Henry Jenkins: Fandom

Fact-sheet#107 Fandom

1) A fan is a person who has a devotion to a media text that goes beyond simply consuming the text that they consumed. Matt Hill believes it becomes a part of someones identity much like gender, class and age.

2) The different types of fans that are identified by the extract are:

• Hardcore/true Fan: They identify themselves as the "insiders" within any fandom. They spend a lot of time and often money in becoming hardcore fans.
• Newbie: These are new fans of a media text and don't have the same devotion as a hardcore fan. They are seen as the "out-group" within any fandom.
• Anti-fan: Those who identify with a media text but in a negative light instead. Unlike hardcore fans they form they're relationship with a media text at a distance rather then a close reading. Hill argues that the anti fan views a negative stereotype of a genre or text ("People who watch horrors are sick")

3) A fandom is typically a group of people fascinated with any subject. Fandoms exhibit a passion that binds enthusiasts in the manner of people who share a secret. They are subcultures within which fans experience and share a sense of camaraderie with each other and engage in particular practises of their given fandom

4) Bordieu's argument about a cultural capital which refers to the symbolic power and status for the fan within the realm of their fandom. Fandoms elicit powerful emotions within their followers and become fanatical about the media constructs that they consume.

5) Some examples of fandom that are displayed are the fanart made for Sherlock Holmes's anniversary and cosplay of the Rocky Horror show.

6) Imaginative extension and text creation are a vital part of digital fandom as the fans use the original media texts as a way to be creative and innovative with the material provided to them. They engage in several activities like creating mods,walkthroughs, FAQs etc.

Tomb Raider and Metroid fandom research 

1) The type of content that are offered on the Lara croft wiki are Walkthroughs, games,descriptions of characters weapons locations and more.

2) There are a plethora of links and content with a lot of information on the community and games in general. They have information on the newest instalment "Rise of the Tomb Raider" demonstrating how dedicated the fans are in this community.

3) The community spotlight page of Metroid shows that the people within this fandom participate in tournaments in games to show they're dedication to a specific game and character. If they're able to demonstrate they're skills at a high enough level they'll be given exposure on the website as a testament to they're devotion to the community.

4) Metroid prime dark echoes has a page dedicated to it on the website where people ask questions on how to improve they're skills on the game. They ask people to create guides for them so that they can advance within the game. They also bring some questions about the games lore itself like who "dark samus" is or about about certain elements of the plot.