The problem with the way people talkabout 4chan is the simple and fundamental fact that there is no one real 4chan. They're usually referring to the infamously anarchaic (though much tamer as of late) /b/ board when they talk about the place's culture, but the thing is, each board has its own culture. For example, /x/ (the paranormal board) is filled with would-be magicians and cooks alongside some excellent Creepypasta writers, /pol/ (the political board) is filled with neo-nazis and libertarian loonies, /v/ (The video game board) is infamously caustic and bitter and /d/ (the weirdass hentai board filled with hermaphrodite and parasite porn amongst other things) is famous for being the most pleasant f all the boards. But the creative heart of 4chan is /tg/, the tabletop RPG board.
Despite the fact that tabletop gaming has become more and more nitche as the computer RPGs that sprung from its loins have blossomed, and yet they've managed to create massive massive libraries of ideas from this medium, some of them even being fleshed out into full tabletop game systems. So, which medium shaping the message of which am I analyzing?
Why both of them of course! The medium of 4chan,where images and text are posted, posters are anonymous, is the perfect system for allowing the tabletop RPG to make the jump into the 21st century.Luckily for us, we've got a full archive of threads to access to give examples for. And the first thing one notices in the thread is the 'quest" threads.
They're not much liked by a few, and they are so numerous that the aforementioned archive has a specific folte, but they're a good starting point. They're essentially very much like old text-adventure games, where the players are give na scenario (along with a picture to go with it), and the player writes in their response to do what's next, with the next scenario following directly from what the aftermath of that response is. But there's a twist.
No, it's not that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time, don't be a smartass. It's that the whole thing is moderated not by a computer, but by one single writer, who looks at the answers he gets from the posters,decides which one is best. And this sums up /tg/ use of the medium perfectly.
Despite everything being in an electronic format, from the art to the text to the communication of the players, this captures the main aspect that tabeltop RPGs have always done better than any other medium: the humanity. That experience of having a world controlled not by a computer but by a human, where outcomes are only as predictable as the DM makes them, and where randomness is sane. And also the ridiculousness.
/tg/ is not made up of a bunch of neckbeards who take everything too seriously. No, they are neckbeards of great jocularity and wit! They took apost about sucking 10000 dicks to get a certain game made into a thread on the logistics of sucking 10000 dicks. They turned a "play chessover the internet" thread into a bizarre epic that barely resembles chess in a conventional sense. They took an obviously-trolling furry diaper fetish post and spun it into a thread about how the idea of a diaper of holding could become a near-limitless source of cheap and accessible oil!
This also is a factor adding up to my conclusion: that the medium of 4chan is the perfect place for bringing tabletop gaming into the modern age. Because, the short-lived (Barring archives like the one mentioned above) nature of the threads, combined with the use of images to produce unexpected results, and the quick, anonymous replies that give the writers plenty of time to think of witty repartee, makes 4chan;'s format the perfect place to pull off similar improvisational shenanigans as the best tabletop RPGs, and the best threads pull this off with aplomb!
And that's what they've even gotten huge projects done, such as a Neon Genesis Evangelion tabletop RPG or an entire chapter manual for their goofy fan-made Warhammer 40k Space Marine chapter The Angry Marines. And this is perhaps why they are best poised to bring tabletop gaming into the 21st century. Because that spirit of improvisation, that spirit of creation and craziness, iswhat both mediums do best, and they have produced genuine results.
The future of the tabletop rests on the laptop.
References:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html
You seem to know much about your topic, but I am unsure what your topic is. With so much information, I am sure you have something interesting to share. But, I would rewrite this in a much simpler format; as if we have no idea what you are talking about. I know I don't. I was completely lost after the first two sentences. I think it has to do with gaming. I am a tabletop gamer myself, with a long history of D&D. My kids are 3rd generation old school gamers. Take a moment to pick one part of your topic and break it down for the unlearned. What is 4chan? How does it relate to cultural values? Then correlate it to a myth or value in today's society. What is the overall significance of your analysis? Is it positive or negative? Also, try to reintroduce your topic from an academic standpoint, instead of a personal one.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I got lost pretty quickly as well. It seems like you have a really focused topic though, which is great. Maybe instead of going into so much detail about certain aspects, you can take the time to explain the concepts you are presenting a bit more clearly. I'm sure once your paper is more comprehensible, it will make for an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI just have to comment on this because unlike the other two classmates of ours I actually know what you are talking about. It seems the main point you are talking about is how the TableTop RPG is a medium that has been used and it produces lots of fun and interesting stories and worlds. However on that topic I do not think 4Chan is appropriate choice for this subject maybe you can use the roll20.net website as an option. If you do not know roll20 is a website for people to join up and play TableTop Games such as D&D from 2E to 4E or like Warhammer like you said. I think you are talking about a very interesting topic but I would consider a different path than 4Chan. Also define the terms you are talking about because TableTop and Warhammer are not common knowledge to everyone. Good job on the main points
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