>finally start reading old fanzines>almost die of SOUL overdoseWhat causes this phenomenon? Why are current fan-publications so soulless? It feels like the fun got sucked out of the hobby.
>>94423167Fandom used to exist because fans of the object in question where finding their voices against people who shared their hobbies. It was exciting and people were eager to share their passions because they thought they finally found kinship even if it meant we'd fight and argue. Modern fandoms however exist purely for the fandom and not for the object. Everyone feels they need to tow the line. Play it safe. And it all comes off as too homogenized. If you disagreed then you were passionate, if you disagree now you're toxic. More over and not to sound too "MUH SECRET CLUB" it really does come down to sincerity. Old fans really did care about the material more. And from a more genuine place. Current fandoms are all about trends and popularity. People like Marvel now because of the MCU not the comics. People like DnD because of Stranger Things and Critical Role. Geek hobbies have stopped being about by and for geeks and more for any yahoo with a streaming account.
>>94423167Online platforms have de-mystified human interaction. You used to have to put effort into writing an article and the readers could maybe only experience content they liked once a month. Now everyone posts sixty posts on reddit or twitter or tumblr or 4chan or whatever a week and get instant but low-quality replies so nobody puts in the effort.That's pretty much the reason for the decline in everything.
>>94423167>What causes this phenomenon?You don't read enough books to have the vocabulary to actually describe what you're experiencing, so you substitute internet buzzwords instead.
>>94423167Novelty.
>>94423221wtf is stranger things
>>94423781TV show about 80s teens
>>94423167>>94423221The Internet
>>94423167Why would anyone make physical fan publications anymore when the Internet exists?
>>94424660Some people prefer the feeling of reading something physical / without a screen. Personally I don't much mind, but I still prefer to use a physical character sheet when playing TTRPGs over a laptop or tablet.
>>94424660T. Zoomer
>>94423781Memberberries: The Show
>>94424691Sounds more millennial. Zoomers love physical "old"things.
>>94424660To fuck with the gibsmedats.
>>94424885I'm a millennial and I love books and getting hands on with games and things rather than virtual.
>>94423221fpbp, this is essentially it; the only thing I kind of disagree with is that Stranger Things pulled the parasites in - Stranger Things' D&D references is really more of a symptom than the cause.
>>94425238Well DnD itself has been slowly becoming more casualized for a long time now one might argue, but this was the big one that broke down the wall.
I don't pretend to be above things like marketing and the like, but I really do have to wonder what goes through people's brains when they feel they need to go all in on some hobby they only saw in some popular program. I understand that sometime it's all you need to bring the hobby to your attention, but that's different, it feels like it's less they became aware of it and just feel they need to emulate what they see on TV.
>>94424660Generally very little direct corporate control and high fan engagement. I've been skimming Dragon issues (up to #201) and you see the sorts of shifts that took decades to manifest happen over a few issues, from the terse 1-2 page OD&D articles that are still meaty, the pre-UA AD&D articles becoming longer but still unpadded, to the mechanically bloated 83-84 AD&D articles, to post-Gygax overwrought mechanics accompanied by purple prose and most irrelevant "historical authenticity"
>>94426313Dragon has the additional problem that Gygax eventually said only he was allowed to write mechanics. Leading to lots of historical fluff stuff as safe filler.
>>94423167>It feels like the fun got sucked out of the hobby...it did.This is why having a home-friends crew and a healthy purchase of DIY materials at your local Hobby Lobby is a key part of bringing back that fun....
>>94426250Popular program shows group of friends having fun doing a shared activity, therefore you want to do said shared activity to have fun with your group of friends. All marketing boils down to three basic types: thing will bring enjoyment, thing will bring wealth, thing will bring sex. >>94424660That's exactly what killed off the zine scene in the 00s. Digital is faster, cheaper, and reaches a wider audience.
