Highbrow Magazine - games https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/games en Dungeons & Dragons and Us: The Rise of Geek Culture https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/10702-dungeons-dragons-and-us-rise-geek-culture <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/media" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Media</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 06/22/2020 - 06:38</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1dungeonsdragons.jpg?itok=KzzpALrJ"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1dungeonsdragons.jpg?itok=KzzpALrJ" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>With the last few <em>Star Wars</em> installments being some of the most anticipated releases of the past few years, and <em>The Mandalorian</em> and Baby Yoda selling Disney Plus, one may think something major is underway.</p> <p> </p> <p>And this isn't only happening for one franchise, too. <em>The Avengers</em> franchise has continued to sell well, and <em>Joker</em> took home a score of nominations for various awards. An observer with a slightly broader frame of reference might consider that a change has happened. <em>Revenge of the Nerds</em> is no longer just the title of a delightful college movie; now it is a description of a cultural environment. Subculture has crossed the rubicon to become culture.</p> <p> </p> <p>This process isn't just confined to movies, though. Interestingly, it has extended to that apex of nerdy pastimes, the tabletop roleplaying game, <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em>. Many are familiar with the game, either from garish mischaracterizations in the press or from the pulpit or from their own personal practice. Lately, though, the game isn't being characterized as a means of communing with demons or the driving factor of suicides; it's getting top billing as a pastime of characters in <em>Stranger Things </em>and <em>The Big Bang Theory</em>.</p> <p> </p> <p>The surge in popularity can possibly be traced to a moral panic taking its natural course coupled to a surge in other forms of geek culture, but why should this game take a surge when, say, other forms of geek culture, like online gaming, are also available? There are other board games and card games, and they're quite fun.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2dungeonsdragons.jpg" style="height:338px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>But <em>Axis &amp; Allies</em> and <em>Settlers of Catan</em> are fun if you're participating in the board games, and <em>Magic: the Gathering</em>, for example, is both an acquired taste and only fun if you're playing. Other, more popular card games, like <em>Cards Against Humanity</em> or its more literary equivalent, <em>Dick</em>, which is of similar rules but uses cards bearing quotes from Melville's <em>Moby-Dick</em>, can, after a while, get boring, especially after your friends have worked through the permutations of algorithmic humor.</p> <p> </p> <p>There are a few areas where the tabletop roleplaying games, <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em> being the marquis brand among them, excel compared to these alternatives. Firstly, if you have a regular game night, a long-term roleplaying campaign allows players to have a series of adventures over the time populated by similar characters. Secondly, tabletop roleplaying games allow players and game-masters, the people refereeing and managing the game, flexibility. <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em> can be described as a collective storytelling enterprise, as well as a game; this goes for other tabletop roleplaying games, as well.</p> <p> </p> <p>In this storytelling enterprise, players choose to be characters, shaping the story as they tell it through their play. And, while the game-master can set out a pretty well-crafted world and path through that world, players have been known to riff – like jazz musicians or a comedian telling a shaggy dog story.</p> <p> </p> <p>In fact, it's a common story among game masters, or Dungeon Masters as they're known, for an intricate and well-planned design to be made for the players, yet the players, through their action, go another direction, forcing some improvisation on the part of the game master. Of course, one can also purchase premade campaigns and play by the book. Because players can build their own characters, potentially with conflicting goals and aims, to say nothing of general demeanors and personalities, at the discretion of the game master, there is an abundant opportunity for the plot taking unforeseen turns – even if it's modeled after a well-known fantasy novel.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3dungeonsdragons.jpg" style="height:188px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Perhaps this leads the reader to a new theory for what <em>Dungeons &amp; Dragons</em> offers its players. Of late, epic fantasy series have made for well-received adaptations to both television and motion picture screens. It is easy to sympathize with characters in realistic fiction. We have often heard of people in or around our own lives winding up in situations similar to those in realistic fiction.</p> <p> </p> <p>But how often do we get to join a cadre of heroes on a mystical quest to recover a lost artifact? Rarely have the mechanics of wish fulfillment been so accessible to someone willing to play a part, roll some polyhedral dice, and maybe suspend a little disbelief. With a bit of effort, you, too, can make an epic tale fitting of Homer, heavy on brain-teasing puzzles with which to challenge your heroes or with enough hack-and-slash action to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty barbarians.</p> <p> </p> <p>Here is the genius of the game: the control it affords both the game master and the players over the direction of the story, which is a victory all its own.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><em>Adam Gravano is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dungeons-and-dragons" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dungeons and dragons</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dungeon-master" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dungeon master</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/big-bang-theory" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Big Bang Theory</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/stranger-things" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">stranger things</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/games" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">games</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/axis-and-allies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">axis and allies</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/wizards-coast" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wizards of the coast</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/geek-culture" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">geek culture</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/playing-video-games" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">playing video games</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tabletop-games" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">tabletop games</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/magic-gathering" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">magic: the gathering</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Adam Gravano</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Wizards of the Coast; Google Images</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:38:54 +0000 tara 9637 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/10702-dungeons-dragons-and-us-rise-geek-culture#comments Is Streaming Another Fad or a Lasting Trend in At-Home Entertainment? https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1159-streaming-another-fad-or-lasting-trend-home-entertainment <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Tue, 05/15/2012 - 20:24</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumnetflixarticle%20%28inspiredvideomarketingdotcom%29.jpg?itok=E-8qgXAK"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumnetflixarticle%20%28inspiredvideomarketingdotcom%29.jpg?itok=E-8qgXAK" width="480" height="320" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> If there’s one staple of American life, it’s entertainment. Movies have been around since the 1920s, providing the populace with forms of escapism and storytelling. And while there’s nothing quite as leisurely as actually going to the movie theater to see a film, the at-home theater experience is quickly gaining speed as the popular entertainment activity of choice.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But film as a format is dying out. It was announced at this year’s <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-04-29/cinemacon-wrapup/54632896/1">CinemaCon in Las Vegas</a> by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) that 20th Century Fox would end 35mm film distribution. The CEO of NATO, John Fithian, had predicted at last year’s CinemaCon that distribution of the celluloid format would end by 2013.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The switch to digital distribution is mostly economical. Whereas it costs about $1500 per theater, digital distribution is one-tenth of that, around $150. Most theaters also switched to digital projection after the release of <em>Avatar</em>, James Cameron’s 3-D digitally filmed movie.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2mediumnetflix.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 338px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p> Of course, how movies are made will affect the format of the home-video and video rentals. VHS had petered out by the mid-2000s with the introduction of the DVD. The DVD format had a higher resolution and better sound quality than VHS, but it was expensive to remaster films for the new format This issue has repeated itself with the existence of Blu-ray discs -- most classic films aren’t available on Blu-ray because of the digital and photochemical process it takes to change formats.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Today, there are many options for at-home movie viewers. For streaming, there’s Netflix, Hulu and even Sidereel, while DVDs can be rented from up-and-coming giant Redbox, Netflix, Blockbuster.com and the rare movie-rental store.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But more and more companies are switching to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/movies/homevideo/06dvds.html?_r=1&amp;pagewanted=all">streaming</a>. Dish Network Corp. acquired <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/06/us-blockbuster-dishnetwork-idUSTRE7351VA20110406">Blockbuster</a> after its bankruptcy and launched a streaming service last October. And while Redbox currently offers physical DVD rentals, the company has partnered up with Verizon to create a streaming movie service as well, thereby competing with Netflix.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/3mediumnetflix.jpg" style="width: 358px; height: 441px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p> According to an <em><a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/07/business/la-fi-ct-verizon-redbox-20120207">L.A Times article</a></em> from February, "The most instant way for customers to access content is to have the option of either pushing a button or going on a two-minute drive to the store,’ Bob Mudge, president of Verizon consumer and mass business markets, said in an interview,” in regards to the partnership of Verizon and Redbox. That statement also sums up today’s rental consumer culture.</p> <p>  </p> <p> What does this mean for <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9UM29R81.htm">entertainment</a> today? Even with the arrival of Redbox, which has rented  more than 1.5 billion movies and games since March 2012, video streaming seems to be the mainstay for at-home entertainment.</p> <p>  </p> <p> YouTube and Hulu are good examples. YouTube is free and allows its users to upload videos of mostly everything, given that it doesn’t infringe copyright. But the website has also started to offer free movies, although the selection is eclectic. Hulu also offers free streaming of current television shows and movies. But after a certain date, available content switches to Hulu+ which is the company’s own paying streaming service, for current and back seasons of TV shows, as well as movies. The price is $7.99 per month for unlimited streaming, similar to Netflix’s current plan.</p> <p>  </p> <p> While Redbox is bringing back the DVD rental, it currently can’t compete with accessibility. Both Netflix and Hulu+ offer streaming onlineon iPads and iPhones, on video game consoles, and Blu-ray systems.</p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/4mediumnetflix.jpg" style="width: 368px; height: 441px; " /></p> <p> More evidence for online streaming? Cable companies are looking into it as well. Companies like Netflix hold licenses to stream popular movies and television shows from bigger networks. Netflix used to have a deal with Starz that recently ended, shrinking the rental-company’s movie selection.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But these licenses also endanger cable networks’ ad revenue. An article from <em><a href="http://stopthecap.com/2012/05/03/harming-the-core-business-the-precarious-future-of-video-streaming/">Stop the Cap</a></em> points to the example of Nickelodeon. The cable network had licensed some shows to Netflix, and analysts found that households chose the on-demand version instead of traditional TV viewing.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In the same article, Craig Moffett, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein, is quoted as saying “Broadband is increasingly the flagship product, not the video distribution business.”</p> <p>  </p> <p> With this in mind, it might be easy to conclude that online streaming will eventually reign as the at-home experience. If we look at the numbers, Netflix has roughly 26.5 million customers: 10 million of them rent DVDs, and 7 million of the 10 million also stream content. Redbox has roughly 37,000 kiosks and has rented  <a href="http://www.redbox.com/facts">more than 1.5 billion</a> movies and games.</p> <p>  </p> <p> What it comes down to, though, is how the movie and television companies will distribute their products. It is essentially cheaper, on both ends, to offer content via streaming. Also, as people become more engrossed in technology and its instant-gratification services, video streaming will become the top contender for products.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> <em>Gabriella Tutino is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/streaming" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">streaming</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dvds" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">DVDs</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/blu-ray" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Blu-ray</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/redbox" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Redbox</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/netflix" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Netflix</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/blockbuster" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Blockbuster</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/online-streaming" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">online streaming</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/movie-rentals" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">movie rentals</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/videos" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">videos</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/games" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">games</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Gabriella Tutino</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">inspiredvideomarketing.com</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 16 May 2012 00:24:22 +0000 tara 953 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1159-streaming-another-fad-or-lasting-trend-home-entertainment#comments