Just wanted to offer a short update that yes, I will be attending WorldCon 2012 this year in Chicago. No, I don’t have a plan or itinerary yet and probably won’t for a month or two.
There’s still quite a few details that need to be worked out and I’m also waiting on other news. I will be there for the full duration of the show. Initially, the idea was to simply go and hang out, but the stars may have rearranged themselves on that front…
Found out fantastic news today. Editor Lynne M. Thomas, editor and author Catherynne Valente, and publisher/editor/author Jason Sizemore are all 2012 Hugo Award nominees. A mighty, mighty congrats!
Apex Publications, the parent company for Apex Magazine, has a special place in my heart and my career’s past, present, and future. What’s also pretty cool about this nomination, is that I published a non-fiction piece for Apex Magazine during the period of eligibility.
To get back to task, this congratulatory post isn’t about my work or the quality of the magazine and other editors. This post is about Jason, who owns Apex.
There are people in this industry who have supported me through bad-and-good times both visibly and invisibly, and Jason has been a good friend, regardless of where I am in my career or who I’ve worked for. He’s not the type of person who will aggressively promote himself, which is probably why we get along so well. But, he is someone who will stand by the people he works with and defend them to the ends of the earth.
Anyway, I have a pretty good guess of how much this nomination means to him, because he’s always said nothing but good things to me about the quality of the other authors, editors, and publishers within the science fiction community. To finally be recognized like this, is pretty darn awesome, regardless of who wins.
Every second of every minute of every day, someone some where is getting fooled into reading something they either don’t want to read or having an emotional reaction they didn’t count on. Why? Because inducing rage to encourage web activity is an intentional tactic.
Let me word this another way, because it’s very, very important.
On the web, people will continue to be bullies because they are rewarded for being a jerk.
It’s not the quality of the comments many website owners care about, it’s the volume. This has nothing to do with having an honest opinion, this is a marketing tactic loosely inspired by one to boost visibility.
Having said that, I continue to see well-known people, friends, associates, etc. get suckered into this every. darn. day. It’s a site that is geared toward college students. It’s a jealous person-of-note making their opinion known. It’s a fan who doesn’t like this other thing over here. It’s commentary on someone else’s work, genre, or hobby. It’s a politician, or a pundit, or whomever…
And it frightens me, because what we’re doing, is allowing a culture of bullies to flourish and they’re also taking that enhanced behavior offline. We’re saying this sort of thing is okay, because we’re focusing on what they’re saying and not why they’re doing it. It’s not just about the words, anymore. It’s gone well beyond that. It’s about supporting the unrealistic mantra that: “Hey, guess the only way I can get what I want is to either work my ass off or be an asshole. Since it’s easier to be a jerk than to provide something of value, I guess I’ll do that.” And it works, because people are getting more and more desperate to stand out and be somebody. Ever wonder why you get smacked with the Curse of Well, ACTUALLY? Same sort of thing. People want and need validation and, in a world where money is a real reward for crappy behavior, this is one very real way to get it.
This is, what I call, the Invisible Man Technique because the internet is often thought of as a buffer to real life consequences because you can’t see the person on the other end of the line. (That isn’t always the case, however.) Some people participate online by doing this intentionally. Lately, though, I’m seeing others who normally aren’t mean, take up the Invisible Man technique because they’re also finding that it works.
No wonder this type of behavior is bringing out the darker side of human society. Did racism already exist? Yes. Sexism? Yes. Gender bias? Yes. We’re being bullied into allowing outdated paradigms to surge because there is a financial reward for doing it. Sometimes, we become the bullies ourselves, by having ridiculous and negative commentary about the bullies, or by fabricating a conspiracy when there isn’t one, just to get attention.
Will this marketing tactic last forever?
Yes and no. The internet will split into multiple internets some day. The law is starting to catch up, too. Eventually, communities will be fractured even further and return to their little silos. The faster we communicate with one another, the more “white noise” we see and hear, which is akin to having no communication. New technology will eventually isolate us from one another, even moreso than it is now, because there’s too much communication to parse out in our fields of vision.
As a marketer and analyst, I know what the tricks and business concerns are, believe me. But, this is my choice: I will not, and cannot, actively induce negativity for the sake of my future success. This will make it harder on myself I know, but I just can’t knowingly be a bully or be bothered to comment on them. If that means that I have to work twice, thrice, or four times as hard as everyone else — then so be it. Luckily, I work with other people who feel the exact same way I do.
There are many different types of journeys in a game, but probably the most recognizable is the type of path that allows the group to go forth and do. Either they must piece together a mystery and go after the bad guy or they are on a collective quest to find the magic MacGuffin. It’s the actions that transform their character through experience points as opposed to internal conflict. They simply “level up.”
Leveling occurs along the journey and opponents become tougher and magical items more powerful. The cleric becomes more cleric-y, the wizard, wiser in the ways of magic, the rogue more stealthy, etc. Often, characters begin with the aptitudes for whatever role they want to play. But what of the supernatural creatures? The werewolf before he was bitten. The vampire when she was a mortal. The zombie prior to its inevitable search for braaaaaiiiinnnnsssss?
An article I read recently talks about this phenomena and, in my humble opinion, the title is fantastic. Do it Live! discusses ways to play through that transformative process and points to Scenes of the Embrace. My work was not the first product to be released for Vampire: the Requiem in this format. Scenes of Frenzy by Will Hindmarch was the first!
I really liked the fact that the writer talked about multiple types of characters, including superheroes, too. I feel the concept is a strong one and one that is definitely powerful because the quest is character-centric. The only challenge, as the writer aptly points out, is making sure that the other players have something to do in the story. After all, that puts the emphasis on “a” character at the table if not handled correctly. Still, why not play through tragic fall of an innocent mortal-turned-supervillain or a non-believer-turned-cultist?
One such experience I’ve had with this phenomenon is through the game All Flesh Must Be Eaten. In it, you can craft or play in any world you like, but you usually start out as a mortal fighting zombies! The game doesn’t end when you get bit, however, for you’ll find yourself on the other side of the fence. You get to play as a zombie. In that scenario, the process isn’t as extended as it might be from mild-mannered librarian turned SOOPER EBIL, but it’s still there and makes the game more powerful. You don’t die, after all, you become UNDEAD.
This topic of conversation reminds me of some games we playtested with the extraordinary Jason L Blair. His ideas on roles at the table are some of the best I’ve seen and experienced in a game. I can only hope to see more form him on that, because that concept is so strong it would make these explorations a lot of fun.
Just wanted to make sure that all of you are aware that Galileo Games has a Kickstarter for the first anthology based on the Bulldogs! RPG. This is a momentous occasion! On the heels of the Redwing’s Gambit debut, Brennan Taylor has gathered together several fine authors to pen spacetastic tales for this fun setting.
The Kickstarter for Have Blaster, Will Travel will end on Sunday, April 29th.
I hope you will consider supporting science fiction (and many authors) that kick ass!