EBounding recontextualize the behaviors of characters by pitting them with new psychological problems. An author named Mike wrote in his three-part story "The Battle of the Century": "… [Ness] remembered beating Giygas and Pokey… He had fun, but he missed his friends. He thought that maybe there could be a second fight like that..." The story then expands the timeline to write about a second big conflict. In taking one character out of the narrative, "Jeff Takes A Vacation" by BloopBleepBlop "refocalizes" to show the exploits of the other three characters when the inventor kid Jeff is not in their group. Gamers, a highly nomadic audience, pull in their experiences with other games to create a new dynamic within EarthBound. Because of this, other characters make their way into the stories, like the game Chrono Trigger's cross-over appearance in reidman's story "Paradigm Shift". "Author characters" personalize the narrative by placing the writer directly into the action. "Theories become progressively more elaborated and complex through collaboration with other contributors," and authors can reflect this in their writing.21 Starmen.net has a specific section of collaborative fan fictions. In these stories usually three or more authors take turns writing portions of the narrative, sending it in unexpected directions. Conflicts over the direction of these stories reveal the polysemic nature of the text since each author brings something unique to their experience with the game to the table. Whatever the case, the amount of effort put into the fan fiction on Starmen.net illustrates the connections made between the player and the text.
Fan art also illustrates Jenkins' conclusions about fan participants. The fan art section of Starmen.net features a variety of art styles covering various issues raised in the game.
"In a Place of Mu" by Rocket Billy is a colorful representation of a Japanese art-style, reflecting on the martial arts elements in the game.
"Fourty Winks on the Side" by Blue Wolf shows the intimacy of the friendship between the main characters.
SunnyShiny Beach by The Losar sexualizes the otherwise desexualized female main character by putting her in a bikini at the game's beach location.
On the other hand, "Classic EarthBound" by Patroik appears to be an attempt to illustrate the most basic intentions of the creators by using classic designs of the characters and logo. Video games, being a visual medium, render artwork as a logical step in participatory culture. During many points in game play what is being shown is much more important than what is being said. This is not to imply that art is more important than fan fiction or any other fan-produced text for that matter. They are all crucial elements for the ability of the fan to shape their desires for a text. None of these mediums, however, are as effective at illuminating the importance of gameplay as the sum of the gaming experience.
15 Jenkins. Textual Poachers 63.
16 Ibid., 83
21 Jenkins. Textual Poachers 79
Home •
Introduction •
Studying as a Fan •
Textual Poaching •
EarthBound •
Forming a Community •
What Poachers Make •
The Perfect Poach / Conclusion
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