Darkon: Everybody wants to be a hero

I think the reason I love this trailer is because it provides evidence for an idea I have about why 95% of my guy friends love video games. I think there's an intrinsic part of us, as humans, that wants to go to war. Especially in men, there is a desire to fight a battle, to defend something, whatever. But it's there, and it doesn't leave. Maybe it's the desire to be a hero that then turns violent. Whatever it is, I think it's fascinating. And role-playing Darkon is comparable to playing Halo 3 for hours.

larping: (def) Live Action Role Play-ing

Thanks to Julie for finally finding this thing.

Darkon website
Darkon IMDB
Darkon Wikipedia

"Monster Camp"

There was another movie almost exactly like this a few years back that was really intriguing, but I can't remember the title. All I remember is a quote from the trailer where a girl was explaining why she did this. She said "At work, my boss tells me what to do; at home, my mom tells me what to do. Out here, I do what I want."

This stuff is fascinating, especially because (if you watch their interactions) they have the same types of drama that any sorority would have, or any other subculture/group. It's all just humans making communities and interacting with each other, just in different styles. Interesting.

IMDB: Monster Camp
Wiki: World of Warcraft

Anime Conference of St. Louis

Practically the only character I recognized, Princess Peach in all his glory.

My friends Shannnon (as Cloud from Final Fantasy on the left) and Shaun (Zak from something, on the right)

No idea - help, Patrick?

the lobby of the hotel, shock.

So I went to the Anime conference in St. Louis this past weekend for a bit, to see my friends Shannon and Shaun, who were in town for it. It was stunning. Subcultures fascinate me, especially high-school ones. Every high school I've been involved with or been around has had a group of Anime-enthusiasts, and I want to learn more about it. Here's what I learned from this weekend:

- the sense of community at these things is huge, people yell out the name of the character you cosplayed as and hug you.
- 'Anime' is kind of an umbrella term that includes Star Wars, gaming of all types (there was a Guitar Hero battle room), 'goth' culture, and everything Japanese.
- Shannon told me that the age demographic for Anime conventions has shifted dramatically down in the last decade, from people in their 30s and up to now mostly high school.
- This subculture is mostly caucasian.