Machinima

Hi!
I just realized I haven't done a blog about machinima! I must put a stop to this right now and quickly think of something to say. But what? I think I've been vocal enough in class to make everyone realizes that I know nothing about gaming communities. I did, however find the machinima love story that John played in week three really funny. The idea of machinima isn't lost on me however, I find it fascinating when technology is created for one use, in this case for the development of skills in online games, and then used for an entirely different reason. The technology, as John said in week 3, was designed to help players develop skills in their game playing by allowing them to film and watch past moves, however, players began to use the machinima technology to create movies from their games. As in the case of Tristan Pope, who directed "not just another love story" machinima piece.

It's so hard to believe how much controversy this one movie created. After making the machinima movie (which is an ordeal in itself, when you think about the hours of organizing people, getting everyone playing at the same time- but then, if you take into account the Sal Humphreys lecture you'd find it harder getting them OFF line! Then the editing and story-boarding! It's just like a job) Pope would then posted it on the Blizzard World of Warcraftwebsite, which was fine, until they watched it and realized it was unethical to show a sexually advanced movie, machinima or otherwise on a game played by kids. Parents and concerned players went into uproar, so Blizzard decided it was wise to stop kids from gaining access to "not another love story". But here in lies the problem, Pope, and all his helpers put hours of work into the machinima only to have Blizzard ban it, and ask them to stop making such movies. Understandably, Pope wasn't impressed, he and his followers began boycotting WOW, spreading the word and looking to take their business elsewhere. What were Blizzard to do? They were potentially going to loose thousands of players and, therefore, money. The outcome is one for all virtual communities to examine, they spoke to Pope and his followers and came to an agreement, Pope was allowed to continue making machinima movies, and, if the content was suitable for minors, post it on the WOW site. The 'not another love story' movie could still be downloaded, but not on the Blizzard site, thereby appeasing both groups.
This should explain a little about Blizzard and the machinima movement, with particular mention of Tristan Pope and his controversial machinima movie 'Not another love story'.
Thanks!