Fanthropological

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: #

This week, T is Tanking, G and Z take Offense as they all push the payload towards the goal: Discovering what is the appeal of Overwatch, and what makes people a fan of it. Are there fans that try to embody characters when they play? Why is Hanzo maining a bad thing? How did fan's react to Tracer's girlfriend? All this and more as we dig into the fandom!

Next week, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT: We'll be talking about fans of Rick and Morty (with a special guest)!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

Overwatch is a class-based, online first-person shooter (FPS) developed by Blizzard Entertainment released in May 2016. Mechanically, the game consists of two teams of six "heroes" each working towards some objective depending on the game mode. There are over twenty heroes, each with their own unique abilities and skills broadly grouped into "offense", "defense", "tank", and "support" roles.

As far as the story of the game:

> Soldiers. Scientists. Adventurers. Oddities.

>

> In a time of global crisis, an international task force of heroes banded together to restore peace to a war-torn world: Overwatch.

>

> It ended the crisis and helped to maintain peace in the decades that followed, inspiring an era of exploration, innovation, and discovery. But after many years, Overwatch's influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded.

>

> Overwatch is gone… but the world still needs heroes.

>

> Now, conflict is rising across the world again, and the call has gone out to heroes old and new. Are you with us?

>

> — [Fanlore - Overwatch](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Overwatch)

**Search Data:**

Looking at the [search data for Overwatch](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0128442n), search interest in the game has been on a slow decline since about August of 2016, but still remains fairly popular. The largest spike in popularity occurred in May 2016, which likely coincides with the open beta of the game.

The top ten countries, by search volume, are: South Korea (by a large margin), Singapore, Finland, Sweeden, Norway, Canada, Australia, United States, Taiwan, and New Zealand.

**Size of Fandom:**

Looking at some of the data...

- Approximately 1.1 million subscribers on [r/overwatch](https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/)

- Over 138 000 subscribers on [r/CompetitiveOverwatch](https://www.reddit.com/r/Competitiveoverwatch/)

- Almost 120 000 subscribers on [r/OverwatchUniversity](https://www.reddit.com/r/OverwatchUniversity/)

- As of last January, the game itself [had over 25 million players](https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/27/14417214/how-many-people-play-overwatch-25-million)

Easily, the number of fans **is in the tens of millions**.

**Fan Demographics:**

There seems to be no shortage of sites that will give details on the _characters_, but not so much on the players. For example, [Overwatch Tracker](https://overwatchtracker.com/insights) offers data on hero playtime and skill rankings, and from that we can see some general data points about the _game_.

However, we're more interested in the _players_. From [this thread in the Overwatch subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/4ngttm/overwatch_demographic_survey_lets_get_some_data/), we can get _some_ data from its over 3000 respondents:

- **Gender:** 83.3% Male, 14.9% Female

- **Age:** Almost 70% of respondents are under the age of 24

- **Frequency:** Almost 50% of respondents play every day; just over 30% play 3-5 times a week

A slightly different investigation on [Gender Influence in Hero Choice](https://inkspire.org/post/does-gender-influence-hero-choice-in-overwatch-data-analysis/-KnvQU-V6c9xnp7RSxod) puts the number of female players closer to 21% (and provides some other interesting data).

**Fast Facts:**

- Overwatch has almost 22 000 fan works on [Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Overwatch%20(Video%20Game)/works)

- ...Just over half of which are categorized as M/M, and just under a quarter as F/F

- Almost _all_ of the fan works have no crossover

- The top three characters in the fan works: McCree (~ 38%), Reaper (~ 33%), Mercy (~ 29%)

- The top three pairings: McCree / Hanzo (~ 19%), Reaper / Soldier: 76 (~ 16%), Pharah / Mercy (~ 8%)

- Terry Crews stated in a [reddit AMA](https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/5dez6k/if_doomfist_becomes_a_hero_id_be_so_hyped_if/daa1d2g/) that he would love to voice Doomfist, one of the game's potential heroes at the time. The hero is now playable, though Crews does not voice the character.

- Though many of the voice actors of the game were deliberately selected for being 'unknown', you may recognize anime voice actor Crispin Freeman (Alucard, _Hellsing_; Togusa, _Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex_; Kyon, _Haruhi Suzumiya_) as the voice of Winston. ([TVTropes - Overwatch](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/Overwatch))

- Overwatch has no servers in Africa ([Kotaku - It ain't easy being an Overwatch fan in Africa](https://kotaku.com/it-isn-t-easy-being-an-overwatch-fan-in-africa-1806133900))

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/the-olympics-5-rings-2-seasons-1-fandom/) Famous Last Words

**G**

Are there players who make a point of embodying the character they are playing over trying to win?

**T**

Will I play Overwatch before next week's episode??

[// Yes... probably ]: #

Seriously though, why is Hanzo main a bad thing? ~~(I know almost nothing about Overwatch)~~ _(I know something about Overwatch now)_

[// Apparently, maining isn't very nice as a team, and Hanzo works best as lone wolf (and requires some skill to play well)]: #

How wide is the divide between curative and transformative?

[// #1 on fandometrics video games... so, sounds like there is an active transformative element in addition to the competitive ]: #

**Z**

In relation to the 2016 Blizzard comic, how did fans react to Tracer's girlfriend?

### The Verdict

**G is out.** Kind of. Likes the asymmetric play and backstories. BUT not interested in playing.

**T is in.** Asymmetric play is really good, teamwork, fun, good characters. Likes it better than TF2.

**Z is out.** Lore is really neat.

### This week's spotlight

**[AnyKey Organization](http://www.anykey.org/)**

AnyKey Organization is a group dedicated to supporting diversity in eSports. Its mission (from its website):

> To help create fair and inclusive spaces in esports for marginalized members of the gaming community. We pledge to: Provide competitive gamers with resources, support, and opportunities. Highlight positive role-models. Create knowledge and tools to help create more diverse communities and supportive networks.

>

> — [AnyKey Organization - About Us](http://www.anykey.org/about/)

The organization does research, has its own pledge (that you can take), and has an affiliation program so that you too can help make eSports better for everyone!

To take some notes from this week's episode: The world still needs heroes... Are you with us?

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Rick and Morty!

**Z**

Does the sci-fi help Rick and Morty transcend English?

**G**

What makes people think that they're watching a 'smart' show? How does that influence how they feel about watching Rick and Morty?

**T**

Why did they greenlight the show based on the short, Doc and Maerti?

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [Google Trends - Overwatch](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0128442n)

- [Archive Of Our Own - Overwatch (Video Game)](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Overwatch%20(Video%20Game)/works)

- [Overwatch Tracker - Insights](https://overwatchtracker.com/insights)

- [Kotaku - Overwatch now has 25 million players](https://www.polygon.com/2017/1/27/14417214/how-many-people-play-overwatch-25-million)

- [Inkspire - Does Gender Influence Hero Choice in Overwatch: Data Analysis](https://inkspire.org/post/does-gender-influence-hero-choice-in-overwatch-data-analysis/-KnvQU-V6c9xnp7RSxod)

- [r/overwatch - Overwatch Demographic Survey - Let's get some data from you guys, to learn more about our community!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/4ngttm/overwatch_demographic_survey_lets_get_some_data/)

- [Mic - "Hanzo Main" Insult Explained: Here's what that viral 'Overwatch' tweet is all about](https://mic.com/articles/171482/hanzo-main-insult-explained-here-s-what-that-viral-overwatch-tweet-is-all-about#.evKrS0Dcr)

- [Fandometrics - Video Games: Week Ending January 29th, 2018](https://thefandometrics.tumblr.com/post/170276609995/video-games-week-ending-january-29th-2018)

- [Fanlore - Overwatch](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Overwatch)

- [Wikipedia - Overwatch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwatch_(video_game))

- [r/Overwatch - If Doomfist becomes a hero I'd be so hyped if Terry Crews voice acted for him](https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/5dez6k/if_doomfist_becomes_a_hero_id_be_so_hyped_if/daa1d2g/)

- [TVTropes - Overwatch](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/Overwatch)

- [Ranker - 15 Interesting Overwatch Fan Theories That Are Actually Plausible](https://www.ranker.com/list/overwatch-fan-theories/taeyura)

- [TopShelfGaming - How the gender ratio in Overwatch affects its male players](http://topshelfgaming.net/how-the-gender-ratio-in-overwatch-affects-its-male-players/)

- [Killscreen - Can Overwatch bridge the gender gap in esports?](https://killscreen.com/themeta/can-overwatch-bridge-gender-gap-esports/)

- [Polygon - Overwatch's search for diversity](https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/3/20/14960924/overwatch-diversity-jeff-kaplan-interview-blizzard)

- [FragHero - Blizzard Reveals Tracer is Lesbian and the Internet is Going Nuts](http://fraghero.com/blizzard-reveals-tracer-lesbian-internet-going-nuts/)

- [GameCrate - How Popular Is Overwatch, Really?](https://www.gamecrate.com/how-popular-overwatch-really/14054)

- [IGN - Overwatch Reveals Tracer’s Girlfriend, Emily](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2016/12/20/overwatch-reveals-tracers-girlfriend-emily)

- [IGN Boards - Why Is Overwatch Getting Away with no Single Player?](http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/why-is-overwatch-getting-away-with-no-single-player.454773807/)

- [Kill Ping - Here Is Why Overwatch Is Skyrocketing in Popularity](https://www.killping.com/blog/here-is-why-overwatch-is-skyrocketing-in-popularity/)

- [Player.One - “Overwatch”’s Tracer is the New Iconic Lesbian: Fans React to “Reflections” Comic Reveal](http://www.player.one/overwatchs-tracer-new-iconic-lesbian-fans-react-reflections-comic-reveal-575116)

- [Quora - How Should I Ask My Anti-Violence Parents for Overwatch?](https://www.quora.com/How-should-I-ask-my-anti-violence-parents-for-overwatch)

- [Quora - Who Is Your Favorite Overwatch Hero?](https://www.quora.com/Who-is-your-favorite-Overwatch-hero)

- [Quora - Why Did You Pick Your Overwatch Main?](https://www.quora.com/Why-did-you-pick-your-Overwatch-main)

### Music / Sound

- ["Cyber Starting Area"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1334&Genre=Action) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- The Overwatch logo used [is in the public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Overwatch_circle_logo.svg) as it consists of simple geometric shapes, _but_ it is a registered trademark of [Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.](https://www.blizzard.com/)

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: #

This week, we're going to be... skiing and shooting targets? That's a real thing? In the Olympics?! ANYWAY, we're talking about fans about all the Olympics: Winter, Summer, Para- you name it!

Next week, the cavalry's here! We'll be talking about fans... of Overwatch!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

> The modern Olympic Games or Olympics ... are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart.

>

> Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896. ...

>

> The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th and 21st centuries has resulted in several changes to the Olympic Games. Some of these adjustments include the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes. The Deaflympics and Special Olympics are also endorsed by the IOC. The IOC has had to adapt to a variety of economic, political, and technological advancements.

>

> — [Wikipedia - Olympic Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games)

**Search Data:**

As a fandom, [Olympics fandom appears _highly periodic_](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F05nd_), which is not surprising. The largest spikes in interest in the Olympics occurred in...

- August 2004 (Summer Olympics: Athens, Greece)

- February 2006 (Winter Olympics: Turin, Italy)

- August 2008 (Summer Olympics: Beijing, China)

- February 2010 (Winter Olympics: Vancouver, Canada)

- August 2012 (Summer Olympics: London, UK)

- February 2014 (Winter Olympics: Sochi, Russia)

- August 2016 (Summer Olympics: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

(In order of popularity: Summer 2008, Summer 2016, Summer 2004, Summer 2012, Winter 2014, Winter 2010, Winter 2006)

It would appear that Winter Olympics are less popular, but are growing in popularity, whereas Summer Olympic popularity depends highly on the location.

In terms of interest by region, the top 10 countries in order are: China, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Iran, Uruguay, Hong Kong, United States, Japan.

**Size of Fandom:**

Let's take a look at some of the data we have:

- _510k_: Number of attendees to the 2016 Summer Olympics (10 500 athletes and 500 000 travellers) ([People - 4,900 Medals and 6,000 Hours of TV: The Rio Olympics by the Numbers](http://people.com/sports/rio-olympics-2016-facts-by-the-numbers/))

- _9 million_: Number of tickets sold for the 2012 Summer Olympics ([CNN - London Olympics by the numbers](https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/world/olympics-numbers/index.html))

- _3.6 billion_: Number of people expected to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics worldwide ([People - 4,900 Medals and 6,000 Hours of TV: The Rio Olympics by the Numbers](http://people.com/sports/rio-olympics-2016-facts-by-the-numbers/))

Based on these numbers, we estimate the fandom to be **somewhere in the hundreds of millions in terms of size**.

**Fast Facts:**

There _is_ a section on Archive Of Our Own for [Olympics Real-Person Fiction (RPF) with over 400 works](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Olympics%20RPF/works); For reference, this category is dwarfed by other sports-related RPF such as Figure Skating RPF (over 1200) and Hockey RPF (over 8900) Football RPF (over 10 000).

Looking at Olympics RPF:

- More than 75% of the works are categorized as M/M

- The top three largest olympics sports fandoms represented in the works are: Swimming RPF (200+), Figure Skating RPF (70+), Speed Skating RPF (50+)

- The top three most popular characters represented: Michael Phelps (swimmer, 200+), Ryan Lochte (swimmer, 190+), J. R. Celski (speed skater, 50+)

Other fun facts:

- Fans of BBC Merlin run a small festival in conjunction with the winter and summer Olympics: [The Merlin Olympics that have been running since 2012](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Merlin_Olympics)

- The Doctor has (canon) and his companions have visited the Olympics [on multiple occasions](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Olympic_Games)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/ghostbusters-if-someone-asks-if-youre-a-fan-you-say-yes/) Famous Last Words

**Brily**

When is Canada going to fund its fencing teams?

[// Probably when they start winning ... any medals (have never won?). Actually did discover that 'senior carded' athletes receive $1500 a month in base funding from the federal government which can be augmented by the province or other organizations. In the UK, athletes receive $45 190 annually; approximately 2.5 times CDN. Also, receive medal bonus: Rio Gold 20k, Silver 15k, Bronze 10k. Sponsorships, Own the Podium ]: #

**Adrianna**

Predictions for the Winter games: Where will Canada place?

[// T: Canada 2nd overall, most medals; 3rd for golds ]: #

[// Z: 3rd for medal count ]: #

[// G: 1st in medal count]: #

**G**

Are there people who only pay attention to the winter Olympics?

**T**

Why do we still do the Olympics? Is it like Daylight Savings Time?

[// "This was supposed to be one of the reasons for holding the modern Olympics in the first place, at least as its founder Pierre de Coubertin envisioned it: to cast a spotlight on the amateur athlete. That vision went kaput in the late 1980s, after years of slow relaxation of the professionalism rules. ]: #

[// What about the other elements that are supposed to make the Olympics a wondrous event, or at least one worth holding?

The Games are supposed to promote international peace.

They are a boon in prestige and economy for the host city.

They encourage the greatest in athleticism by providing a world stage.

At least, it is great TV entertainment.]: #

**Z**

How many people actively cheer for countries other than their own?

### The Verdict

**T is out. Not particularly interested.**

**G is in. Doesn't watch sports, but will watch the Olympics; just to watch it with the world.**

**Z is out. If it's on, he'll watch it.**

### This week's spotlight

**[Special Olympics Canada](http://www.specialolympics.ca/donate)**

> Special Olympics is about sports, but it is also about so much more. For children, youth, and adults with an intellectual disability, Special Olympics becomes a place of welcome -- a place where they will be accepted for who they are and given the chance to be their best.

>

>Your support allows us to continue to provide the programs, mentorship, and resources required by our athletes, coaches, and volunteers to change the lives of thousands of individuals with an intellectual disability across Canada.

>— [Special Olympics Canada](http://www.specialolympics.ca/donate)

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Overwatch!

**G**

Are there players who make a point of embodying the character they are playing over trying to win?

**T**

Will I play Overwatch before next week's episode??

Seriously though, why is Hanzo main a bad thing? (I know almost nothing about Overwatch)

How wide is the divide between curative and transformative?

**Z**

In 2016 Blizzard comic, how did fans react to Tracer's girlfriend?

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [National Post - How Canada funds Olympic athletes on the road to Rio](http://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/how-canada-funds-olympic-athletes-on-the-road-to-rio)

- [LA Times - All the reasons we still need the Olympics: Uhhh, can't think of any](http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-olympics-sochi-time-to-stop-20140121-story.html)

- [The Ampersand - Nationalism and the Olympics](https://artsci.wustl.edu/ampersand/nationalism-and-olympics)

- [Wikipedia - Olympic Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games)

- [Google Trends - Olympics](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F05nd_)

- [People - 4,900 Medals and 6,000 Hours of TV: The Rio Olympics by the Numbers](http://people.com/sports/rio-olympics-2016-facts-by-the-numbers/)

- [CNN - London Olympics by the numbers](https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/world/olympics-numbers/index.html)

- [Archive Of Our Own - Olympics (RPF)](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Olympics%20RPF/works)

- [The Merlin Olympics that have been running since 2012](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Merlin_Olympics)

- [TARDIS Data Core - Olympic Games](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Olympic_Games)

- [Inverse Science - Olympic Nationalism Unites Us in Irrational Hate](https://www.inverse.com/article/19792-2016-rio-olympics-nationalism-patriotism-xenophobia)

- [Huffington Post - Country First: The Olympic Games, Nationalism and the Ultimate Displays of Fandom](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/chad-barr/london-olympics-fans-_b_1731698.html)

- [The Ringer - The Summer Olympics Is the Height of Armchair Fandom](https://www.theringer.com/2016/8/16/16039484/summer-olympics-armchair-fandom-4ce6ba9c8c1d)

- [Fanlore - Merlin Olympics](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Merlin_Olympics)

- [Africanews - Refugees Olympics Team Draws Massive Fans](http://www.africanews.com/2016/08/12/refugees-olympics-team-draws-massive-fans/)

- [Beams and Struts - Why Do People Cheer for Their Team?](http://beamsandstruts.com/articles/item/1001-sports-cheering)

- [Bleacher Report - Should We Cheer for Our Country To Win in the Olympics?](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/345704-should-we-cheer-for-our-country-to-win-in-the-olympics)

- [Facebook - Refugee Olympic Team](https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeOlympicTeam/)

- [LoveHate.ru - Olympic Games](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://lovehate.ru/Olympic-Games/1/61630&prev=search)

- [Psychology Today - Why We Love Watching the Olympics](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-stories-our-lives/201608/why-we-love-watching-the-olympics)

- [Quora - Is it Considered Socially acceptable to Cheer for a Nation other than the One in which You Reside, With Regard to the Olympics?](https://www.quora.com/Is-it-considered-socially-acceptable-to-cheer-for-a-nation-other-than-the-one-in-which-you-reside-with-regard-to-the-Olympics)

- [Quora - Olympic Games (Topic)](https://www.quora.com/topic/Olympic-Games)

- [Quora - Why Do People Love the Olympics?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-love-the-Olympics)

- [r/Olympics - Hi Reddit, I'm Eritrea's First Winter Olympian! AMA](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7ptcun/hi_reddit_im_eritreas_first_winter_olympian_ama/)

- [r/Olympics - In the 70s it was Projected that the 2020 Olympics could be the First Interplanetary Olympics](https://www.reddit.com/r/olympics/comments/7pzqp7/in_the_70s_it_was_projected_that_the_2020/ )

- [r/Olympics - Who Do You Root For?](https://www.reddit.com/r/olympics/comments/7skxgy/who_do_you_root_for/)

### Music / Sound

- [“Fanfare for the Common Man”](https://thehmc.bandcamp.com/track/fanfare-for-the-common-man-2) by the Halifax Music Co-op used under [CC BY-NC 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- [“Olympics”](https://thenounproject.com/term/olympics/628979/) by [Nikita Kozin](https://thenounproject.com/kozinn) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: #

This week, we _better_ not be a afraid of no ghost, because we've got the Ontario Ghostbusters helping us to get into the spirit of Ghostbusters fandom (and bustin' makes us feel good)!

Next week, we'll be honing our routine in preparation to talk about fans... of the Olympics!

## Where can I learn more about Adrianna and Brily?

Adrianna and Brily are co-presidents of the [Ontario Ghostbusters](http://www.ontarioghostbusters.ca/). If you want to learn more about them, check out the Ontario Ghostbusters on social media:

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OntarioGhostbusters

- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ON_Ghostbusters

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ontarioghostbusters/

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OntarioGhostbusters

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

_Ghostbusters_ is a supernatural comedy franchise created in 1984 by Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd about a group of eccentric parapsychologists who start a legit ghost-busting business (like exterminators) in New York City. The project was initially conceived as a "Ghostmashers" (starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi) with the cast traveling through space and time ... and something about magic wands — the script was drastically rewritten after it was deemed 'financially impractical' and after the death of Belushi.

Since the first films release on June 8, 1984, the franchise has spawned a total of three movies, two television series, several video games, novelizations, comics, and is in the [top 50 grossing domestic films (adjusted for inflation) of all time](http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice3.html).

**Search Data:**

The search data is a bit hard to track; though there is a search topic for the Ghostbusters franchise, it has very little data compared to search data compared to the 2016 and 1984 Ghostbuster films. Even looking at [just these two topics](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F025tlkg,%2Fm%2F01d2v1) is hard to analyze the broad trend because of the massive distortion in search data around the release of the 2016 movie.

Taking a look at the data from a few different timescales, it is most likely that interest in the franchise has remained fairly flat, with the most notable spike in interest occurring in July of 2016 (release of _Ghostbusters (2016)_), and some much smaller spikes in August 2004 (_Ghostbusters: Legion_ comic, possibly), and June 2009 (_Ghostbusters: The Video Game_).

Looking at the search data, Ghostbusters is popular in most parts of the world. Inexplicably, comparing the 2016 and 1984 search interest reveals slightly different popularity when looking at regions:

_Ghostbusters (1984)_ top 5 countries by search data: Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, El Salvador

_Ghostbusters (2016)_ top 5 countries by search data: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia

The later entries start to overlap.

**Size of Fandom:**

Taking a look at some of the data we have, let's see what we can estimate for the fandom size:

- [The Ghostbusters subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/) has over 6000 subscribers

- [The GBFans Forum](http://www.gbfans.com/forum/index.php) has over 29 000 members (with over 9000 online at once)

That probably puts the size of the fandom (depending on your measure of fan-ness) somewhere in the **ten thousands** of fans.

**Fast Facts:**

Looking at Fanfics, there are over [2600 Ghostbusters fanfics on Archive Of Our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Ghostbusters%20-%20All%20Media%20Types/works)

- Most are _General Audience_ (900+) or _Teen and Up_ (800+)

- The top three categories: F/F (1800+), Gen (500+), M/M (100+)

- The top three fandoms: Ghostbusters (2016) (2000+), The Real Ghostbusters (300+), Ghostbusters I & II (100+)

- The top three characters: Jillian Holtzmann (1800+), Abby Yates (1200+), Patty Tolan (1200+)

There are over 39 000 results for [Ghostbusters on DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/?section=&global=1&q=ghostbusters). A lot of the top results appear to be inspired by the 80's ghostbuster movies and cartoon.

[// Then Kevin Beckman, then Egon, then Peter, Ray, and Winston ]: #

Also worth noting:

> In 2017, Royal Ontario Museum paleontologists Victoria Arbour and David Evans were studying a fossil of a newly discovered ankylosaur species, and decided that its head resembled that of Zuul from Ghostbusters. Accordingly, they named the species _Zuul crurivastator_

>

> — [Wikipedia - Ghostbusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/58-fans-and-frights-in-the-age-of-the-internet/) Famous Last Words

**T**

Is there something like the 501st legion for Ghostbusters? Like, a federation of Ghostbusters?

(Are there ghost hunters inspired by the Ghostbusters?)

[// Midwest Ghostbusters Coalition; not a governing body though: http://www.gbfans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38753 There are cons and a messageboard and semi-approval from studio... so... maybe not necessary ]: #

[// No... but there are a lot of ghostbuster groups: Alabama, Minnesota, Spokane, South Carolina, Carolina, Ontario, Chicago, Germany, UK, New England, South California, Houston, Hawaii, Louisiana, Louisville, Northeast Ohio ]: #

[// YES! Ghost Corps); official ghost buster franchises; sony offers a lot of support ]: #

[// Yes! There are ghosthunters inspired ]: #

**Z**

After the announcement and release of the latest Ghostbusters film, was there a notable drop off in the fandom because the Ghostbusters are women? Or was there a rise in folks who only liked the old Ghostbusters?

**G**

Is there a significant chunk of Ghostbusters fans who have not seen the movies?

### The Verdict

**Z is out. Meh?**

**T is in. Tried to make a proton pack...**

**G is out. Will see a new movie if it comes out.**

**Adrianna is in. Ontario Ghostbusters wouldn't let her out.**

**Brily is in. He can't imagine doing better things with better people.**

[// Animated movie coming out in 2019]: #

### This week's spotlight

**[Ontario Ghostbusters](http://www.ontarioghostbusters.ca/)**

As it turns out, the Ontario Ghostbusters are the top result for "Ghostbusters Charity"!

> The Ontario Ghostbusters are a fan costuming group who's purpose is to give fans an up close experience with screen accurate equipment and memorabilia as well as raise money and attention for charitable organizations.

> ...

> We come loaded with authentic screen accurate gear ready to bust and entertain the young and old. We also have hands on table displays so fans can get up close with our gear and even check out a little slime. No Ghostbuster display would be complete without an 8 foot Stay Puft, 6 foot Slimer and life size Vigo portrait. You can even suit up in a Rookie jump suit (GB1, GB2 or Reboot) and feel what it is like to strap on a Proton Pack (Please note, features may vary from event to event depending on venue).

>

> — [Ontario Ghostbusters - About Us](http://www.ontarioghostbusters.ca/about.html)

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Olympics!

**Brily**

When is Canada going to fund its fencing teams?

**Adrianna**

Predictions for the Winter games: Where will Canada place?

**G**

Are there people who only pay attention to the winter Olympics?

**T**

Why do we still do the Olympics? Is it like Daylight Savings Time?

**Z**

How many people actively cheer for countries other than their own?

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [The Telegraph - Female Ghostbusters? Fans Don’t Want It, Says Ernie Hudson](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11151713/Female-Ghostbusters-Fans-dont-want-it-says-Ernie-Hudson.html)

- [Vox - How the All-Female Ghostbusters Reboot Became a Lightning Rod of Controversy](https://www.vox.com/2016/6/30/12027882/ghostbusters-reboot-all-female-backlash-sexism-sony)

- [Google Trends - “Ghostbusters”](https://trends.google.ca/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=Ghostbusters)

- [Cinemassacre - Ghostbusters 2016. No Review. I Refuse.](http://cinemassacre.com/2016/05/17/ghostbusters-2016-no-review-i-refuse/)

- [AV Film - Ghostbusters, Frozen, and the Strange Entitlement of Fan Cultre](https://film.avclub.com/ghostbusters-frozen-and-the-strange-entitlement-of-fa-1798247870)

- [Quora - Which Movie had Greater Cultural Significance: Blazing Saddles or Ghostbusters](https://www.quora.com/Which-movie-had-greater-cultural-significance-Blazing-Saddles-or-Ghostbusters)

- [Quora - Why is Ghostbusters Widely Regarded as One of the Best Comedies Ever?](https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Ghostbusters-widely-regarded-as-one-of-the-best-comedies-ever)

- [Quora - Why do people love Ghostbusters so much?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-love-the-Ghostbusters-so-much)

- [r/Ghostbusters - I’m Tired of Taking the Backseat as a Hardcore Fan of the Ghostbusters Franchise](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/comments/4wc7gw/im_tired_of_taking_the_backseat_as_a_hardcore_fan/)

- [r/Ghostbusters - Should Ghostbusters Fans have Bit the Bullet?](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/comments/4z1k55/should_ghostbusters_fans_have_bit_the_bullet/)

- [Wikipedia - Ghostbusters (franchise)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters_(franchise))

- [Wikipedia - Ghostbusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters)

- [Inverse - Why Fans Adore Kate McKinnon As Holtzmann In 'Ghostbusters'](https://www.inverse.com/article/18515-ghostbusters-kate-mckinnon-jillian-holtzmann-character)

- [Buzzfeed - 30 reasons Ghostbusters is the greastest movie ever](https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisserico/30-reasons-ghostbusters-is-the-greatest-movie-ev-povl?utm_term=.rq22mqxxj#.rlAnQNWW7)

- [Bustle - 11 reasons why I'll always love Ghostbusters](https://www.bustle.com/articles/146953-11-reasons-why-ill-always-love-ghostbusters)

- [FilmSite - ALL-TIME TOP 100 FILMS (Domestic Gross, Inflation-Adjusted)](http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice3.html)

- [r/Ghostbusters](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/)

- [The GBFans Forum](http://www.gbfans.com/forum/index.php)

- [FiveThirtyEight - Ghostbusters is a perfect example of how internet ratings are broken](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ghostbusters-is-a-perfect-example-of-how-internet-ratings-are-broken/)

- [AV/Film - Ghostbusters, Frozen, and the strange entitlement of fan culture](https://film.avclub.com/ghostbusters-frozen-and-the-strange-entitlement-of-fa-1798247870)

- [NewsWeek - Why the original Ghostbusters was awful](http://www.newsweek.com/why-original-ghostbusters-was-awful-480673)

- [Time - Sorry, But the Original Ghostbusters Isn't Even That Good](http://time.com/4404569/ghostbusters-nostalgia/)

- [r/Ghostbusters - Any other women feeling very ostracised from the fan community right now?](https://www.reddit.com/r/ghostbusters/comments/3pp0y7/any_other_women_feeling_very_ostracised_from_the/)

### Music / Sound

- [Ghostbusters theme cover](https://superherosecondline.bandcamp.com/track/ghostbusters) by [Superhero Second Line](https://superherosecondline.bandcamp.com).

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- [“Stay Puft”](https://thenounproject.com/term/stay-puft/219355/) by [Vincent Montagnana](https://thenounproject.com/vmontagnana) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: #

What's 6 foot tall, has no face, an is RIGHT BEHIND YOU?! We don't know, but we heard a story from a friend of a friend of ours... but that doesn't matter because this week, we're talking about fans of that unique online horror phenomenon, Creepypasta (and hopefully, we don't get too scared)!

Next week, we take on a definitely less creepy fandom (with special guests from the [Ontario Ghostbusters](http://ontarioghostbusters.ca)), Ghostbusters fans!

Share this week's episode:

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**History and Origins:**

Creepypasta is a kind of online horror fiction that crosses over many different fandoms, and takes its name from the internet term "copypasta" (where something would be copy-pasted from website to website). Creepypasta comes in many different forms from lost episode myths (for example, the Simpsons "Dead Bart" episode) or urban legends like Slender Man or Polybius. Creepypasta likely dates back to the late 1990s and early 2000s with stories like _Ted the Caver_, and gained more popularity with communities like [creepypasta.com](http://creepypasta.com), the [Creepypasta wiki](http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Creepypasta_Wiki), and reddit's [r/nosleep](https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/) ([Fanlore - Creepypasta](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Creepypasta)).

[// Links to SCP foundation; supposed to be a real organization talking about events and creatures]: #

**Search Data:**

Looking at the [Google Trends Data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=creepypasta,%2Fm%2F0fq0d6m) for Creepypasta and Slenderman gives us an interesting quick history. There was almost no interest at all until June 2012 where interest in both terms started rising quickly (Slenderman in particular spiked to its most interest ever in August 2012; probably corresponding to the release of [Slender: The Eight Pages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender:_The_Eight_Pages)). Interest has been a slow decline ever since.

Looking at the search data also gives us some idea of some of the most popular creepypastas. For example _Jeff the Killer_, _Pokemon_, _Slenderman_, and _Ben Drowned_ (a legend of Zelda creepypasta).

**Size of Fandom:**

This week is a really challenging one to estimate. Here is some of the data we have:

- _Slender: The Eight Pages_ has almost 15 000 votes on [softonic](https://slender.en.softonic.com/) and over 6 million downloads so far

- The Creepypasta wiki has [over 13 000 contributors](http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Special:ListUsers)

- `r/nosleep` has over 12 million subscribers

Given that, we can probably estimate about **fans in the millions**, but it is tricky to narrow down creepypasta fans from general horror fans.

### The Verdict

**T could not nope fast enough. Nuke it from orbit.**

**Z is in. Still nopes hard... spine tingles, but loves them.**

**G is out. Hell no.**

### This week's spotlight

Could not find an active charity related to Creepypasta. That being said...

**[Ronald McDonald House](http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Ronald_McDonald_House)**

A creepypasta _about_ a charity. An unfortunate result while trying to find a creepypasta related charity.

**[Narrators U-nighted Charity Drive](https://www.creepypasta.com/narrators-unighted-charity-drive-streaming-project/)**

Doesn't appear to be an active charity any more, but came about as a result of the murder of a young girl by her two friends over a disagreement about Slenderman.

**[Race Against Time 3.5: Secret of Mana Edition](http://raceagainsttime.io/stream)**

Our (now) semi-annual charity livestream! This time, we'll be attempting to beat _Secret of Mana: Remastered_ in less than 24 hours to raise money for the [Organization for Transformative Works](http://www.transformativeworks.org/) (Fanlore, Archive Of Our Own). Details are still coming together, but subscribe on Twitch in preparation! The event will be sometime between February 17 and 18th (exact time TBD).

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, (Fandom name)!

**T**

Is there something like the 501st legion for Ghostbusters? Like, a Federation?

(Alternatively, are there ghost hunters inspired by the Ghostbusters?)

**Z**

After the announcement and release of the latest Ghostbusters film, was there a notable drop off in the fandom because the Ghostbusters are women? Or was there a rise in folks who only liked the old Ghostbusters?

**G**

Is there a significant chunk of Ghostbusters fans who have not seen the movies?

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [creepypasta.com](http://creepypasta.com)

- [Creepypasta wiki](http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Creepypasta_Wiki)

- [r/nosleep](https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/)

- [Fanlore - Creepypasta](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Creepypasta)

- [Wikipedia - Slender: The Eight Pages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender:_The_Eight_Pages)

- [Slender: The Eight Pages - Download](https://slender.en.softonic.com/)

- [Wikipedia - Marble Hornets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Hornets)

- [Google Trends - creepypasta vs Slenderman](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=creepypasta,%2Fm%2F0fq0d6m)

- [AVClub News - New study breaks down what makes creepypasta so creepy](https://news.avclub.com/new-study-breaks-down-what-makes-creepypasta-so-creepy-1798248056)

- [Venngage - Creepypasta: The Secret Recipe For a Viral Horror Story [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://venngage.com/blog/creepypasta/)

- [Quora - Why do people like to watch Creepypasta?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-like-to-watch-Creepypasta)

- [Gizmodo - The Best Creepypasta Stories to Give You Nightmares Forever](https://gizmodo.com/the-best-creepypasta-stories-to-give-you-nightmares-for-1737840921)

- [Youtube - Monsters in Our Memes - Creepypasta Series ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mBobX9C8KE)

- [Quora - What Is the Difference Between a Creepypasta and an Urban Legend?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-creepypasta-and-an-urban-legend)

- [Creepypasta Rants - Chapter 2 Explanation/Leaving the Fandom](https://www.quotev.com/story/6731618/Creepypasta-Rants/11)

- [Creepypasta Rants - Creepypasta Fangirls (The Bad Kind!)](https://www.quotev.com/story/6731618/Creepypasta-Rants/7)

- [r/Creepypasta - Home](https://www.reddit.com/r/creepypasta/)

- [Tumblr - Search: Creepypasta Shipping](https://www.tumblr.com/search/creepypasta%20shipping)

- [Youtube - Slender Man Trailer (2018) Exclusive - IGN First](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akdZ4ff4SVE&feature=youtu.be)

- [TechCrunch - The Story of Slender Man: The Internet’s Own Monster](https://techcrunch.com/2014/06/30/the-story-of-slenderman-the-internets-own-monster/)

- [ScreenRant - Father of Slender Man Attacker Accuses Film of ‘Popularizing a Tragedy’](https://screenrant.com/slender-man-popularizing-tragedy/)

### Music / Sound

- ["Abandoned Cemetery"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1111&Genre=Halloween) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- [“Man”](https://thenounproject.com/term/man/38144) by [T BABS](https://thenounproject.com/nordi) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

*\*various grunting / shouting sounds\**

That's right, this week, we're talking about fans of that long-running much beloved Nintendo series: *The Legend of Zelda*! Why are fans so fixated on the timeline, and what is it exactly that reels in fans both new and old? All that and more with this week's special guest, Andy Spiteri of [Zelda Informer](http://www.zeldainformer.com) / [Zelda Dungeon](https://www.zeldadungeon.net)!

...And that's it for this season! We'll be taking a brief holiday break and come back in the new year with all new, exciting episodes about fans and fandoms you've probably never even heard of! Thanks for listening and stay tuned!

## Where can I learn more about Andy?

You can learn more about Andy Spiteri through his work at [Zelda Informer](http://www.zeldainformer.com) / [Zelda Dungeon](https://www.zeldadungeon.net)!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

> The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy action-adventure video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool and Grezzo. The series' gameplay incorporates elements of action, adventure and puzzle-solving games.

> The series centers on Link, the playable character and chief protagonist. Link is often given the task of rescuing Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon, who is the principal antagonist of the series; however, other settings and antagonists have appeared in several titles. The games' plots commonly involve a relic known as the Triforce, a set of three omnipotent golden triangles. The protagonist in each game is usually not the same incarnation of Link, but a few exceptions exist.

> Since the original The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, the series has expanded to include 19 entries on all of Nintendo's major game consoles, as well as a number of spin-offs. An American animated TV series based on the games aired in 1989 and individual manga adaptations commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan since 1997. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most prominent and successful franchises, selling over 80 million copies as of 2017.

>

> — [Wikipedia - The Legend of Zelda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda)

[// Zeldorks? LOZers? Zerds? Zovers?]: #

**Fandom Activity / Interest**

In general, interest in the series has been on the decline, [by search traffic](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07d5v): Until March 2017 (Release of _Breath of the Wild_), interest in the series was about half as much as in 2014. There have been some notable spikes in interest in December 2006 (Release of _Twilight Princess_), December 2009 (Release of _Spirit Tracks_), December 2011 (Approximate release of _Skyward Sword_).

**Fan Demographics:**

As it turns out, Zelda Informer ran a Zelda fan survey for a few years; [the latest set of data from 2015](http://www.zeldainformer.com/zelda-survey-2015-results-story-and-exploration-on-top-twilight-princess-ha/) gives us something to go off of:

- **Gender**: 74% male, 24% female, 1% other, 1% prefer not to answer

- **Age**: Largest group of respondents was age 18-24 (49%); almost 75% of respondents were under the age of 24

Plus, some other interesting results:

- **First Zelda game played**: Ocarina of Time (39%), Link to the Past (14%), Legend of Zelda (14%), Wind Waker (7%), Twilight Princess (7%)

- 90% of Zelda fans consider themselves gamers

- **The top three most owned consoles were**: Wii (91%), Nintendo DS (82%), Nintendo 3DS (80%)

- **Top three most played Zelda games**: Twilight Princess (93%), Ocarina of Time (92%), Majora's Mask (87%)

- **Worst Zelda game experience**: Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love (91%)

- **Most important parts of Zelda games**: Story (47%), Exploration (30%)

- **Favourite Art Style**: Twilight Princess (56%)

- **Would you play a Zelda game starring a female hero?** Yes (65%), Indifferent (23%), No (12%)

- **Should future games include a gender option for link?** Yes (27%), Indifferent (33%), No (40%)

[// Many mobile games did poorly]: #

**Around the world:**

According to [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07d5v), the top 10 regions searching for the _Legend of Zelda_ are: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Japan, Chile, France, and Canada (United States is 13th).

**Fanfics:**

Archive of our own has over 4000 fanfics related to the _Legend of Zelda_ franchise. Some interesting data about those fanfics:

- Top 3 Categories represented: M/M (1610), F/M (1584), Gen (1166)

- Top 3 Largest individual franchise represented: Breath of the Wild (1297), Ocarina of Time (805), Twilight Princess (629)

- Top 3 Characters represented: Link (2837), Zelda (1697), Ganondorf (855)

- Top 3 Relationships represented: Link / Zelda (787), Link / Prince Sidon (465), Link / Shiek (235)

- Top 3 Tags represented: Fluff (520), Angst (400), Romance (300)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/56-escape-room-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

What is the oldest fan-made timeline?

**G**

When did people start caring about what the Zelda timeline was?

**T**

Is there a band that only has instruments from the Zelda games?

[// Couldn't find anything; no indigo-go's ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is in.**

**G is out. Most fascinated with timeline.**

**Z is in.**

**Andy is in. Loved Zelda since being a kid.**

### This week's spotlight

**[Zeldathon](https://zeldathon.net/)**

The Zeldathon marathons all of the games of the Legend of Zelda franchise, however long it takes, twice a year, to raise money for Direct Relief — an organization devoted to improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies. So far, they have raised over $1.5 million since 2009.

[// As of this release, they have probably already been at it for 2 days ]: #

[// Plugs go here ]: #

[// Andy's fandom: Metroid! Reboot! ]: #

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Thanks

Special thanks to Andy for taking time out of his schedule to chat with us about his experiences with Zelda!

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - The Legend of Zelda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda)

- [Google Trends - The Legend of Zelda](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07d5v)

- [Archive Of Our Own - Works in The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Legend%20of%20Zelda%20*a*%20Related%20Fandoms/works)

- [ZeldaInformer - ZELDA SURVEY 2015 RESULTS: STORY AND EXPLORATION ON TOP, TWILIGHT PRINCESS HAS BEST COMBAT, AND MORE](http://www.zeldainformer.com/zelda-survey-2015-results-story-and-exploration-on-top-twilight-princess-ha/)

- [Quora - Why do people like The Legend of Zelda?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-like-The-Legend-of-Zelda)

- [Den of Geek - The Zelda Timeline](http://www.denofgeek.com/us/games/zelda/21236/the-zelda-timeline)

- [Zelda Universe - The Stone Tower: Why Termina was Doomed](https://zeldauniverse.net/2006/11/03/the-stone-tower-why-termina-was-doomed/)

### Music / Sound

- End music, ["Enchanted Forest Temple"](https://rebeccatripp.bandcamp.com/track/Enchanted-Forest-Temple), by Rebecca Tripp

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

What if you only had 60 minutes to _escape from this podcast_? To unravel the puzzles of _Crimson Room_ or the (surprisingly) lucrative business of locking people in a room? Well, you'd probably fail (but so would we). Listen in as we talk about fans of an even more puzzling experience: Escape Rooms!

Next week, we wrap up the season with a Nickscast favourite (and a special guest) as we talk about fans... of the _Legend of Zelda_ series!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins and history:**

Escape rooms, also known as _room escape_, _escape games_, _escape the room_, and so on, are physical adventure games where participants are required to solve a variety of puzzles using riddles, clues, and hints contained in the room within a fixed time limit. Sometimes, the rooms are thematically linked (e.g. a museum heist) or they can be a series of abstract puzzles with no linking theme.

The concept of an escape room is heavily inspired by the similarly named video game genre where players are required to escape a room by pointing and clicking around a room to exploit their surroundings. The earliest example of this style of game is likely the 1988 text adventure, _Behind Closed Doors_, where the player has to escape a restroom, but some better known examples might include _MOTAS_ (Mystery Of Time And Space, 2001), _Crimson Room_ (2004), and _Viridian Room_.

Arguably... fans of escape rooms are fans of this genre of video games, but that remains to be seen!

The first escape room was created in Japan by SCRAP in 2007 and the concept later spread to other parts of Asia, then Europe... then, the world! There are now almost 2000 escape rooms in the United States _alone_.

**Most Active:**

The concept of an escape room didn't really start to solidify until _Crimson Room_ was released as Adobe Flash freeware... which conveniently was released in 2004 (the first year where Google Trends data is available).

Examining that data, it is clear that the fandom is [the most active it has ever been](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=Escape%20Room). While there was some spike in interest in the term around 2007, it has been on a meteoric rise ever since approximately 2015.

**Size of Fandom:**

Since escape rooms are more business-oriented, it's a bit harder to dig into the size of the fandom. Still, we have a few metrics we can use as rough estimators:

- The `escaperooms` subreddit has almost 2000 subscribers

- There are almost 2000 escape room companies in the US

- If the average group size is 4, and each room has at least one group a week, that would be about 416 000 fans (this is likely a grossly conservative estimate)

Complicating matters is that participation does not imply fandom.

[// Most in one city: 182 (Beijing, China); top non-asian city, Budapest (63). Top Canadian: Markam (36), Top US: LA (23)]: #

**Fan Demographics:**

From a variety of different surveys, we can get a rough idea of the kinds of folks who participate in escape rooms. We managed to find three surveys: Escape [Room Demographic Survey](https://escaperoomplayer.com/Escape_Room_Demographics.html) (~600 respondents), [Peeking Behind the Locked Door: A Survey of Escape Room Facilities](http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/erfacwhite.pdf) (~175 respondents), and [2017 Escape Room Enthusiast Survey](https://thecodex.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017EscapeRoomEnthusiastSurveyV1.1.pdf) (~250 respondents).

Broadly speaking, these appear to be the demographics:

- **Gender:** Roughly equal representation of male / female genders

- **Age:** Largest category is folks between ages of 26-30. The majority of respondents are under 35 (approximately two-thirds; more or less consistent between surveys)

- Most groups who participate are mixed gender (70-80%)

- Largest group (48%) identify as ambiverts; 36% as extraverts, and 20% as introverts

[// most escape rooms only have one location ]: #

[// TOO MUCH FUCKING DATA; I COULD PORE OVER THIS SHIT ]: #

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/55-board-game-geeks/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

What is the biggest escape room? (e.g. is there a house where its entirety is an escape room)

**G**

The first escape room was inspired by _red room simulator_.

[// Not quite, but close enough ]: #

**T**

Is there a survival horror escape room (where you think you're going to die)?

Is there a super realistic museum heist?

[// Museum? Yes. Survival horror? Kind of? Trap House (LA); No way out in mississauga ]: #

[// "NOWAYOUT's missions are much more physically engaging - you'll have to crawl, run, jump and climb obstacles, and be forced to use certain elements in the rooms to survive. The missions are also not one-dimensional, which means every single decision you make will affect the final outcome." "13 Sedah Ave. is about a dare gone completely wrong - you and your friends break into the allegedly haunted house only to find out that there's nothing haunted about the house at all. You've been trapped into a game conceived by a sick mastermind, and you must work together to escape the house before it's too late." ]: #

**kaitou_al**

> the 999 DS/3DS games :) and there's going to be a Detective Conan themed escape room at Universal Studios Japan next year as part of their Cool Japan promo

[// Looked it up, couldn't find any details on the escape room... it ties into an upcoming movie ]: #

[// Development of the game began after Uchikoshi joined Chunsoft to write a visual novel for them that could reach a wider audience; Uchikoshi suggested adding puzzle elements that are integrated with the game's story. The inspiration for the story was the question of where inspiration comes from; while researching it, Uchikoshi came across Rupert Sheldrake's morphic resonance hypothesis, which became the main theme of the game. The music was composed by Shinji Hosoe, while the characters were designed by Kinu Nishimura. The localization was handled by Aksys Games; they worked by the philosophy of keeping true to the spirit of the original Japanese version, opting for natural-sounding English rather than following the original's exact wording. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors was positively received, with reviewers praising the story, writing and puzzles, but criticizing the game's tone and how the player is required to re-do the puzzles every time they play through the game. Reception of the game's presentation was mixed. The Japanese release was a commercial failure, but the game sold better than expected for the genre in the United States. ]: #

### The Verdict

**G is in. Looking for more! (But no horror stuff; kthx)**

**T is in.**

**Z is in... Until someone makes a Twin Peaks escape room like the black lodge. Then he is out.**

### This week's spotlight

[// Geek and sundry ]: #

[// Chris Evans auctioned himself off to raise money for Christopher's Haven, Boston based chaity that provides young cancer patients with fully furnished apartments near hospitals they are treated in. The winner would be flown to Boston, hotel, eat with Chris and ESCAPE A ROOM (maybe); ]: #

[// As part of Metro Vancouver's Homelessness Action Week, Union Gospel Mission is trying to show the public how difficult it is to escape homelessness. "There are innumerable obstacles and barriers that pop up that keep our homeless British Columbians on the street," said Jeremy Hunka, spokesperson for Union Gospel Mission. ]: #

**[Room Escape Divas](http://www.inversegenius.com/roomescapedivas/)**

The Room Escape Divas is a podcast about escape rooms by Mike Yuan, Ruby Yuan, Manda Whitney, and Errol Elumir. Errol also runs [The Codex](https://thecodex.ca/) which is a blog about escape rooms (which is also where you can find the [2017 Escape Room Enthusiast Survey](https://thecodex.ca/2017-escape-room-enthusiast-survey/)).

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Zelda fans!

**Z**

What is the oldest fan-made timeline?

**G**

When did people start caring about what the Zelda timeline was?

**T**

Is there a band that only has instruments from the Zelda games?

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - Escape the Room](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_the_room)

- [Wikipedia - Escape Room](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_room)

- [Wikipedia - Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Hours,_Nine_Persons,_Nine_Doors)

- [LockAcademy - History and Origin of Escape Games](https://lockacademy.com/en/history-and-origin-of-escape-games/)

- [Google Trends - Escape Room](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=Escape%20Room)

- [Escaperoomplayer.com - Room Demographic Survey](https://escaperoomplayer.com/Escape_Room_Demographics.html)

- [Scott Nicholson - Peeking Behind the Locked Door: A Survey of Escape Room Facilities](http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/erfacwhite.pdf)

- [The Codex - 2017 Escape Room Enthusiast Survey](https://thecodex.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017EscapeRoomEnthusiastSurveyV1.1.pdf)

- [Room Escape Artist - Three Years of Room Escapes: The Growth of the US Market](https://roomescapeartist.com/2017/07/30/three-years-of-room-escapes-the-growth-of-the-us-market/)

- [Narcity - This Horror-Themed Escape Room In Ontario Is The Real Life Version Of “Saw"](https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toronto/travel/this-horror-themed-escape-room-in-ontario-is-the-real-life-version-of-saw)

- [The Verge - The Future of Fear: I was eaten alive by an escape room cannibal](https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/22/13364882/escape-rooms-the-basement-trap-house-la-adam-milicevic-interview)

- [RoomEscapeArtist - Three Years of Room Escapes: The Growth of the US Market](https://roomescapeartist.com/2017/07/30/three-years-of-room-escapes-the-growth-of-the-us-market/)

- [MarketWatch - The unbelievably lucrative business of escape rooms](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-weird-new-world-of-escape-room-businesses-2015-07-20)

- [CBC - Escape room designed by charity replicates barriers faced by homeless](http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/escape-room-homelessness-barriers-1.4342753)

- [Geek and Sundry - ESCAPE A ROOM WITH CHRIS EVANS… OR DON’T](https://geekandsundry.com/escape-a-room-with-chris-evans-or-dont/)

- [Brooklyn Paper - Stuck in the Riddle: Escape Room Challenges Players to Puzzle a Way Out](https://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/38/34/24-escape-the-room-2015-08-21-bk.html)

- [Boston Business Journal - I Paid Someone $30 to Lock Me in an Office for an Hour, and I Liked It](https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2015/08/21/i-paid-someone-30-to-lock-me-in-an-office-for-an.html)

- [CNBC - Escape Games and Immersive Experiences are the Latest Entertainment Trend](https://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/17/escape-games-and-immersive-experiences-are-the-latest-entertainment-trend.html)

- [MarketWatch - The Unbelievably Lucrative Business of Escape Rooms](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-weird-new-world-of-escape-room-businesses-2015-07-20)

- [IGN - Room Escapes: What it’s Like When a Video Game Becomes Real](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/07/21/room-escapes-what-its-like-when-a-video-game-becomes-real)

- [89.3 KPCC: Off-Ramp - Escape Rooms Deliver Video Game-Level Immersive Fun, But with Real People and Situations](http://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2015/08/11/44065/escape-rooms-deliver-video-game-level-immersive-fu/)

- [Quora - What is the largest escape room in the world, and how many people can play it?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-largest-escape-room-in-the-world-and-how-many-people-can-play-it)

- [Quora - What is the Worst Experience You’ve had in an Escape Room?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-worst-experience-youve-had-in-an-escape-room)

- [Quora - Are Escape Rooms Fun?](https://www.quora.com/Are-escape-rooms-fun)

- [Quora - Are There Whole Day Escape Rooms?](https://www.quora.com/Are-there-whole-day-escape-rooms)

- [Quora - What Determines a Quality Escape Room?](https://www.quora.com/What-determines-a-quality-escape-room)

- [The Atlantic - Educational Escape Rooms Engage Students with Innovative Puzzles and Tasks](https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/the-rise-of-educational-escape-rooms/493316/)

- [Escape-Rooms.com - An Interview with Tom Robinson](https://www.escape-rooms.com/articles/meet-the-enthusiast-tom-robinson)

- [Escape-Rooms.com - An Interview with Georgi Papucharov](https://www.escape-rooms.com/articles/meet-the-enthusiast-tom-robinson)

- [Escape-Rooms.com - An Interview with Errol Elumir](https://www.escape-rooms.com/articles/a-blogger)

- [Escape-Rooms.com - An Interview with Jorge Correia](https://www.escape-rooms.com/articles/meet-the-enthusiasts-jorge-correia)

- [Ottawa Tourism - Diefenbunker: New Home of World’s Largest Escape Room](https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-insider/diefenbunker-new-home-of-worlds-largest-escape-room/)

### Music / Sound

- End theme, ["Further Investigation"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1246&Genre=Suspense) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Escape Game"](https://thenounproject.com/term/escape-game/218353) by [Arthur Shlain](https://thenounproject.com/ArtZ91) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

What is it about little bits of cardboard, plastic, and wood that draw people in so much? This week, we're talking about fans of board games: AKA Board Game Geeks!

Next week, will we escape the podcast in 60 minutes or less? Probably not, but that won't stop us from uncovering the mystery of escape room fans!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins and history:**

Board games are... broad, and historically date back quite a ways. Wikipedia provides a succinct description not unlike a description of life:

> A board game is a tabletop game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Some games are based on pure strategy, but many contain an element of chance; and some are purely chance, with no element of skill.

>

> Games usually have a goal that a player aims to achieve. Early board games represented a battle between two armies, and most modern board games are still based on defeating opponents in terms of counters, winning position, or accrual of points.

>

> — [Wikipedia - Board game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_game)

While it is unclear what the _first_ board game was, many early games date back as far as 5000 years ago; some examples of the early board games include Senet (Egypt, ~5000 years ago), Go (China, ~2500 years ago), and Backgammon (Persia, ~5000 years ago).

**Size of Fandom:**

Using a few proxies of popularity, we can try to estimate the number of fans (and level of involvement of fans):

- BoardGameGeek had approximately 360k registered in 2010, with 100k active per month ([BoardGameGeek - Geek Analytics 2010](https://boardgamegeek.com/article/6071127#6071127))

- The most backed board game on Kickstarter, Exploding Kittens, had almost 220 000 backers

**Fan Demographics:**

The demographic data we managed to obtain comes from [The Daily Worker Placement](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/02/19/survey-results-1-who-are-we/). Of the almost 2400 respondents...

- **Country**: Over 56% were from the USA

- **Age**: 42% are 25-35, 33% are 35-44, 16% are 45+

- **Marital Status**: 52% are married, 15% are in a relationship(s)

- **Gender**: The majority are male, and 24% identified as female, 1.1% as non-binary, and 0.6% as trans

- **Education**: Almost two-thirds have a bachelor's degree or higher

- **Tenure**: Less than 25% of respondents had been playing board games for two years or less; almost half of respondents have been playing games between three and ten years

**Search Data**

[Interest in board games is highly periodic (by search volume)](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F015ll). Every year, around December, interest in board games spikes to the highest point in that year. That being said, ignoring the peak, it looks like board games are back on the upswing after a gradual decline in interest from 2004 to 2010, and is slowly recovering to 2004-ish levels.

Other data, like sales, suggests that growth is more substantial:

> Global sales of games and puzzles have grown from $9.3 billion in 2013 to $9.6 billion in 2016, according to Euromonitor International, with expected year-on-year growth of more than 1 percent this year.

>

> — [CNBC - Millennials are driving the board games revival](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/22/millennials-the-board-games-revival-catan-pandemic.html)

The top ten countries for board games by search volume are: Canada, Estonia, Australia, United Kingdom, Poland, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Greece, and the United States.

The top five rising related topics are: Words with Friends, Pandemic, Dominion, Kickstarter, and Descent: Journeys in the Dark

**Fanfics:**

Believe it or not, we managed to find some board game fanfic on Archive of our own. There are approximately 100 game categories in the "other media" section of Archive of our own (including 7 for Settlers of Catan).

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/#-name) Famous Last Words

**Z**

The boom in board game creation over the last decade comes from people remembering unsatisfying board game experiences with Life, Trouble and Monopoly as a kid.

**Caitlin**

What board game has the most detailed, complicated, esoteric rules?

[// Hard to quantify; if you search for board games with complexity between 4.5 and 5 on BGG.... get different results depending on how many people have played. Advanced Squad Leader (1985) has a complexity of 4.7 and over 3000 votes ]: #

[// Advanced Squad Leader is the completely reorganized and re-designed version of the original Squad Leader system. While ASL is "advanced," it actually is a simpler game than the original Squad Leader became after the three follow-on gamettes. This three-ring binder is the basic rules for the entire system, and provides the ultimate combination of playability and detail. Full-color charts and beautiful pictures make this the most readable of rulebooks - and includes a full-service index as well for quick reference. ]: #

**T**

What is the most expensive non-monopoly board game (commercially available)?

[// found a thread on board game geek with some unexciting answers: chess (2), monopoly (3), dominoes (4)... top was 'outrage! steal the crown jewels', deluxe edition. Recognized bu guinness book of records as most expensive board game in the world ]: #

[// Outrage! Deluxe is recognised in the Guinness Book of Records as ‘The most expensive board game in the world’. It retails at £7,995 for which connoisseurs can play on a hand finished board set into a solid mahogany cabinet. Cards are edged with gold leaf. Playing pieces are made from hallmarked sterling silver and the jewels are fashioned in solid gold studded with rubies, sapphires, diamonds and emeralds.]: #

[// Depends on what you want though...]: #

**G**

...The change occured when Monopoly became public domain (and we started having dumb -opoly games)

Board games helped popularize Kickstarter.

[// 494.66 m from 2009 to 2016: Games category on kickstarter. in 2015, a quarter of that was video games. Second highest category: technology with 448.47 million]: #

[// Kickstarter is helping to drive the board game boom. The amount of money pledged last year, for example, represents almost a fifth of the total hobby games market by retail sales in North America, according to Griepp’s estimates, which currently don’t include Kickstarter projects. In other categories, like technology, the amounts raised on Kickstarter are tiny compared to the size of the market. “For board games, there was a big need for [Kickstarter],” says Thomas Bidaux, who runs video-game market research firm ICO Partners. “The industry was kind of dying.” ]: #

### The Verdict

**Z is out. BUT it is a fairly friendly, fairly positive community.**

**T is in.**

**G is in: can't see a way out.**

### This week's spotlight

[// Quantic Lab Gamer Motivation Profile: Gamer + Board Games + Quick Game Reccomentations: https://apps.quanticfoundry.com/ ]: #

[// Honorable mention: Charity: The generous game (1999) "You have earned a fortune, and you want to give it away to charity, but you can't help acquiring more money. don't give it all away though, or you are back where you started!"]: #

**[The Spiel Foundation](http://thespielfoundation.com/)**

The Spiel Foundation is dedicated to donating quality card and board games to senior citizen's centers and children's hospitals... five games at a time.

> Each year, we assemble bundles of five games and donate these bundles to organizations that fit our mandate. To date, we have donated over 2,000 board and card games to kids and seniors around the country.

>

> — [The Spiel Foundation](http://thespielfoundation.com/)

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, escape rooms!

**Z**

What is the biggest escape room? (e.g. is there a house where its entirety is an escape room)

**G**

The first escape room was a red room simulator.

**T**

Is there a survival horror escape room (where you think you're going to die)?

Is there a super realistic museum heist?

**kaitou_al**

the 999 DS/3DS games :) and there's going to be a Detective Conan themed escape room at Universal Studios Japan next year as part of their Cool Japan promo

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - Board game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_game)

- [Wikipedia - Go (game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game))

- [Wikipedia - Senet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senet)

- [BoardGameGeek - Geek Analytics 2010](https://boardgamegeek.com/article/6071127#6071127)

- [BoardGameGeek - Math Trade Guide](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/93555/math-trade-guide)

- [BoardGameGeek - Why Do You Design Board Games?](https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1165370/why-do-you-design-board-games)

- [BoardGameGeek - Charity: the generous game](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200016/charity-generous-game)

- [BoardGameGeek- The 21 most expensive games for sale right now](https://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/52818/21-most-expensive-games-sale-right-now)

- [Geek & Sundry - How Independent Game Designers (and YOU) Get Games to the Table](https://geekandsundry.com/how-independent-game-designers-and-you-get-games-to-the-table/)

- [New Statesman - How Board Games Became a Billion-Dollar Business](https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/games/2017/01/how-board-games-became-billion-dollar-business)

- [Quora - What Is the Most Complex Board Game on the Planet?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-complex-board-game-on-the-planet)

- [Quora - Why Are Board Games Particularly Popular in Germany?](https://www.quora.com/Why-are-board-games-particularly-popular-in-Germany)

- [r/Boardgames - AskBoardgames: Why Do You Play So Many Different (New) Games?](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/4ec6l3/askboardgames_why_do_you_play_so_many_different/)

- [r/Boardgames - Buying Boardgames for Friends - How to Not Look Like an Arshole](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/3t01ch/buying_boardgames_for_friends_how_to_not_look/)

- [r/Boardgames - Fanboy-ism and the Boardgame Community](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/6qp8v4/fanboyism_and_the_boardgame_community/)

- [r/Boardgames - Have You Regretted Buying Any Boardgames? Why and Did You Get Rid of It?](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/3seu0g/have_you_regretted_buying_any_boardgames_why_and/)

- [r/Boardgames - Those of You With Boardgame Acquisition Disorder: Why Do You Keep Buying Games?](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/3c0dqs/those_of_you_with_boardgame_acquisition_disorder/)

- [r/Boardgames - What Are Your Favorite Boardgame Reviewers and Why?](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/6mm0i6/what_are_your_favorite_boardgame_reviewers_and_why/)

- [r/Boardgames - Why I Love the Boardgame Community](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/63e4kw/why_i_love_the_boardgame_community/)

- [r/Boardgames - Why I Think Getting New People into Boardgames is Hard](https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/3jbwbg/why_i_think_getting_new_people_into_boardgames_is/)

- [SashaBarab.org - The Design and Testing of the Board Game - Lord of the Rings](https://sashabarab.org/syllabi/games_learning/LOTR_ROP2004.pdf)

- [Time - This Board Game Designer Isn’t Sorry About Taking a Big Risk](http://time.com/4385490/board-game-design/)

- [USC Institute for Creative Technologies - The Hegemony of Play](http://ict.usc.edu/pubs/The%20Hegemony%20of%20Play.pdf)

- [YouTube - "The Board Game Boom" Documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYedXMq-R6I)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #1: WHO ARE WE?](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/02/19/survey-results-1-who-are-we/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #2: WHO WE PLAY WITH](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/02/25/survey-results-2-who-we-play-with/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #3: BUYING, STORING, AND PLAYING](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/03/04/survey-results-3-buying-storing-and-playing/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #4: COLLECTIONS, TEACHING, AND LEARNING](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/03/11/survey-results-4-collections-teaching-and-learning/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #5: THE GAMES WE PLAY](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/03/21/survey-results-5-the-games-we-play/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #6: GAMING EVENTS, CAFES, AND BOARDGAMEGEEK](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/03/28/survey-results-6-gaming-events-cafes-and-boardgamegeek/)

- [The Daily Worker Placement - SURVEY RESULTS #7: GOING DIGITAL - APPS, TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA](http://dailyworkerplacement.com/2016/04/04/survey-results-7-going-digital/)

- [Outrage! - Game Formats](http://www.outrage-game.com/gameformats/index.html)

- [Quantic Foundry - Quantic Lab](https://apps.quanticfoundry.com/)

- [CNBC - Millennials are driving the board games revival](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/22/millennials-the-board-games-revival-catan-pandemic.html)

- [Quartz - Old-fashioned board games, not tech, are attracting the most money on Kickstarter](https://qz.com/688843/old-fashioned-board-games-not-tech-are-attracting-the-most-money-on-kickstarter/)

### Music / Sound

- All music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Wool"](https://thenounproject.com/term/wool/53278) by [Callum Taylor](https://thenounproject.com/callumctaylor) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

What if all Marvel movies were only targeted at men / boys? That's a sort of weird thing that we think about as we get into this week's topic: Fans of anime and manga "for girls" (aka: Shoujo and Josei). What is the most popular shoujo / josei title? Do men read / watch it? How successful is it? All this and more on this week's episode with special guest, Caitline Moore ([I Have a Heroine Problem](https://heroineproblem.com/), [Anime Feminist](https://www.animefeminist.com/author/caitlinmoore/))!

Next week, we'll overthrow a dystopian goverment (WAKE UP, MEEPLE!) and probably grow a bunch of fields to feed our family to _not_ die in some medieval time; that's right, we'll be talking about fans of board games!

## Where can I learn more about Caitlin Moore?

Caitlin is the author of [I Have a Heroine Problem](https://heroineproblem.com/), a blog about critically examining media (particularly, shoujo and other anime / manga) from a feminist perspective. Right now, she is running a column examining abusive relationships in Shoujo, which is on week eleven as of this writing.

She is also a contributor to the [Anime Feminist](https://www.animefeminist.com/author/caitlinmoore/) as a columnist and ocassional Chatty AF (the Anime Feminist's podcast) guest.

She is also a multiple-time panelist at a variety of conventions, tackling topics such as _Awesome Women Making Anime_, _Romance and Abuse in Shoujo Manga_, _Isekai Shoujo of the 1990s_, and _Is This Feminist or Not?_

AND, if that's not enough, you can find her on Twitter: [@alltsun_nodere](https://twitter.com/alltsun_nodere)

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins and history:**

Anime and manga (animation and comics) are very broad categories of media, originating in Japan. Shoujo (_young girl_) is one of four main categories of anime and manga targeted at different groups also including shounen (for boys), josei (for women) and seinin (for men). Shoujo and josei are not so much a genre unto themselves as they are target demographics for reader/viewership.

Shoujo dates back to the earliest 20th century when magazines specifically for girls first appeared in Japan. The wide-eyed look commonly associated with shoujo dates back to early illustrations in these magazines. Until the mid-1960s, men vastly outnumbered women in terms of mangaka, and between 1950 and 1969 large audiences for manga emerged in Japan, as did a flood of young female mangaka. ([Wikipedia - Shōjo manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Djo_manga))

Josei began to appear during the 1980s during a different manga boom when girls who grew up reading shoujo manga in the 50s and 60s wanted manga for adult women. ([Wikipedia - Josei manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josei_manga))

The history of shoujo and josei would be an episode in itself, so we'll leave it at that for now!

Broadly, shoujo _tends_ to focus on romance and interpersonal relationships, and includes titles that you may know of like _Revolutionary Girl Utena_, _Sailor Moon_, _Fushigi Yuugi_ and _Ouran Host Club_. Josei _tends_ to focus on slice-of-life stories and more realistic relationships (as compared to idealized ones) and includes titles like _Kuragehime / Princess Jellyfish_, _Loveless_, _Paradise Kiss_, and _Honey and Clover_.

[// I also saw Yuri on Ice listed as Josei on My Anime List?? ]: #

**Most Active:**

Anecdotally, it would be easy to say now-ish is the time that Shoujo and Josei fandoms are most active with shows like Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Sailor Moon Crystal, and the [boom of Josei titles being released in North America](http://www.animefeminist.com/feature-josei-renaissance/).

...And [Google Trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0751y) would mostly support that hypothesis. Interest in Shoujo and Josei manga by search volume had been mostly flat since 2004 until around 2013 where interest starting creeping up, with some large peaks around October 2014, May 2016, and April 2017.

**Size of Fandom:**

To give very rough approximations of size of the fandom (at varying levels of interest):

- The Sailor Moon series (highest selling shoujo series ever) has sold over 35 million copies worldwide

- In Japan, the top-selling Shoujo manga magazine has an average circulation of almost 1 000 000

- In Japan, the top-selling Josei manga magazine has an average circulation of almost 200 000

- In North America, Shojo Beat had an average circulation of almost 40 000 copies before being discontinued in 2009

**Fan Demographics:**

We have limited demographic information this week due to the large surface area of the topic. That being said, we did manage to find some data on anime fans from the [International Anime Research Project](https://sites.google.com/site/animeresearch/past-results/2016-results). Of the more than 700 participants in the 2016 survey:

- 54.8% of participants identified as male

- The median age of participants was ~25

- Participants were fairly split on interest in interest in Josei: the largest group (~25%) did not know of the "genre", and roughly equal groups liked the genre and did not like the genre

- Participants overall liked Shoujo to some degree (~45%)

- Participants also indicated some of their other interest being: gamer (73.1%), sci-fi fan (50.1%), writer (38.1%), artist (33.2%), musician (23.3%), brony (7.9%), and furry (5.7%)

- The largest group preferred subtitles (49.5%), followed by folks who like both equally (40.4%)

[// interesting bit about significantly less hostile sexism and significantly less sexism ]: #

**Changes in Fandom:**

**Around the world:**

[Google Trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0751y) lists the following countries as the top ten by search volume: Japan, Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong, Phillipines, Chile, El Salvador, Singapore, Malaysia, Peru (Canada is 36th, and the United States of America is 46th).

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/53-tales-of-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

In Japan, is Josei / Shoujo (Anime / Manga for girls) regarded as something filled with aspirational messages, or as a cultural edifice that tries to teach more traditional values?

**T**

Sailor Moon is the most popular Shoujo / Josei series.

[// I WAS RIGHT; ON BOTH COUNTS. Shoujo is generally more popular than Josei, and by sales, Sailor moon is TOPS ]: #

**G**

Is there a notable portion of the audience who are grown men (similar to Bronies)? If so, what's their deal?

**Jesi**

What is the ratio of success of shoujo / josei to shonen (male equivalent) (by whatever measure)?

[// Shonen and Seinen are signficantly more successful by metrics such as sales, or magazine readership: ~2.7:1 for shonen / shojo manga magazine circulation by top groups, ~5:2 seinen / josei, of manga that has sold over 100 million copies, none are shoujo OR josei, and only 2 crack the 50 - 100 million copies ]: #

**mixter_leach**

I'm wondering if it's very well regarded or if it's seen as something silly and frivolous in Japanese culture.

[// Just as serious as anything else? Hard to verify ]: #

[// "In Clothes Called Fat", Fumi Oshinaga "Ooku" ]: #

[// "All My Darling Daughters" Fumi Oshinaga]: #

[// Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju ]: #

[// Yona of the Dawn ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is in. Has some reading to do, especially josei.**

**G is in. Character driven stories is appealing.**

**Z is out.**

**Caitlin is in. DEEP in. There is no way out. Forever.**

### This week's spotlight

[// Women in Sakuga Programme... wrapped up by now? ]: #

[// might want to find an alternative? Anime Feminist! ]: #

**[Anime Feminist](http://www.animefeminist.com/)**

> Anime Feminist explores Japanese pop culture through a feminist lens. This includes interviews, roundtable discussions, and visual analysis, broaching topics like gender, sexuality and representation. We have regular discussion posts, links round-ups, features and podcasts. We review new anime premieres every season, making sure to highlight any potential dealbreakers we can see for a feminist audience.

>

> — [Anime Feminist - About](http://www.animefeminist.com/about/)

**[Anime for Humanity](http://animeforhumanity.org/about/)**

> The mission of Anime For Humanity is to expand the awareness of Japanese animation to inspire the community to create good.

>

> We use Anime and Cosplay as tools to make a change for a good cause. Through hospitals, orphanages and disability center visitations, we engage children to express themselves artistically by providing joyful experiences and entertainment.

>

> — [Anime for Humanity - About](http://animeforhumanity.org/about/)

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Board Games!

**Z**

The boom in board game creation over the last decade comes from people remembering unsatisfying board game experiences with Life, Trouble and Monopoly as a kid.

**Caitlin**

What board game has the most detailed, complicated, esoteric rules?

**T**

What is the most expensive non-monopoly board game (that is commercially available)?

**G**

~~...The change occured when Monopoly became public domain (and we started having dumb -opoly games)~~

Board games help popularize kickstarter.

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Thanks

Thanks again to Caitlin Moore for taking the time to chat with us and share her knowledge and experience with us about shoujo and josei! We definitely have some recommendations to follow-up on, and it was informative to get more details about the shoujo boom in North America in the early 2000s (among other things).

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - Shōjo manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Djo_manga)

- [Wikipedia - Josei manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josei_manga)

- [Wikipedia - Sailor Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Moon)

- [Wikipedia - List of best-selling manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_manga)

- [Fanlore - Shoujo](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Shoujo)

- [Fanlore - Josei](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Josei)

- [Kotaku - How to Identify the Basic Types of Anime and Manga](https://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-the-basic-types-of-anime-and-manga-1538285518)

- [Anime Feminist - (Feature) The Josei Renaissance](http://www.animefeminist.com/feature-josei-renaissance/)

- [International Anime Research Project - Anime Survey 2016 Preliminary Results](https://sites.google.com/site/animeresearch/past-results/2016-results)

- [r/anime - DAE prefer josei anime despite not being the target audience?](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/koftr/dae_prefer_josei_anime_despite_not_being_the/)

- [THAT SHOUJO MANGA BLOG - MAN UP! THE ROLE OF SHOUJO IN DEPICTING MEN, MASCULINITY AND RELATIONSHIPS](https://thatshoujomangablog.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/man-up-the-role-of-shoujo-in-depicting-men-masculinity-and-relationships/)

- [Black Nerd Problems - A Love Letter to Josei...](http://blacknerdproblems.com/a-love-letter-to-josei-manga/)

- [AnimeNewsNetwork - Why Are Anime Fans Obsessed with Steven Universe?](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2015-07-31/why-are-anime-fans-obsessed-with-steven-universe/.91130)

- [Wayback Machine - Sailormoon: Manga (Comics) and Anime (Cartoon) Superheroine Meets Barbie: Global Entertainment Commodity Comes to the United States](http://web.archive.org/web/20120617030124/http://www.yorku.ca/jjenson/4303/readings/comics/sailormoon.pdf)

- [Wikipedia - List of Best-Selling Manga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_manga)

- [Goboiano - Here’s How Money Is Actually Made in Anime](http://goboiano.com/heres-money-actually-made-anime/)

- [Google Books - Shojo Manga and Its Acceptance: What Is the Power of Shojo Manga](https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tFLLCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT45&dq=%22shojo+manga+and+its+acceptance%22+nozomi+masuda&ots=qFqPWZSk28&sig=DAa42xtF6kyxT32-yJtBwOeZSLc#v=onepage&q=%22shojo%20manga%20and%20its%20acceptance%22%20nozomi%20masuda&f=false)

- [IGN - Shojo Showdown](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2005/12/13/shojo-showdown)

- [The Japan Foundation - Japanese Book News (56): Shojo (Girls) Manga](www.jpf.go.jp/JF_Contents/GetImage/img_pdf/JBN56.pdf?ContentNo=9&SubsystemNo=1&FileName=img_pdf/JBN56.pdf)

- [Committee for the Revival & Promotion of Shojo Manga - The Magnificent Forty-Niners](https://www.en.matt-thorn.com/single-post/2017/05/31/The-Magnificent-Forty-Niners)

- [Chikushi U Repository - Problems of Gender in Shoujo Manga : A Critique of a Female Category](https://chikushi-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=811&item_no=1&attribute_id=21&file_no=1)

- [NECSUS - Representation or Misrepresentation?: British Media and Japanese Popular Culture](http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/aup/necsus/2014/00000003/00000001/art00006?crawler=true)

- [OhioLINK Electronic Theses & Dissertations Center - Gender and Sexuality in Shoujo Manga: Undoing Heteronormative Expectations in Utena, Pet Shop of Horrors, and Angel Sanctuary](https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=bgsu1250882984&disposition=inline)

### Music / Sound

- Outro music, [“Deep Space Ballet”](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1338&Genre=Piano) by TeknoAXE, used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Business Women"](https://thenounproject.com/icon/751113/) by [zidney](https://thenounproject.com/zidney0721) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Manga"](https://thenounproject.com/icon/1285340/) by [Risa Nakajima](https://thenounproject.com/lsnk) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

What exactly is the significance of gel, and what is it that ties together a series that shares only two words (Tales of)?? This week, we're talking about fans of the _Tales of_ series (e.g. Tales of Phantasia, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Zestiria, Tales of Berseria) with special guest (and Maple Gel Con organizer) Jesi McMulkin!

Next week, we'll be demystifying the world of anime and manga fans a bit as we discuss fans of josei and shoujo... or in layman's terms, anime and manga "for women and girls".

## Where can I learn more about Jesi McMulkin?

If you enjoyed listening to our special guest, Jesi, and want to learn more about the _Tales of_ series, you should definitely checkout [Maple Gel Con](http://maplegelcon.squarespace.com/) in Burlington, Ontario!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

The _Tales_ or _Tales of_ series is a video game series that has been running since 1995 with the release of _Tales of Phantasia_ on the Super Famicom. While there are sixteen main titles, many spin-offs, manga, anime, and audio dramas, the different entries in the series are fairly independent of each other and are mostly linked by their similar gameplay style (in particular, the "Linear Motion Battle System"), and its anime/manga art style. In English-speaking regions, it is generally seen as a niche series but is in the top-running for RPG series in Japan (behind Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest).

**Most Active:**

[By Google search volume](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F038sbw), interest in various Tales-series games has been on a slow decline, with the most interest in the game series occuring between 2003 and 2004 (corresponding to the releases of _Tales of Symphonia_ and _Tales of Rebirth_).

**Size of Fandom:**

One estimate for the size of the fandom would be the number of games sold:

> As of December 2013, the series has sold 16 million units worldwide.

>

> — [Wikipedia - Tales (series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_(series))

This gives us at least some watermark of the dedication of fans, and puts the rough number of fans at something like one million fans (16 million units over 16 games = 1 million fans per game).

Another metric might be the "Tales of" festival in Japan. The seventh such festival in 2014 managed to draw out over 22 000 fans over two days to fill the Yokohama Arena.

Also worth mentioning, the Tales of subreddit boasts an impressive ~11 000 subscribers.

**Fan Demographics:**

We weren't able to get numbers on fan demographics. A rough estimate, in Japan, at least, from the 2014 Tales of Festival:

> Far from the stereotype of a game otaku sausage party, the crowd at the 2014 event is almost exclusively female.

> "Players of the Tales of series are 70% male and 30% female in Japan, but for events like this it's about 90% female," series producer Hideo Baba tells me at the end of the first day. "Women tend to be more interested in the story and the characters, while men are more interested in the games themselves and messing around with game hardware. So when their favorite game character appears on stage, the sound of screaming female fans is really something."

>

> — [IGN - WHY 90% OF FANS AT TALES OF FESTIVAL ARE FEMALE](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/why-90-of-fans-at-tales-of-festival-are-female)

**Around the world:**

The top 10 countries for search volume around the "Tales of" series are: Japan (by a large margin), Phillipines, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, France, South Korea, and Indonesia.

**Famous fan works:**

Arguably, the fan translation of "Tales of Phantasia" by DeJap:

> "I bet Arche \*\*\*\*\* like a tiger"

>

> — [TVTropes - Tales of Phantasia](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Funny/TalesOfPhantasia)

**Fanfics:**

According to Archive Of Our Own, there are approximately 4500 fanfics related to the Tales of Series (the majority of which are Tales of Zestiria — approximately 1200); FanFiction.net has over 10 000 (the majority of which are Tales of Symphonia — approximately 6 300).

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/#-name) Famous Last Words

**T**

What is it that ties the games together, exactly? (And as such, makes a fandom)

**G**

The popularity of Tales of Phantasia in North America grew out of its inability to get it released in North America.

**Z**

As a series of JRPGs and a fandom around that... how many fan games (e.g. RPG Maker) are there? Which one is most beloved by fans?

**Amin**

Has this fandom gone to other mediums: Books, Manga, Artwork (other adaptations)?

### The Verdict

**Z is in. Tales is great.**

**T is out. Too much of a time commitment.**

**G is in. Knew nothing at first... but the characters and mythology are drawing him in.**

**Jesi is in. Would recommend folks play Tales of Symphonia (or Graces) first.**

### This week's spotlight

[// http://www.tales-for-tales.org/ Stopped in 2015 ]: #

**[Maple Gel Con](http://maplegelcon.squarespace.com/)**

Soon to be in its 3rd year, Maple Gel Con is a convention held in Oakville, Ontario for fans of the series to meet each other and celebrate the various different titles! There are panels, games, a library, karaoke, and more!

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Anime / Manga!

**Z**

In Japan, is Josei / Shoujo (Anime / Manga for girls) regarded as something filled with aspirational messages, or as a cultural edifice that tries to teach more traditional values?

**T**

Sailor Moon is the most popular Shoujo / Josei series.

**G**

Is there a notable portion of the audience who are grown men (similar to Bronies)? If so, what's their deal?

**Jesi**

What is the ratio of success of shoujo / josei to shonen (by whatever measure)?

**mixter_leach**

I'm wondering if it's very well regarded or if it's seen as something silly and frivolous in Japanese culture.

[// Asalia Con, Radiant Northwest ]: #

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Thanks

Special thanks to Jesi McMulkin for taking the time to chat with us and to help us sort out the technical difficulties of livestreaming with a guest!

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - Tales (series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_(series))

- [IGN - WHY 90% OF FANS AT TALES OF FESTIVAL ARE FEMALE](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/why-90-of-fans-at-tales-of-festival-are-female)

- [TVTropes - Tales of Phantasia](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Funny/TalesOfPhantasia)

- [r/tales - Why do you like the Tales series?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/6h6wf6/why_do_you_like_the_tales_series/?sort=top)

- [TheGamer - 15 Reasons The Tales Series Is BETTER Than Final Fantasy](https://www.thegamer.com/15-reasons-the-tales-series-is-better-than-final-fantasy/)

- [r/tales - Being a big Tales fan, but I've only finished one Tales game...](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/7ebpoz/being_a_big_tales_fan_but_ive_only_finished_one/)

- [r/tales - Should the next Tales finally add blood?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/7c43o8/should_the_next_tales_finally_add_blood/)

- [r/tales - How is the combat supposed to "flow"?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/79yjmb/how_is_the_combat_supposed_to_flow/)

- [r/tales - How often do you not use the main character in combat?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/78so58/how_often_do_you_not_use_the_main_character_in/)

- [AlternateHistory.com - Could Tales of Phantasia have been popular in the US?](https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/could-tales-of-phantasia-have-been-popular-in-the-us.416200/)

- [Retro Junk - Hidden Treasures of 16-Bit: Tales of Phantasia](http://www.retrojunk.com/article/show/5088/hidden-treasures-of-16bit-tales-of-phantasia)

- [Abyssal Chronicles - A List of Tales Fangames](http://abyssc.proboards.com/thread/3627/list-tales-fangames)

- [Facebook - Tales Series](https://www.facebook.com/tales/)

- [Freedom Planet Forums - (FANGAME) Tales of Majestica](http://www.galaxytrail.com/forum/index.php?topic=572.0)

- [Game Jolt - Tales of Heroes](https://gamejolt.com/games/tales-of-heroes/17759)

- [GameFAQS - Petit Computer: Tales of Arcanium (A Fan Game)](https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/663843-petit-computer/67128807)

- [GamesBeat - The Tales Series is in Danger of Becoming Irrelevant](https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/18/the-tales-series-is-in-danger-of-becoming-irrelevant/)

- [IGN - Why 90% of Fans at Tales of Festival are Female](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/why-90-of-fans-at-tales-of-festival-are-female)

- [Kinephanos - Kawaii Japan: Defining JRPGs through the Cultural Media Mix](http://www.kinephanos.ca/Revue_files/2015_Schules.pdf)

- [Kotaku - Japanese Fans Weigh in on Their Favorite Tales Games](https://kotaku.com/japanese-fans-weigh-in-on-their-favorite-tales-games-511818875)

- [Kotaku - Tales Fans Vote for Their Favorite Characters and More](https://kotaku.com/tales-fans-vote-for-their-favorite-characters-and-more-1584649278)

- [Kotaku - Tales RPGs are like Gumdrops, Says the Guy who Makes Them](https://kotaku.com/tales-rpgs-are-like-gumdrops-says-the-guy-who-makes-th-470869380)

- [r/JRPG - How is Tales of Xillia 2 Perceived by Fans of the Tales Series?](https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/comments/6xj5bo/how_is_tales_of_xillia_2_perceived_by_fans_of_the/)

- [r/Tales - (Discussion) Thoughts on Why Tales Doesn’t Work in the West?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/3gxdzl/discussion_thoughts_on_why_tales_doesnt_work_in/)

- [r/Tales - Do You Guys Like this Specific Aspect of Tales Games?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/45gwhd/do_you_guys_like_this_specific_aspect_of_tales/)

- [r/Tales - Opinion: Why Tales of Symphonia is so Beloved](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/56vzfi/opinion_why_tales_of_symphonia_is_so_beloved/)

- [r/Tales - Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Eternia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Vesperia, and even Tales of Graces which People Give a Hard Time, not just some of the best Tales Games I've ever Played, but some of the Best Games I've Played Ever. I don't understand Why this Series is so Underrated.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/5mtwny/tales_of_symphonia_tales_of_eternia_tales_of_the/)

- [r/Tales - Why Do We Love Tales so much When They're not Even Critically Acclaimed or not Amazing Games Objectively?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/37erdl/why_do_we_love_tales_so_much_when_theyre_not_even/)

- [r/Tales - Why do You Like the Tales Series?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tales/comments/6h6wf6/why_do_you_like_the_tales_series/)

- [Siliconera - Tales Games Aren’t RPGs, Says Tales of the Abyss Producer](http://www.siliconera.com/2011/06/23/tales-games-arent-rpgs-says-tales-of-the-abyss-producer/)

- [Tales of | News - Exciting announcements awaits ‘TALES OF’ fans!](http://www.talesofgame.com/en/exciting-announcements-awaits-tales-of-fans/)

- [The Gamer - 15 Reasons the Tales Series is Better than Final Fantasy](https://www.thegamer.com/15-reasons-the-tales-series-is-better-than-final-fantasy/)

- [TV Tropes - Fan Myopia](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FanMyopia)

- [YouTube - ACS Tales of Fangame / Jade Curtiss / Tales of the Abyss / No Me Aguante](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilfgv3FgYJM)

- [Youtube - Tales of a Twist--ToS Fangame](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlXy1YOoWX0)

### Music / Sound

- End music _"Fighting Spirit"_ from various entries in the _Tales of_ series performed by [Arny Undercover](https://soundcloud.com/arnyundercover/fighting-of-the-spirit-cover)

- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- [“Fantasy”](https://thenounproject.com/term/fantasy/1190615) by [lastspark](https://thenounproject.com/lastspark) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

We had the chance to sit down with Devin Hutchinson (General Manager) and Myles Hilliard (Head Chef) at the [Watchtower Restaurant](http://www.watchtowerrestaurant.com/), a local geeky restaurant, to talk about their experiences with Tabletop RPGs and the gaming community. What is it like as a fan of Tabletop RPGs?

If you want to learn more about the Watchtower Restaurant, check out...

- Their website: http://www.watchtowerrestaurant.com/

- Their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchtowerkw/

- Their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WatchtowerRestaurant/

And if you want to know why we're talking about Tabletop RPGs, [check out our original episode on the subject](http://fanthropological.com/e/51-tabletop-rpg-fans/).

## Where can you find us online?

We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:

- If you want to help us to create more amazing fannish content, become a patron on [Patreon](http://patreon.com/thenickscast); even as little as a dollar a month pledge really helps us out!

- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!

- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)

- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)

- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)

- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!

- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.

- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!

- ... You're still looking for ways to reach out? You can also use the hashtag `#fanthro` on Twitter!

## What is "Fanthropological"?

How did you read this far without asking this question?!

Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.

## Who is "The Nickscast"?

*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative. Dare we say, the most creative.

*Ahem*

We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.

We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*

## Credits

### Special Thanks

Special thanks to the [Watchtower Restaurant](http://www.watchtowerrestaurant.com/) for taking the time to chat with us, and for letting us record in their space!

### Artwork

- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["D20 Dice"](https://thenounproject.com/term/d20-dice/763027) by [Andrew Doane](https://thenounproject.com/andydoane) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)