Yes it is a little off from government in general, but it is useful for administrators to see when it comes to the "public values" of the changing nation. Such sources such as Reddit run "ask me anythings" or AMAs, in which figures work with reddit (or even by their own accord), create discussion with questions from the whole internet community. Yes, not every question will be answered, but it gives insight as a politician on what questions will be brought up from a wide range of audience who may not make it normally to a town hall meeting (see Brazil last article allowing for the creation of open forums).
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| And the logo is still pretty adorable |
Reddit, is not just good for AMAs, nor is youtube just good for cat and dog videos (though seriously it is great for those). Both can also spread awareness to many issues going on in today's society as well as influence many about some amazing philanthropic events happening at that moment. Through uses of front pages for both services as well as others (such as video game streaming service Twitch), such events as "Games Done Quick" would never have happened. To explain the good of web 2.0 devices such as this, I will explain the three-way impact of Games Done Quick (or Summer Games Done Quick in this instance) and the effect it has as a web 2.0 run charity and its many outreaches and community building that come from it.
To quickly explain, Games Done Quick (or GDQ), is a bi-annual event with one event happening in the early part of the year (this being your Awesome Games Done Quick, or AGDQ) and your Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ). Both events dedicate all proceeds towards specific charities, with SGDQ focusing on Doctors without Borders, and AGDQ focusing on the Prevent Cancer Foundation. This year alone, AGDQ raised $2,222,791 for their charity, and SGDQ wrapped up yesterday with a whopping $1,776,486. This even champions the speedrunning community (a community of gamers who "Run" games to get the fastest time for completion) while making a fun event for all watchers to learn about some of these games and see these speedruns happen in one area.
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| and it is a truly awesome event |
The use of web 2.0 technology is what helped spurred these charities to reach the heights they are. Since 2010 both of these events use the platform "Twitch" a livestreaming service to help in promoting the charity as well as community to those logging on. This event has caught the attention of millions of watchers and followers, and some are even crazy enough to actually donate money!(not really crazy, but still, sending $100 to say potato puns is pretty funny)
The speedrunning community used static websites and forums to help create their respective community through sites such as speedrun.com. The creation of reddit has further connected this community with the r/speedrun reddit, making it an easy site for all users speedrunner or not to access..
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| Pretty cool place to read up on stuff |
This whole week i've been watching the event and keeping up with the reddit page, observing the interactions of users in it. The realization of connection finally hit in and just how important web 2.0 can be for this event. GDQ, and the web 2.0 programs it uses helps in fostering a growing community, brings attention to some of the speedrunners, raises money for charity, and creates a mostly "safe" location for those who feel they may not be accepted elsewhere.
The GDQ event did this through several ways. For each speedrun there, the twitch would state the runner's "Twitch" handle to watch further runs, and nearing the end of their runs they usually mention the specific forum or community they come from. "Covert_Muffin" a runner for the Star Wars Jedi Academy games is just crazy to watch and was a prime example of followers that would join after appreciating his commentary and moves throughout the game.
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| He ran on Friday, and the follower count exploded! |
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| His run last year |
Covert Muffin is probably (at least to me) one of the most entertaining guys of the whole show, with his constant never-ending commentary WHILE he is doing some crazy moves in game, and his motto of "Take a Bath" after beating something. Twitch chat, the service watching him was enamored by his run, and he reaped the fruits of his labors at a charitable event with even more followers. Covert Muffin, also helped the speedrunning community, on the reddit page people who may have not been interested in speedrunning a game before now want to gain more knowledge on how to do it, and to join the specific communities of said game (including people like me interested now). Covert Muffin not only did GDQ a favor by raising money, he did himself and the Star Wars Jedi Academy community a big favor due to his actions.
SGDQ also showed the fruits of what happens when you foster a community that focuses not on looks, but on skill. People like Halfcoordinated ran a 3D Role Play Game called Nier:Automata with ONE HAND. You usually need two to move, but this guy made it look like it was natural only to use one hand to do the job. Why? Well he is a disabled runner, he has hemiparesis which causes limited weakness on the right side of his body including limited usage of his right hand (Tamburro, 2016). This wasn't Half's first rodeo at GDQ, with a run at SGDQ last year, and if you weren't tearing up by the end of that one you have no soul by how amazing and inspiring a runner he was. And it wasn't just my word, it was the donation comments coming in from disabled gamers throughout his run saying he was a hero to them, which may have caused him to tear up a bit, especially after his own father left a message too. People were hyped to hear him come back to run again this year at SGDQ as he is a figure to a lot of us.
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| I can't even beat some of the bosses he plays and he makes it look like child's play |
SGDQ also had many trans runners, with multiple trans-female runners running some amazing games such as Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Tetris (yes tetris). The community is rather open and inviting, if you can do the run and kick butt doing so, or even just show a general interest on how to route for faster runs, you are accepted. A community is formed.
To continue the awareness of the event, the reddit page stickied "Videos on Demand" (VODs) of the runs you missed during the 24 hour 7 day event. I high recommend if you are interested to check it out, and I recommend if you are truly interested to watch a little of HalfCoordinated and CovertMuffin's runs. The link is here!
GDQ isn't the only phenomenon, and there are many more such as desert bus for charity, and just general fun loving in the community. The gaming community has at least embraced the wave of web 2.0 a lot compared to others, and it is something of interest to understand on how people react to one another creating a culture for us to understand. This culture of interactivity is one we can experiment with and use it towards other areas such as our "public service" and see that with a little ingenuity and fun, we can bring people together.
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| Did I mention Desert Bus is another great charity cause it is and it is the best. |
Sources:
Tamburro, P. (2016, July 6). SGDQ 2016: Disabled
Speedrunner Receives Standing Ovation After Tear-Jerking Speech. Retrieved
from Crave:
http://www.craveonline.com/entertainment/1007277-sgdq-2016-disabled-speedrunner-receives-standing-ovation-tear-jerking-speech
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