Fanthropological

This week, _Arya_ ready for our look at fans of Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire! We are! _And_ you definitely don 't learn Dothraki to enjoy it! Plus, we have a special guest from the award-winning [A Podcast of Ice and Fire](http://podcastoficeandfire.com/), Amin!

Next week, we'll be keeping the fantasy setting (sort of) to talk about one of the most popular RPG series in Japan; we'll be talking about fans of the _Tales_ series of video games!

## Where can I learn more about Amin?

If you want to learn more about Amin, you should definitely check out the aforementioned [A Podcast of Ice and Fire](http://podcastoficeandfire.com/); they even provided us with [some slides](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4fkEcWiuGpCV0t6anU3WTAyMW8/view) from their panel at San Diego Comic Con (which we brought up in this week's episode)!

You can also find him on his other podcasts, [The Bastards of Kingsgrave](https://bastardsofkingsgrave.wordpress.com/), which covers anime, manga, western animation and other pop culture, and [Vassals of Kingsgrave](https://vokpodcast.wordpress.com/)!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Introduction, Origins, and History:**

Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television adaptation of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" epic fantasy novels. For the purposes of the fandom, we'll be referring to both of them interchangeably.

_A Game of Thrones_ , the first volume in the series, was written in 1991 and published in 1996. Since then, four other volumes have been released, with a total of seven volumes planned. The series follows the adventures of a wide cast of different characters of the continents of Westeros and Essos. Though there are many different perspectives, the books and TV show follow three main plot lines: an epic war among several families for control of Westeros; the rising threat of the supernatural _Others_ to the north; and "the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the deposed king's exiled daughter, to assume the Iron Throne" ([Wikipedia - A Song of Ice and Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire)).

The books have sold over 60 million copies worldwide, has been translated into 47 different languages, have been adapted into comics, card games, board games, and video games (and the television show, of course). The television show (which first aired in 2011) has won 38 Emmies, is the most pirated TV series every year since 2012, and an unnamed episode was downloaded over 4 million times (roughly equal to broadcast viewers) ([Wikipedia - Game of Thrones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones#Copyright_infringement)).

**Fandom Origins:**

While no doubt fans of the series existed when the books were initially being released, fandom started buzzing closer to the announcement of the cast of the TV show (early 2011).

**Most Active:**

The fandom is most active [now](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0524b41). Almost definitely now. Game of Thrones has never been as popular as it is today, according to Google Trends data.

More than any other fandom we've observed to date, the data is highly periodic (i.e. it spikes whenever a new season is released) and each spike, for the most part, is higher than the last. If you look at the chart, there is a very clear upward trend in interest.

**Size of Fandom:**

Using some of the data we have on hand, it is possible to get a few different estimates:

- 60 million (assuming every book purchase is a new fan) - 12 million (assuming every fan buys a full set of books)

- Almost 9 million views (based on [the season 6 finale](http://variety.com/2016/tv/ratings/game-of-thrones-ratings-season-6-finale-record-1201805035/))

- Over 8 million (assuming all broadcast views and pirated episode downloads per episode are unique)

- Over 4 million (assuming episode downloads or broadcast view as a rough proxy)

Regardless of how you estimate, there are a lot of fans.

**Fan Demographics:**

Based on data from [A Time Capsule of Ice and Fire](https://atimecapsuleoficeandfire.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/the-asoiafgot-survey-results/), there are some interesting demographics results of the over 4 000 surveyed Game of Thrones fans:

- Age: Most fans (71.9%) are 18-29 years old. The next largest group is folks 30-44 (18%)

- Gender: The majority of respondents identified as Male (81.8%), with 17.3% identifying as Female

- Books vs Show: Most fans have seen both (90.5%)

Some other unique results:

- The _vast_ majority of fans started reading the books after the TV show started airing

- The largest group of folks started watching the show in 2014; next largest cohorts were 2012, then 2013

- Most fans started with the TV show (62.2%)

- Most fans like the books more (64.6%) or think it is equally good (30.6%); 83.6% of fans think the show does a good job adapting the books

- The fandom is split as to how bothered they are about the show overtaking the books

Other sources, such as Nielson, put the percentage of women at a much more even 42% ([Wired - YES, WOMEN REALLY DO LIKE GAME OF THRONES (WE HAVE PROOF)](https://www.wired.com/2013/06/women-game-of-thrones/)).

**Around the world:**

As the books have been translated into 47 different languages, it should be no surprise that the books and show are popular around the world. The top ten countries (by search volume) for the Game of Thrones TV show are: Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Czechia, Ireland, Australia, Greece.

(The United Kingdom is 15th in the list, Canada at 18th, and United States at 32nd)

**Fan terms**

> - Sexposition: the use of sexual scenes to provide information about backstory and character motivations

> - Ser Twenty of House Goodmen or Ser Ten of House Goodmen: characters jokingly created by fans, after Ramsay said he only needed "twenty good men" to infiltrate Stannis' camp

> - The Purple Wedding: the wedding between King Joffery Barathon and Margaery Tyrell, name chosen by fans because purple is a royal color

> - Pink Letter: letter sent to Jon from Ramsay, so named because it had a pinkish hue

> - Cleganebowl: name given to the ultimate fight, fans believe is coming, between Sandor Clegane and Gregor Clegane

>

> -- [Fanlore - Game of Thrones](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones)

**Fanfics:**

_A Song of Ice and Fire_ (and related fandoms) has over 28 000 fanfics on [Archive of our Own](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/A%20Song%20of%20Ice%20and%20Fire%20%2aa%2a%20Related%20Fandoms/works).

Some other fun fanfic facts (try saying that 5 times fast!):

- Top 3 characters: Sansa Stark (over 12474), Jon Snow (over 9390), and Arya Stark (over 6574)

- Top 3 crossovers: Harry Potter (267), Supernatural (67), The Avengers (64)… but the vast majority of fic is just within the Game of Thrones unverse

- Top 3 pairings: Jon Snow / Sansa Stark (3273), Jaime Lannister / Brienne of Tarth (2723), Arya Stark / Gendry Waters (2287)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/51-tabletop-rpg-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

Have fans tried to make up supplemental material and pass it off as "real" Game of Thrones work?

**G**

Why is the popular baby name that came out of Game of Thrones "Khaleesi" and not "Daenerys"?

**T**

As rated by fans, what is the most delicious recipe in a _Feast of Ice and Fire_?

### The Verdict

**G is in.** Neck-and-neck with Doctor Who.

**Amin is in.** Try it out! Show is good, books are better.

**Z is in.**

**T is out.** Will check out some of the graphic novels though.

### This week's spotlight

**[International Rescue Committee](http://feature.rescue.org/gameofthrones/)**

The IRC is a charity to help refugees who are displaced, to help them recover.

> The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

>

> -- [Rescue,org - Who we are](https://www.rescue.org/who-we-are)

What's the tie-in to _Game of Thrones_? Well, many members of the cast are longtime supporters of the IRC: in particular, Lana Headey (Cersei Lannister) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around _next week's_ fandom, (Fandom name)!

**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)?

## 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 Amin for taking the time to meet with us! It was great having him on the show to share his experiences and expertise! We really appreciate when we have mega-fans on the show, and especially fellow podcasters!

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - A Song of Ice and Fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire)

- [Wikipedia - Game of Thrones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones)

- [Fanlore - Game of Thrones](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones)] [Fanlore - A Song of Ice and Fire](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire)

- [Fanlore - A Song of Ice and Fire](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire)

- [Variety - 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Finale Ratings Hit Series High](http://variety.com/2016/tv/ratings/game-of-thrones-ratings-season-6-finale-record-1201805035/)

- [A Time Capsule of Ice and Fire - THE ASOIAF/GOT DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEY RESULTS](https://atimecapsuleoficeandfire.wordpress.com/2017/01/10/the-asoiafgot-survey-results/)

- [Archive of our Own - Works in A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/A%20Song%20of%20Ice%20and%20Fire%20%2aa%2a%20Related%20Fandoms/works)

- [The Inn at the Crossroads](http://www.innatthecrossroads.com)

- [CheatSheet - Top Reasons Why Many People Absolutely Hate 'Game of Thrones'](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/game-thrones-why-we-refuse-to-watch-anymore.html/?a=viewall)

- [The Tab - Why is everyone so obsessed with Game of Thrones?](https://thetab.com/us/uta/2016/05/06/everyone-obsessed-game-thrones-2362)

- [io9 - Guess How Many Deaths There Have Been So Far on Game of Thrones](https://io9.gizmodo.com/guess-how-many-deaths-there-have-been-so-far-on-game-of-1796055237)

- [Ranker - Famous People Who Don't Like Game of Thrones](https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-dont-like-game-of-thrones/rydavis)

- [Wired - YES, WOMEN REALLY DO LIKE GAME OF THRONES (WE HAVE PROOF)](https://www.wired.com/2013/06/women-game-of-thrones/)

- [Watchers on the Wall - George R.R. Martin's Original Plan for Game of Thrones](http://watchersonthewall.com/george-r-r-martins-original-plan-game-thrones/)

- [The Verge - This Season of Game of Thrones Feels Like Fan Fiction](https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/20/16125490/game-of-thrones-fan-service-jonerys-benioff-weiss-versus-grrm)

- [Game of Thrones Research Project - About This Research](http://questeros.org/About)

- [DigitalSpy - Game of Thrones Fans Think They can fix Controversial Season 7 Storyline with One Simple Change](http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/game-of-thrones/news/a837945/game-of-thrones-season-7-wight-storyline-fixed-with-one-simple-change/)

- [Vanity Fair - Are Cameos Like Ed Sheeran's Really Ruining Game of Thrones?](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/07/game-of-thrones-ed-sheeran-controversy-twitter-jim-broadbent)

- [Transformative Works and Cultures - Case Study of French and Spanish Fan Reception of Game of Thrones](http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/608/493)

- [Tower of the Hand - The Nature and Controversy of GRRM and His Fandom](https://towerofthehand.com/blog/2014/03/31-nature-and-controversy-grrm/noscript.html)

- [Wikipedia - A Song of Ice and Fire Fandom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire_fandom)

- [Feministing - George R.R. Martin, Come Get Your People](http://feministing.com/2012/08/22/george-r-r-martin-come-get-your-people/)

- [Westeros.org - The Prophecies are False/Fake/Wrong; Wait, What?](http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/137724-the-prophecies-are-falsefakewrong-wait-what/)

- [r/A Song of Ice and Fire - (Spoilers All-Speculation) Prophecies in ASOIAF](https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/10rtm3/spoilers_allspeculation_prophecies_in_asoiaf/)

- [Salon - Stop Defending "Game of Thrones": How HBO Gutted the Stories I Love](https://www.salon.com/2015/06/14/stop_defending_game_of_thrones_how_hbo_gutted_the_stories_i_love/)

### Music / Sound

- End music is used [this performance of the Game of Thrones theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=50&v=X6a9odk6b_c)

as composed by Ramin Djawadi

- 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/)

- ["Jon Snow"](https://thenounproject.com/term/jon-snow/180849) by [Nive Kekra](https://thenounproject.com/Nive) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

This week, we're (_rolls d20_) talking about fans of miniatures, monsters, magic and mayhem (and much much more); we're talking about fans of Tabletop RPGs! What is it, exactly, about these fictional worlds that draw people in, and why are they becoming so popular?

Next week, we'll have special guest, Amin, of [a Podcast of Ice and Fire](http://podcastoficeandfire.com/) joining us to talk about fans of the Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire series!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) have a long and storied history starting with wargaming... which itself has its roots in even older strategy games like Chess (which originated from Chaturanga, an ancient Indian game). Chess gave way to variants of Chess, which gave way to more modern wargames like Kriegsspiel (literally "war game" in German; used for training German and Prussian armies)... which eventually gave way to games like Chainmail, the precursor to Dungeons and Dragons — the archetypical tabletop RPG.

Depending on how you want to measure history, that puts the origin of Tabletop RPGs somewhere between 1974 (the first published edition of Dungeons and Dragons) and the 6th century AD. For our purposes, we'll use Dungeons and Dragons as the origin of Tabletop RPGs.

Most Tabletop RPGs use some set of rules (that vary in complexity) where participants describe their character's actions (different from wargaming where each participant takes the role of military). Sometimes there are dice. Sometimes there are lots of tables. Sometimes pen and paper are necessary. There is a _lot_ of variation.

And is no shortage of gaming systems, like Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulu, GURPS, BESM, Vampire: The Masquerade, or Shadowrun, to name a few.

**Most Active:**

Given that Tabletop RPGs are a class of games that have existed since the 70s, it is a bit harder to get an idea of the popularity and activity of them over time. Using [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F026q9,%2Fm%2F04dzk1_,%2Fm%2F0mbr2,%2Fm%2F081yd) data for Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Warhammer 40k, and War gaming gives us some approximation though. Dungeons and Dragons was probably most popular around the time of its 'moral panic', but using the data we have, it has been on the decline since 2004 (most popular period)... but is back on the upswing since approximately 2012.

**Around the world:**

The top 10 countries searching for Dungeons and Dragons, but the same Google Trends data, are: Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Sweeden, and the United Kingdom.

**Size of Fandom:**

It is extremely hard to estimate the size of the fandom given how loosely we've defined it. That being said, it can still be estimated:

- In _What happened to Dungeons and Dragons?_ it is estimated that 20 million people have played the game

- [Obsidian Portal](https://www.obsidianportal.com/), a site where you can create your own campaign online, has over 100 000 campaigns

- Roll20, a popular tabletop gaming tool, had a sample size of over 73 000 players for its [Q1 2017 industry report](http://blog.roll20.net/post/159952619415/the-orr-group-industry-report-q1-2017)

- Attendance at Gen Con (the largest Tabletop Game convention in North America) had over 60 000 attendees in 2016

**Fan Demographics:**

We came across several fan surveys, all of which seemed limited. The most recent one, which we stumbled upon via the RPG subreddit, had some demographic information in its 307 responses (you can find the survey [here](http://msmcilvride.com/the-big-rpg-survey/)).

- **Age:** Most gamers were between 18-25 (42.3%); the second largest group was folks ages 26-35 (39.7%)

- **Gender:** The majority of respondents (88.3%) identified as male, with 9.8% identifying as female

- **Tenure:** The largest group of respondents have been playing for 11-20 years (23.5%) but folks with 6-10 years experience (22.1%) and with 3-5 years (22.8%) were not far behind

- Surprisingly, the majority of respondents identified as Role players (79.6%), with characters who are motivated by social causes (49.8%) and focussed on their character's backstory (64.5%)

A different survey (itself compiled from other sources, like a 1999 Wizards of the Coast survey) on [Darkshire.net](http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/gender/disparity.html#survey) puts 19% of tabletop-rpg respondents as female. This data can also be found in more detail on [Sean K Reynold's website](http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/gaming/WotCMarketResearchSummary.html).

If you have a better source for demographics data, or any quantifiable data in general, let us know! We love it!

> “A whole new kind of game. No board - just dice, just probabilities. It allowed me to enter the world of the books I was reading.” — Stephen Colbert

>

> — [Unpossible Journeys - Why People Play](http://unpossiblejourneys.com/about-roleplaying-games/why-people-play/)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/50-they-might-be-giants-fans/) Famous Last Words

**G**

Has stranger things given a resurgence to tabletop gaming?

**Z**

Is there much (if any) crossover between fans of things like Warhammer and Pathfinder? Do people tend to play one or the other?

**T**

Has anyone adapted Dragon Ball as tabletop game? (Not a Big Eyes Small Mouth)

[// Yes! as it turns out there was a pen and paper RPG released called "Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure game" published by R. Talsorian games that uses the 'Fusion D6' system. Also, a fan system available online that uses a D10 based system ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is in. So in.**

**G is in. Love it.**

**Z is in.**

### This week's spotlight

**[Gaming as Other](http://www.strixwerks.com/gaming/)**

Gaming as Other is a minority advocacy group headed by Whitney Beltrán (AKA Strix) whose goal is to make the gaming community more inclusive and welcoming towards minority members. There is a related [video series of the same name on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJyUXI7hzVWef0HB-Z9zQk5iKESrlxQg9) which discusses some of the different issues in gaming, like erasure, and discussions of fantasy races and race conflation.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

[// Interview with the Watchtower folks ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Game of Thrones!

**Z**

Have fans tried to make up supplemental material and pass it off as "real" Game of Thrones work?

**G**

Why is the popular baby name that came out of Game of Thrones fandom "Khaleesi" and _not_ "Daenerys"?

**T**

As rated by fans, what is the most delicious recipe in a _Feast of Ice and Fire_?

## 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 - Dungeons & Dragons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons#Game_history)

- [Wikipedia - Tabletop role-playing game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop_role-playing_game)

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

- [Wikipedia - Kriegsspiel (wargame)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriegsspiel_(wargame))

- [Wikipedia - Gen Con](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_Con)

- [r/rpg - Dragon Ball Z Pen & Paper Role-Playing Game](https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/30b6w1/dragon_ball_z_pen_paper_roleplaying_game/)

- [Dragonball Wiki - Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z:_The_Anime_Adventure_Game)

- [The Angry GM - Running Your Most Horrible D&D Adventure Ever](http://theangrygm.com/running-your-most-horrible-dd-adventure-ever/)

- [msmcilvride.com - The Big RPG Survey: Results](http://msmcilvride.com/the-big-rpg-survey/)

- [Darkshire.net - Gender Disparity in RPGs](http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/gender/disparity.html#survey)

- [SeanKReynolds.com - Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0](http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/gaming/WotCMarketResearchSummary.html)

- [Tor.com - Gaming’s Race Problem: GenCon and Beyond](https://www.tor.com/2014/08/13/gamings-race-problem-gen-con-and-beyond/)

- [Unpossible Journeys - Why People Play](http://unpossiblejourneys.com/about-roleplaying-games/why-people-play/)

- [Lifehacker - The Surprising Benefits of Role-Playing Games (and How to Get Started)](https://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789)

- [Tabletop Tribe - 5 Reasons Why Tabletop Gaming Is The Best Mid-Life Crisis You Can Have](https://medium.com/tabletop-tribe/5-reasons-why-tabletop-gaming-is-the-best-mid-life-crisis-you-can-have-6e0438489695)

- [Inkwell Ideas - Overview of Tabletop Roleplaying Games](http://inkwellideas.com/images/overview-map-lettersize.jpg)

- [Design Patterns of Successful Role-playing Games](http://legendaryquest.netfirms.com/books/RPG_Design_Patterns_9_13_09.pdf)

- [The Mary Sue - Roll A Strength Check: Why Tabletop Games Are Awesome For Women (and Everybody Else)](https://www.themarysue.com/roll-a-strength-check-why-tabletop-games-are-awesome-for-women-and-everybody-else/)

### 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/)

- ["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/)

This week, you're all gonna be in this experimental film! Provided, of course, that you're a fan of They Might Be Giants (TMBG) (and are OK with film being... tape? Nevermind). What is it about this quirky musical group that has kept fans interested for over 30 years?

Next week, we'll put on our robes and wizard hats to talk about fans of tabletop RPGs!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

> They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band.

>

> — [Wikipedia - They Might Be Giants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants)

TMBG is known for having an unconventional, experimental kind of music, has released 19 studio albums (including _Flood_ which has been certified platinum), has created theme music for several television shows, and has produced children's music.

Think you haven't heard of them? Try one of the following:

- Boss of Me (theme song of _Malcolm in the Middle_)

- Dog On Fire (opening theme of _The Daily Show with Jon Stewart_)

- The theme song for _Oblongs_, and _The Wrong Coast_

- Birdhouse in your Soul, Istanbul (Not Constantinople), and Particle Man

**Most Active:**

Given that They Might Be Giants has been a band since the 1980s, it's not surprising that the [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07n3s) data shows a pretty low amount of interest over time. To be fair, unlike many of the fandoms we've covered, interest in TMBG was already quite low in 2004. There was a huge spike in interest in July 2004 which corresponds to the the release of their album _The Spine_, and some smaller bursts of interest probably related to different album releases. Interest now is about 1/10th of the interest from 2004.

**Size of Fandom:**

They Might Be Giants has sold over 4 million records. Given that information and their 19 studio albums, a rough estimate of fans would give us between ~200 000 and 4 million.

A different (much lower estimate) that gives an idea of the dedication of fans might be the _They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club_:

> The Instant Fan Club returned for 2015 with an announcement in November 2014. There were initially 2,500 subscriptions available, which were meant to be available until January 5, 2015. All 2,500 spots were filled by December ... In addition to the regular level of membership ($98) and the Super-President tier ($250) introduced in 2012's fan club, the 2015 IFC offers a third option "for folks on a budget", Dial-A-Song Direct ($30).

>

> — [this might be a wiki - They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club](http://tmbw.net/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants_Instant_Fan_Club)

TMBG has [over 330 000 likes on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/theymightbegiants/), over [65 000 followers on Twitter](https://twitter.com/tmbg?lang=en), and over [2200 subscribers on r/tmbg](https://www.reddit.com/r/tmbg/).

**Around the world:**

From the [Google Trends data again](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07n3s), most fans of They Might Be Giants hail from English speaking countries: By and large, fans are from the United States, but there is also some interest in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and New Zealand.

**Did you know that...**

- TMBG is [the unofficial band of the TV Tropes Wiki](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/TheyMightBeGiants)?

- Melissa Joan Hart (_Clarissa Explains It All_, _Sabrina: The Teenage Witch_) got a job because of TMBG:

> "I actually got the job for Clarissa Explains It All because of They Might Be Giants. The producer asked me about music, and I told them I liked TMBG (instead of popular bands like New Kids on the Block). He loved it, I got the job and then they worked TMBG into the show by putting the poster in the room."

>

> — [this might be a wiki - Famous Fans](http://tmbw.net/wiki/Famous_Fans)

- You now know that the band started as two John's, but did you know that there was a period when there were only Johns and Dans? From 1998 to 2004, the band consisted of the two Johns plus Dan Miller, Danny Weinkauf, and Dan Hickey ([Wikipedia - They Might Be Giants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants#Members))

- They might be big big fake fake lies? (What're we gonna do unless they are?)

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/49-megaman-fans/) Famous Last Words

**T**

What percentage of They Might Be Giants fans became fans via Tiny Toons?

[// Came across a thread on reddit with over 280 comments with the title "As a child, Tiny Toons introduced and made me a fan of They Might Be Giants". I couldn't find anyway to back this up, but it sounds like there are a lot. ]: #

**Z**

How many fan made music videos are there on YouTube?

[// Like, 67 000. Boo ]: #

**G**

After TMBG success with their dial-a-song service, has any band or musical act followed?

### The Verdict

**T is in.**

> If anthropologists of the future ever sit down to categorize the sundry varieties of nerd and require as precise a definition for “spaz” as possible, they need only listen to the drum machine/guitar intro to “Don’t Let’s Start.” If you close your eyes and listen closely, a crystal-clear mental image of a skinny kid getting his head dipped in a flushing toilet materializes in the mind’s eye and repeats for the duration of the song. Maybe this is the difference between how a They Might Be Giants fan relates to the song and how a non-fan does: fans swell with pride and imagine their own heads being dunked, and the non-fans become enraged and picture themselves administering the swirlies.

>

> — [Something Awful - They Might Be Giants](http://www.somethingawful.com/your-band-sucks/they-might-be/)

**G is in. 100% in.**

**Z is in.**

### This week's spotlight

**[Mink Car Cover](https://minkcarcover.bandcamp.com/)**

At midnight on September 11th, 2001, They Might Be Giants released their album _Mink Car_. Unfortunately, some terrible thing happened later that day. Ten years later, a variety of internet-famous folks released a full cover album with the proceeds going to the FNDY Foundation.

> Funds raised from Mink Car Cover will go to the FDNY Foundation, the official not-for-profit foundation of the Fire Department of New York, established to provide resources for the professional development, education, and training of members of the FDNY.

>

> — [Mink Car Cover](https://minkcarcover.bandcamp.com/)

Some of the artists on the album include Hank Green, The Doubleclicks, brentalfloss, and MC Frontalot.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

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

**G**

Has stranger things given a resurgence to tabletop gaming?

**Z**

Is there much (if any) crossover between fans of things like Warhammer and Pathfinder? Do people tend to play one or the other?

**T**

Has anyone adapted Dragon Ball as tabletop game? (Not a Big Eyes Small Mouth)

## 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

Any special thanks; usually to guest.

## Credits

### Sources

- [Wikipedia - They Might Be Giants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants)

- [this might be a wiki - They Might Be Giants Instant Fan Club](http://tmbw.net/wiki/They_Might_Be_Giants_Instant_Fan_Club)

- [TVTropes - They Might Be Giants](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/TheyMightBeGiants)

- [r/videos - As a child, Tiny Toons introduced and made me a fan of They Might Be Giants](https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/49abwl/as_a_child_tiny_toons_introduced_and_made_me_a/)

- [The A.V. Club - The A.V. Club compresses They Might Be Giants’ 30-year career into 60 minutes](https://music.avclub.com/the-a-v-club-compresses-they-might-be-giants-30-year-1798282421)

- [Rolling Stone - They Might Be Giants at 33: We're (Still) Here, We're Weird, Get Used to Us](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/they-might-be-giants-at-33-were-still-here-were-weird-get-used-to-us-20150219)

- [Vanity Fair - Q&A: They Might Be Giants Aren’t Just for Kids and Still Aren’t the Proclaimers](https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2011/07/they-might-be-giants-qa)

- [Something Awful - They Might Be Giants](http://www.somethingawful.com/your-band-sucks/they-might-be/)

- [The Hard Times - They Might Be Giants Fandom Cautiously Broached with New, Cooler Friend Group](http://thehardtimes.net/news/might-giants-fandom-cautiously-broached-new-cooler-friend-group/)

- [Rolling Stone - They Might Be Giants at 33: We’re (Still) Here, We’re Weird, Get Used to Us](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/they-might-be-giants-at-33-were-still-here-were-weird-get-used-to-us-20150219)

- [mxdwn.com - They Might Be Giants Bringing Back Dial a Song for 2018](https://music.mxdwn.com/2017/09/27/news/they-might-be-giants-bringing-back-dial-a-song-for-2018/)

- [Vanity Fair - Q&A: They Might Be Giants Aren’t Just For Kids and Still Aren’t The Proclaimers](https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2011/07/they-might-be-giants-qa)

- [Kiwi Farms Forum - Quinn Collard / Selfcallednowhere / Smallgirlafterall They Might Be Giants Fangirl, Actual IRL Stalker of John Linnell](https://kiwifarms.net/threads/quinn-collard-selfcallednowhere-smallgirlafterall.24910/)

- [Paste - They Might Be Giants: Original Recipe](https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/07/they-might-be-giants-original-recipe.html)

- [r/TMBG - Readers of TMBG! I Got it in my Head to Introduce a Lady Friend to TMBG...](https://www.reddit.com/r/tmbg/comments/247i3g/readers_of_tmbg_i_got_it_in_my_head_to_introduce/)

- [r/TMBG - Why Isn’t This Group Bigger?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tmbg/comments/4bucbf/why_isnt_this_group_bigger/)

- [r/TMBG - Why do you like They Might Be Giants?](https://www.reddit.com/r/tmbg/comments/2bv79l/why_do_you_like_they_might_be_giants/)

- [Quora - TMBG fans: What are Some Things That Make They Might Be Giants a Great Band?](https://www.quora.com/TMBG-fans-What-are-some-things-that-make-They-Might-Be-Giants-a-great-band)

- [Quora - How did They Might Be Giants end up Being Featured on Tiny Toons Adventures?](https://www.quora.com/How-did-They-Might-Be-Giants-end-up-being-featured-on-Tiny-Toons-Adventures)

- [YouTube - They Might Be Giants John Flansburgh Interview Part 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ePBvz3L0Y)

- [YouTube - They Might Be Giants John Flansburgh Interview Part 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX_0HVEbyUc)

- [YouTube - THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - Groovin The Moo 2013 Interview BPMTV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rddrXfbyV8)

- [YouTube - They Might Be Giants: Fans on the Road](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cft6ItrS8e8)

- [YouTube - They Might Be Giants of OZ (full movie)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yya9gsFMYos)

- [YouTube (Search) - “They Might Be Giants Fan Video”](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=They+Might+Be+Giants+fan+video)

- [YouTube (Search) - “‘They Might Be Giants’ Fan Video”](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22They+Might+Be+Giants%22+fan+video)

- [YouTube - Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxzU6kNW0DE)

- [This Might Be a Wiki - Why We Love TMBG](http://tmbw.net/wiki/Why_We_Love_TMBG)

- [This Might Be a Wiki - Fan Videos](http://tmbw.net/wiki/Fan_Videos)

- [This Might Be a Wiki - I Might Be Giants, Too](http://tmbw.net/wiki/I_Might_Be_Giants,_Too)

- [The Hard Times - They Might Be Giants Fandom Cautiously Broached with New, Cooler Friend Group](http://thehardtimes.net/news/might-giants-fandom-cautiously-broached-new-cooler-friend-group/)

### Music / Sound

- End credits clip from "The End of the Tour" by They Might Be Giants on their Album _John Henry_

- 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/)

- [“Saxaphone”](https://thenounproject.com/term/saxaphone/1201784) by [Creaticca Creative Agency](https://thenounproject.com/creaticca) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- [“Violin”](https://thenounproject.com/term/violin/1278226) by [Eucalyp](https://thenounproject.com/ratch0013) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

We start off Season 5 with a mega-blast! It's all of our hosts favourites fandoms this season starting off with fans of the Blue Bomber: Mega Man! Why haven't there been any new games lately, and how have the fans adapted? How is a game from more than 25 years ago still relevant to fans today? Tune in and find out!

Next week, we'll be doing the things a particle can and talking about two rockin' musicians (John and John) and their fans as we talk about They Might Be Giants fandom!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Rockman (also known as Mega Man, outside of Japan) is a video game franchise created by Akira Kitamura and designed by Keiji Inafune by (and owned by CAPCOM). Originally released for Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, the franchise has over 50 games on multiple systems, and, by March 2015, over thirty million copies have been sold worldwide.

The original game follows the story of Rock (Mega), an android created by Doctor Light and his assistant, Doctor Wily. Doctor Wily reprograms Doctor Lights other robots in an act of treachery, and Rock volunteers to defend the world from Wily's violent robotic threats.

Other main series within the game's history:

- Mega Man X

- Mega Man Legends

- Mega Man Battle Network

**Most Active and Fandom Trends:**

Based on [Google Trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F016vdf), interest in the Mega Man series of games has been on a steady decline since Google has started tracking trend data (current interest is about one fifth of data back in 2004). The most popular point in this history is around July 2004, which likely corresponds to the release of Mega Man X: Command Mission, a turn-based RPG.

**Size of Fandom:**

It's especially challenging to try to get estimates on fandoms that have been on the decline for a while. To get a rough sense of scale and level of community:

- The [Mega Man Subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaman/) has over 10 000 subscribers

- Mighty No 9, a game developed a sort of spiritual successor to Mega Man (and directed by longtime Mega Man director, Keiji Inafune) [has over 67 000 backers](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9)

- Over 30 million copies of the various games have been sold worldwide. A rough estimate taking the number of sales and dividing by the number of games (131) yields a rough estimate of over 220 000 game buyers

**Famous fan works:**

- [Mega Maker](https://mega-maker.com/), a fan game about creating your own Mega Man levels (like Mario maker)

- [Mega Man x Street Fighter](http://www.capcom-unity.com/mega_man), a fan game that puts Mega Man (circa Mega Man 2) in stages reminiscent of the characters in Street Fighter 2 and featuring them as bosses

- [Mega Man 2.5D](http://petersjostrand.com/), [20XX](http://store.steampowered.com/app/322110/20XX/), [Azure Striker Gunvolt](http://gunvolt.com/en/), [The Megas](http://www.themegas.com/), [BrentalFloss](https://www.brentalfloss.com/)... the list goes on

**Fanfics and Fanart**

- DeviantArt has almost 100 000 works for [Mega Man](https://www.deviantart.com/?section=&global=1&q=mega+man)

- FanFiction.net has over 5000 works for [Mega Man](https://www.fanfiction.net/game/Mega-Man/)

- Archive of Our Own has over 700 fan works for [Mega Man](https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Rockman%20%7C%20Mega%20Man%20-%20All%20Media%20Types/works)

### The Verdict

**G is in. Would like to play more Mega Man games.**

**T is in. 100% in.**

**Z is out. Would try Battle Network or Command Mission.**

[// Modern Mega Man fandom is the millenial generation's response to intellectual property. CAPCOM has been slowly killing off Mega Man titles or releasing things that fans (and gamers don't like). So the fans take it upon themselves to take the formula, remix it, and make something new. ]: #

### This week's spotlight

**[Mega Man-athon](https://megamanathon.com/)**

What would happen if you took a bunch of Mega Man fans and they wanted to raise money? It might sound something like this:

> In the year 20XX, a team of super-fighting robots join forces with one mission: to improve the lives of children and defeat Dr. Wily once and for all...

The Mega Man-athon is an annual 72 hour marathon that takes place at Super Magfest to raise money for Child's Play (a charity that is set up to improve the lives of children with toys and games at hospitals). It is run by Half Empty Energytank and, has been running since 2013, and has raised over $10 000 USD so far!

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, They Might Be Giants!

**T**

What percentage of They Might Be Giants fans became fans via Tiny Toons?

Are They Might Be Giants fans more likely to be hipsters (is the reverse true)?

**Z**

How many fan made music videos are there on YouTube?

**G**

After TMBG success with their dial-a-song service, has any band or musical act followed?

## 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 - Mega Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man#Original_series)

- [Reddit - Mega Man](https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaman/)

- [Kickstarter - Mighty No 9](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9)

- [Fanlore - Mega Man](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Mega_Man)

- [Game Skinny - What Even is Capcom's Motive Behind the New Mega Man Cartoon?](https://www.gameskinny.com/s31ko/what-even-is-capcoms-motive-behind-the-new-mega-man-cartoon)

- [Kotaku - How fan-made games keep Mega Man alive in the face of Capcom’s neglect](https://games.avclub.com/how-fan-made-games-keep-mega-man-alive-in-the-face-of-c-1798265899)

- [YouTube - Sequelitis - Mega Man Classic vs. Mega Man X](https://youtu.be/8FpigqfcvlM)

- [Fanlore - Mega Man](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Mega_Man)

- [MechaDrake - Fanart](http://www.mechadrake.com/fanart.html)

- [Kotaku Australia - The Internet Reacts to the New Mega Man Cartoon](https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/05/the-internet-reacts-to-the-new-mega-man-cartoon/)

- [Polygon - Street Fighter X Mega Man is part apology to Mega Man fans, part proof of life, says Capcom](https://www.polygon.com/2012/12/11/3756478/street-fighter-x-mega-man-part-apology-to-mega-man-fans-says-capcom)

- [Kotaku Australia - Mega Man Fans Want to Know the Origin of this Out of Place Concept Art](https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/08/mega-man-fans-want-to-know-the-origin-of-this-out-of-place-concept-art/)

- [Rockman Corner - Home](http://www.rockman-corner.com/)

- [r/Megaman - I Might be the Only One Left Not Hurt by Capcom](https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaman/comments/72a4ui/i_might_be_the_only_one_left_not_hurt_by_capcom/)

- [FanFiction.net - Search: Megaman](https://www.fanfiction.net/search/?keywords=megaman&ready=1&type=story)

- [FanFiction.net - Search: Mega Man](https://www.fanfiction.net/search/?keywords=mega+man&ready=1&type=story)

- [Archive of Our Own - Megaman](https://archiveofourown.org/works/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bquery%5D=Megaman)

- [Quora - What Are Some of the Greatest Marketing Disasters in History?](https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-of-the-greatest-marketing-disasters-in-history/answer/Aqshat-Seth?srid=ngWL)

- [Facebook - 100,000 Strong For Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3](https://www.facebook.com/GetMeOffTheMoon/)

- [Youtube - Why Most Mega Man Fans Hate Capcom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYbCpHyh80I)

### Music / Sound

- Ending music from [The Megas - Melody from the Past](https://themegas.bandcamp.com/track/melody-from-the-past)

- 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/)

- [“Gear”](https://thenounproject.com/term/gear/18498) by [Lucian Novosel](https://thenounproject.com/lucian.novosel) used under [CC BY 3.0 US](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

This week, the season finale of our whirlwind tour around the globe searching fandoms far and wide. This week, we've left the globe to ascend to the _stars_ to talk about fans... of cosplay!

Next week? Who knows! Season 6 is right around the corner.

## Where can I learn more about Lumpy Space Cosplay or SMZeldaRules?

If you enjoyed our chat with these two fantastic cosplayers, you can learn more about them below!

**Lumpy Space Cosplay**

- Instagram: http://instagram.com/lumpyspacecosplay

- Facebook: http://facebook.com/lumpyspacecosplay

**SMZeldaRules**

- Instagram: http://instagram.com/smzeldarules

- Facebook: http://facebook.com/smzeldarulesartandcosplay

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Cosplay, a portmanteau of the words "costumed play", is a hobby where people, known as cosplayers, wear costumes to represent a specific character. Cosplay is quite diverse: cosplayers may create costumes, be part of photoshoots, attend masquerades, get 'into character', 'genderbend' characters, mash up known characters with other genres or intellectual property, or much, much more.

**Fandom Origins:**

The origins of cosplay are fascinating because of how it has changed, evolved, and traveled. The act of fan costuming predates the term cosplay: In 1939, Myrtle Rebecca (Morojo) and Forry Ackerman work some of the first fan costumes, "futuricostumes" at Worldcon 1939 (The world science fiction convention):

> Morojo was the person who single-handedly brought fantasy into real physical space when she created and wore her own costume. Given modern cosplay’s intense focus on individual creativity and craft, it’s bizarre that Ackerman is the one most often credited as being the O.G. cosplayer in fan literature. Morojo, who made the futuristicostumes, deserves the bulk of the credit. To crush the next few decades of history into a single sentence: the idea of dressing up like your favorite fictional characters caught on and gained traction. After 1939, costume contests became an annual tradition at Worldcon, drawing more and more participants with each passing year.

>

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

It wasn't until much later that the term was coined, and the coinage varies in terms of who it is attributed to. Some sources claim that "cosplay started after a Japanese fan, Nov Takahashi, attended the 1984 Worldcon in Los Angeles and reported on the costuming activity there in Japanese SF magazines" ([Fanlore - Cosplay](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Cosplay)), however Nov Takahashi was using the term cosplay as early as June 1983, and there are other instances of fans in cosplay outside of North America.

In any case, regardless of the origin of the term, because of the growing popularity in Japan and things like anime and manga becoming popular in North America during the 1990s, cosplay was re-imported to North America, assumed to be Japanese in origin.

**Most Active:**

[Google trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F014ht3) gives the impression that cosplay has been increasing in interest since 2004, but has some waviness to it: Overall, interest has increased, but it we seem to be in a local lull in interest.

More than many of the other fandoms we've covered, the data is, unsurprisingly, periodic: There is a spike every year around July-ish that persists until October (which roughly corresponds to convention season).

(Google trends data was attempted using 'costume' as the search, but the data was too noisy, a much different magnitude than that of 'Cosplay', and spiked every year in October.)

**Fan Demographics**

In an unexpected twist, [Cosplay Calamity](https://cosplaycalamity.com/2017/03/20/cosplay-demographics-01/), someone we have encountered at ConBravo!, has conducted a cosplay survey for 2017. The data is admittedly from a small sample size (just under 300 respondents), but gives us some approximation:

- Age: The largest group of respondents were between 20-25 (39.2%) with the next largest group being between 26-30 (26.7%), then 31-35 (13.5%) and so on.

- Gender: The majority of respondents were female (82.1%)

- Sexual Orientation: 56.1% identified as straight (which means almost 44% identified as LGBTA)

- Ethnicity: 79.4% identified as Caucasian

- Education: Most respondents have an undergraduate degree (37.5%), with the next largest group having some undergraduate (19.6%), followed by trade school education (13.2%)

- Income: 48.6% of respondents earn under 20k USD, with the next largest group earning between 20-40k USD (26.7%)

[A separate survey](http://amp.dailydot.com/parsec/fandom/psychology-cosplay-survey-results/) run by clinical psychologists Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Dr. Robin Rosenberg of over 900 participants paints a similar picture.

**Around the world:**

Cosplay is popular around the world, but is most popular in... Japan. Other popular countries (by search trend data): Phillippines, South Korea, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Chile, Indonesia, and Mexico (United States is 14th place). It's unclear whether the lack of North American and European representation is a bias on our part, or reflecting of those who search (versus those who are fans). In this case, we defer to the data.

**Where does fandom live:**

The fandom lives necessarily in real life; in particular, at conventions. However, communities of cosplayer can be found all over the net in places like cosplay.com or CosplayAmino (an app).

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/47-brazilian-k-pop-fans/) Famous Last Words

**G**

Cosplay is the most popular now than its ever been.

**Z**

There are rules to the internet (e.g. Rule 34). Should there be a new rule about cosplay that states: "If there is an IP, there is cosplay of it". Alternatively, Is there anything for which there hasn't been a cosplay.

**T**

Is there a competition for the worst cosplay (like the Razzies)?

[// Fortunately, there is not. Just a lot of assholes. ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is in. So in. AN Idol / Masq.**

**Z is out... insofar as not seeing cosplay in his future.**

**G is in... no interest in making a costume though.**

### This week's spotlight

**[Cosplay for a Cure](https://www.facebook.com/CosplayForACure/)**

A group that we've actually had the chance to chat with before ([at Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oikr_dxPJw))! Started in 2012 by Casey Brown and Gina Greco, Cosplay for a Cure is a non-profit, photo-booth style event that runs at a variety of different convention in the Greater Toronto Area (and surrounding areas) whose goal is to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

## 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

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

- [Fanlore - Masquerade: The Magazine of Science Fiction Costuming](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Masquerade:_The_Magazine_of_Science_Fiction_Costuming)

- [Fanlore - Doesn't This Outfit Just Scream for Accessories...](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Doesn%27t_This_Outfit_Just_Scream_for_Accessories...)

- [In Media Res - WoMEN’s Work: Representing Fan Labor on Heroes of Cosplay](http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2015/05/29/women-s-work-representing-fan-labor-heroes-cosplay)

- [Racked - Meet the Woman Who Invented Cosplay](https://www.racked.com/2016/5/9/11451408/cosplay-inventor-morojo-myrtle-r-douglas)

- [Gamervescent - Historic Moments in Cosplay](http://www.gamervescent.com/historic-moments-in-cosplay/)

- [Vox - Cosplay: Why People Dress Up Like Comic Book Characters](https://www.vox.com/2014/7/23/5916509/cosplay-explained)

- [Google Image Search - Missingno Cosplay](https://www.google.ca/search?q=missingno+cosplay&dcr=0&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjx4CM0PHWAhUr74MKHeIVDHYQ_AUICigB&biw=1696&bih=738)

- [Cosplay.com Forum - Impossible Cosplays](http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=143141)

- [Cosplay.com Forum - Anime/Game Characters That Are Rarely Cosplayed?](http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=131176)

- [Smosh - 6 Comic Book Characters Who Never Get Cosplayed](http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/6-comic-book-characters-who-never-get-cosplayed)

- [Cosplay.com Forum - What Cosplays Are Not Seen Often?](http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=296324)

- [Cosplay.com Forum - Christian Cosplayers?](http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=192413)

- [Robin S. Rosenberg’s Website - Expressions of Fandom: Findings from a Psychological Survey of Cosplay and Costume Wear](http://www.drrobinrosenberg.com/resources/Cosplay-Expressions%20of%20Fandom.pdf)

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

- [Cosplay Calamity - I LIKE BIG DATA & CANNOT LIE – 01](https://cosplaycalamity.com/2017/03/20/cosplay-demographics-01/)

- [The Daily Dot - Investigating the ‘Psychology of Cosplay’](http://amp.dailydot.com/parsec/fandom/psychology-cosplay-survey-results/)

- [Kotaku - Cosplayers Are Passionate, Talented Folks. But There's A Darker Side To This Community, Too.](https://kotaku.com/5975038/cosplayers-are-passionate-talented-folks-but-theres-a-darker-side-to-this-community-too/amp)

- [HuffPost - The Psychology Behind Cosplay](https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5818b95be4b0390e69d2a11b/amp)

- [NPR - Cosplayers Use Costume To Unleash Their Superpowers](http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/23/486769691/cosplayers-use-costume-to-unleash-their-superpowers)

- [The Establishment - We Need To Talk About Racism And Sexism In The Cosplay Community](https://theestablishment.co/unmasking-the-cosplay-communitys-sexism-and-racism-problem-3ca9431f58c0)

- [The Week - Why the rise of cosplay is a bad sign for the U.S. economy](http://theweek.com/articles/443181/why-rise-cosplay-bad-sign-economy)

- [Forbes - No, The Rise Of Cosplay Is Not A Bad Sign For The U.S. Economy](https://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/2014/10/14/no-the-rise-of-cosplay-is-not-a-bad-sign-for-the-u-s-economy/amp/)

### 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/)

- ["Cosplay"](https://thenounproject.com/term/cosplay/28553) by [Claire Jones](https://thenounproject.com/hivernoir) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

This week, we say "anyong haseyo" as we dive into fans of Korean Pop (K-Pop)... in Brazil?? Why is it so popular there, of all places? And what is it about this unique musical style? Is it riding out the Korean Wave??

Next week, our final episode of the season, takes us to fans of something a bit more global: Fans of cosplay!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Korean pop, abbreviated to 'K-pop', is a musical genre that originates in South Korea. The term is often used to describe a modern form of South Korean pop music drawing inspiration from a range of styles and genres around the world. K-pop's origins begin in the late 1980s and early 1990s with groups such as Seo Taiji and Boys being among the earliest in 1992.

> The French Institut national de l'audiovisuel defines K-pop as a "fusion of synthesized music, sharp dance routines and fashionable, colorful outfits." ... Songs typically consist of one or a mixture of pop, rock, hip hop, R&B and electronic music genres.

>

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

There is also a ton of history about K-pop that relates to Japan, and the West, Korean Culture in general, and even _enka_... but we only have a short time to do the research, so we would highly recommend reading more about it!

**Fandom Origins:**

Modern K-pop idol culture began with the band H.O.T in 1996, and another generation of fans started with TVXQ and BoA which broke into the neighbouring Japanese market (and the world). However, with the advent of social media and Korean TV shows, K-pop and its fandom may just be a small part of the Korean Wave.

**Most Active:**

For the first time in _Fanthropological's_ history, the answer to the question "when was this fandom most active" is _now_. Since January 2004, interest in K-pop (using [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F02yh8l) as a proxy) is the highest it has ever been and has been on a huge trend upwards since approximately January 2010. Interest is still rising, those it has been less dramatic of an increase in interest since approximately March 2012 (For reference, _Gangnam Style_ debuted on Youtube in July 2012).

**Fandom Demographics:**

Thank goodness for fans! The [kpop subreddit has conducted a census](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/55g79h/reddit_kpop_census_2016_results/) which gives us an interesting (if rough sense) of the fandom demographics of North American K-pop fans. Based on this data (and that caveat):

- Age: The majority of fans are between 18-24 (61.5%), with the next largest group being fans aged 25-34 (20%) and fans aged 13-17 (15.6%)

- Gender: The majority of fans from this survey are male (56%) compared to female (42.6%)

- Ethnicity: The majority of fans are Asian (46%), Caucasian (44.5%), or Hispanic (8.4%)

However, a Master's student, Maur-Anne Griffonnet-Barge, conducted a survey as part of her thesis and may give a [more 'global' dataset](http://beyondhallyu.com/k-pop/what-are-k-pop-fans-like-according-to-this-survey-theyre-actually-pretty-cool/):

- Age: The majority are age 19 or younger with a close second being fans age 20-29

- Gender: Differing from the reddit survey, the vast majority identify as female

- Ethnicity: The majority of respondents were white, with the next largest group being fans who are Asian.

While it is difficult to estimate the number of fans, the Hallyu (Korean Wave) index, [gives a conservative estimate of 35 million "hardcore" fans of Korean Pop Culture worldwide](https://www.quora.com/How-many-Kpop-fans-are-there-in-the-world-divided-into-America-Europa-Asia-Africa-Australia-and-South-America) and there are 60 million registered Hallyu fan club members in 109 countries. Assuming K-pop is a subset of that, it would still put K-pop fans in the millions.

**Around the world:**

We know that K-pop has gained some popularity around the world, but using the same google trends data, it appears that K-pop is popular in particular in countries such as Brunei, Myanmar, Phillipines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, and... South Korea.

**Fan terms:**

- Sasaeng (_private life_): fans who pry into the private lives of K-pop fans and exhibit stalker-like behaviour. Fun fact: "a new law introduced in February 2016 in Korea saw the penalty for stalking rise to around US$17,000 as well a possible two-year jail sentence" ([Wikipedia - K-pop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop#Culture))

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/46-lucha-libre-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

K-pop is so popular in Brazil ... after door was opened by K-dramas.

**G**

K-pop is popular in Brazil because of a song or band uses Brazillian rhythms (or that appeal to Brazillian listeners).

**T**

K-pop became popular in Brazil because of a legal ban that was lifted, and K-pop happened to be popular among that.

[// Brazil is hugely multi-ethnic: While the majority identify as white (47.7%), the next largest group identifies as 'Pardo' (brown; Multiracial; 43.1%); Probably owes more to the Korean Wave - The Hallyu Index, the state-funded, annual index measuring the reach of the Korean Wave puts Brazil in the 'minority interest stage' with medium growth. Probably has more to do with US, Britain, and Japan being major exporters of culture and Korea being a newcomer to that arena. As it turns out, there are more Koreans in Brazil than anywhere else in Latin America (about 50 000) and about 1.5 million people of Japanese descent in Brazil... so, a lot of Asian folks and probably Korean Wave ]: #

[// https://www.soompi.com/2011/07/08/kpop-in-south-america-why-so-famous/ ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is out (but will still listen to K-pop. It's good).**

**G is in... and recommends TVXQ's Something.**

**Z is in?**

### This week's spotlight

**[Reddit K-Pop Census 2017](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/756lov/reddit_kpop_census_2017/)**

Are you a fan of K-pop? You should take part in the r/k-pop census and be counted!

**[Fan Rice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_rice)**

Not so much a charity as a unique K-pop phenomenon where fans donate rice to their favourite artists. Often times, the rice is then donated to a charity of the idol's choice. Apparently, this trend started after Shin Hye-sung's concert on August 11, 2007.

> Donating rice indicates that fans take greater social responsibility besides showing their respect and support to their favourite artists. ...

> As of 2013, the record of fan rice donated for a celebrity event is held by the fan club of 2PM, where fans from different countries donated 28.088 tonnes of rice for their finale concert.

>

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

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

[// World tour is over. We're going to the STARS! ]: #

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

**G**

Cosplay is the most popular now than its ever been.

**Z**

There are rules to the internet (e.g. Rule 34). Should there be a new rule about cosplay that states: "If there is an IP, there is cosplay of it". Alternatively, Is there anything for which there hasn't been a cosplay.

**T**

Is there a competition for the worst cosplay (like the Razzies)?

## 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 - K-pop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop)

- [Wikipedia - Brazil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil#Race_and_ethnicity)

- [Wikipedia - Korean Brazilians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Brazilians)

- [Wikipedia - Japanese Brazillians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Brazilians)

- [Wikipedia - Fan Rice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_rice)

- [Time - Forget Politics, Let’s Dance: Why K-Pop Is a Latin American Smash](http://world.time.com/2013/08/01/forget-politics-lets-dance-why-k-pop-is-a-latin-american-smash/)

- [Mind Equals Blown: K-Pop and J-Pop: A Comparison](http://mindequalsblown.net/editorials/k-pop-and-j-pop-a-comparison)

- [Quartz - Why it was so easy for Korea to overtake Japan in the pop culture wars](https://qz.com/21468/why-it-was-so-easy-for-korea-to-take-over-japan-in-the-pop-culture-wars/)

- [Quora - Why do people like K-pop?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-like-K-pop)

- [Lifehack.org - Wondering Why K Pop is So Popular? Here are 10 Reasons](http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/wondering-why-pop-popular-here-are-10-reasons.html)

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

- [Stanford Magazine - The Persecution of Daniel Lee](https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=40913)

- [Fail. Fandom. Anon. - Re: Kpop?](http://fail-fandomanon.livejournal.com/17923.html?thread=79371779#t79371779)

- [KPop Secrets! - Dedicated Trainees or Not](http://kpopsecrets.tumblr.com/)

- [Soompi - K-Pop in South America. Why So Famous?](https://www.soompi.com/2011/07/08/kpop-in-south-america-why-so-famous/)

- [allkpop Forums - BTS’s Popularity in Brazil is No Joke](https://www.allkpop.com/forum/threads/btss-popularity-in-brazil-is-no-joke.62262/)

- [Next Shark - Racist Brazilian Host Berates K-Pop Group KARD on TV, Audience Cheers](https://nextshark.com/racist-brazilian-host-berates-k-pop-group-kard-tv-audience-cheers/)

- [OneHallyu - KPop Idols/Groups vs Brazilian Idols/Groups](https://onehallyu.com/topic/253477-kpop-idolsgroups-vs-brazilian-idolsgroups/)

- [Remezcla - How Latinos Became K-Pop’s Second Biggest Fanbase in the US](http://remezcla.com/features/music/k-pop-latinos/)

- [Seoul National University - Landing of the Wave: Hallyu in Peru and Brazil](http://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/94084/1/08.pdf)

### 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/)

- ["Psy"](https://thenounproject.com/term/psy/1133134) by [Yeong Ron Kim](https://thenounproject.com/yeongrong.kim.5) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

What is it about those high-flying, high-energy performers that get fans so worked up? And why isn't there more of this amazing sport elsewhere in the world (perhaps there is)? This week, we're talking about fans of Lucha Libre!

Next week, we'll be looking at the Korean Wave, specifically, at fans of K-pop (in Brazil)?!

[// Vámonos cabrón! ]: #

[// Va-monos cabron]: #

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Lucha Libre, literally "Free fight" in English, refers to a form of professional wrestling developed in Mexico. It is often characterized by its colourful masks, rapid moves, and "high-flying" maneuvers. Lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores (literally, wrestlers).

Lucha libre wrestling dates back to 1863 during the French intervention into Mexico, developed by Enrique Ugartechea (the first Mexican wrestler) from Greco-Roman wrestling. However, it probably wasn't until the 1930s with the foundation of the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling Enterprise) that the sport gained a national foothold.

It wasn't until the 1940s when the iconic idea of the masked wrestler entered into the sport. In 1942, a silver-masked wrestler, El Santo (The Saint) made his debut in Mexico City and won an 8-man battle royal. His career spanned nearly five decades and he became a folk hero and symbol of justice for the common man.

**Fandom Origins:**

**Names:**

- Lucha Libre

- Luchador

- Mexican Wrestling

[// Most matches feature a battle between two main archetypes: “rudos,” with stocky, brutish frames, versus “técnicos,” who are generally more athletic to make up for their smaller size. Bad versus good. .. But perhaps most unique about lucha libre is the advent of a particular type of técnico: wrestlers dressed in drag, as seen above, known as “exóticos.” ]: #

**Most Active:**

It's always hard to measure the activity of a fandom; looking at [Google Trends data since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F03zd5x,lucha%20libre), the sport has enjoyed a lot of variation in popularity. It would make sense to guess that it is less popular now than towards the 1950s and 1960s (given the proliferation of media around characters such as El Santo), but even looking at the Google Trends data, there have been ebbs and flows in popularity. In particular, a rise in interest around October 2006, and again in January 2016.

**Size of Fandom:**

> ... the biggest two or three lucha libre events of the year can attract crowds of 17,000, most weekly fights see attendances of between 1,000 and 3,000 people, with tickets costing about 300 pesos.

>

> — [BBC - Mexican wrestling grapples to secure a bright future](http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33064625)

As a rough estimate, there are probably at least a hundred thousand fans of Lucha Libre. However, there may be overlap with other wrestling fandoms.

**Around the world:**

Interest in Lucha Libre is likely more global than from its outset. Though the majority of interest in the sport stems from Mexico, there is a lot of interest from other tropical (and in particular, latin) parts of the world: Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Bolivia, for example.

**Related fandoms:**

- WWE

- Japanese Wrestling

[// Fast forward 26 years, and Mexican wrestlers still don't get paid very much, particularly in comparison with the stars of the US behemoth that is World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). For while WWE wrestlers can easily pocket $2m (£1.3m) a year, the best lucha libre fighters earn about $1,600 at the largest weekly events, and most are paid significantly less. ]: #

[// As a result, Lucha Libre AAA's annual turnover is about $20m, compared with $500m at WWE. ]: #

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/45-hatsune-miku-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

Why are masks important to Lucha Libre?

**T**

In mask, out of mask... Bruce Wayne like character, never in the same place at the same time.

**G**

In American Wrestling, working on a limb ... always the left side. Lucha Libre: always the right side. Why?

### The Verdict

**T is out.**

**Z is out... but is going to check out Lucha Underground**

**G is in!**

### This week's spotlight

**[Wrestling for Charity](https://wfcwrestling.wordpress.com/)**

Located in North Carolina and founded in 2005, WFC is a not-for-profit that raises money for a variety of different organizations.

> The mission of Wrestling For Charity LLC is to bring a positive fan and family experience to wrestling enthusiasts, while raising money and awareness for community organizations and causes.

>

> — [Wrestling for Charity - Homepage](https://wfcwrestling.wordpress.com/)

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, K-pop (in Brazil)!

**Z**

K-pop is so popular in Brazil ... after door was opened by K-dramas.

**G**

K-pop is popular in Brazil because of a song or band uses Brazillian rhythms (or that appeal to Brazillian listeners).

**T**

K-pop became popular in Brazil because of a legal ban that was lifted, and K-pop happened to be popular among that.

## Where can I learn more about (Guest)?

More information about guest

## 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 - Lucha Libre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucha_libre)

- [BBC - Mexican wrestling grapples to secure a bright future](http://www.bbc.com/news/business-33064625)

- [ThinkProgress - A Night At ‘Lucha Libre,’ Wrestling That Makes WWE Seem Like Sesame Street](https://thinkprogress.org/a-night-at-lucha-libre-wrestling-that-makes-wwe-seem-like-sesame-street-5c2a1dc34493/)

- [NPR - In Mexico, The Crowd Loves To Hate Pro Wrestler Who Plays Trump Supporter](http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/02/07/513883586/in-mexico-the-crowd-loves-to-hate-pro-wrestler-who-plays-trump-supporter)

- [The Culture Trip - The Lucha Libre: A Brief History Of Mexican Wrestling](https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/the-lucha-libre-a-brief-history-of-mexican-wrestling/)

- [Vantage - The Grisly Spectacle of Lucha Libre Extrema](https://medium.com/vantage/the-grisly-spectacle-of-lucha-libre-extrema-cb4b60213af4)

- [CoachMag.co.uk - Why Lucha Libre is better than the WWE](http://www.coachmag.co.uk/entertainment/5523/why-lucha-libre-is-better-than-the-wwe)

- [NPR - In Mexico, The Crowd Loves to Hate Pro Wrestler Who Plays Trump Supporter](http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/02/07/513883586/in-mexico-the-crowd-loves-to-hate-pro-wrestler-who-plays-trump-supporter)

- [How Stuff Works - How Mexican Wrestling Works](http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/mexican-wrestling.htm)

- [ABC7 - The History of the Lucha Libre Mask Traces Back Hundreds of Years](http://abc7ny.com/society/the-lucha-libre-mask-traces-back-hundreds-of-years/1412999/)

- [Mexican Poncho - Mexican Wrestling Masks History](https://www.mexicanponcho.com.au/history-mexican-wrestling-masks/)

- [Quora - What Does the Mask Symbolize in Mexican Wrestling?](https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-mask-symbolize-in-Mexican-wrestling)

- [LaAficion.com - Why Do We Like Wrestling?](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://laaficion.milenio.com/firmas/cuachara_luchagor/gusta-lucha-libre_18_288751161.html&prev=search)

- [YouTube - Lucha Libre Wrestling in the Bronx](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpNzER4qvqI)

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

- [r/ SquaredCircle - What does it mean to "work the right side" as a style?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/t4mtu/what_does_it_mean_to_work_the_right_side_as_a/)

- [Could anyone explain some the differences between Japanese and Mexican wrestling?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/1fciwc/could_anyone_explain_some_the_differences_between/)

### 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/)

- ["Wrestling Mask"](https://thenounproject.com/term/wrestling-mask/197443) by [Javier Triana](https://thenounproject.com/Javier.Reborn) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

Our fandom journey this season takes us all the way to Japan to talk about fans of the world's most famous _virtual_ pop idol: Hatsune Miku! How did such a relatively niche thing become a global phenomenon? And who is pulling the strings??

Next week, we're off to Mexico to talk about fans of that exciting sport: Lucha Libre!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Hatsune Miku is a VOCALOID. What is a VOCALOID? A VOCALOID is a singing synthesizer application developed by YAMAHA. It was an international effort to create a synthesizer to act as a replacement singer. The original VOCALOID engine was release in 2004. Hatsune Miku was the second VOCALOID released as part of the VOCALOID2 engine and the first member of the Character Vocal Series created by Crypton Future Media Inc. Her name literally means "the first sound from the future."

She is also a humanoid persona: a 16-year-old girl with long turquoise twintails and her voice is modelled after Saki Fujita. In September of 2007, Amazon.co.jp reported over 57 million yen (Over a half-million USD) in sales for the Hatsune Miku software, and she has recorded over 100 000 songs. She has since been portrayed in many different media, and is also a Japanese pop idol, among other things.

[// A SPREAD IN JAPANESE PLAYBOY??? ]: #

**Size of Fandom:**

The vocaloid subreddit has over 15000 subscribers, and the Hatsune Miku subreddit has over 2600. The actual number of fans is probably somewhere in the low hundreds of thousands though:

> She’s beautiful, she’s talented, she’s immensely popular…and she’s not real. Hatsune Miku the virtual popstar creation of Crypton Future Media in Japan, has sold out another concert. Her much anticipated second annual March 9th (39) performance was seen live by over 2000 attendees, watched by thousands more in theaters screening the concert around the country, and streamed in real time to over 160,000 fans via Nico Nico Douga. That is a level of attendance reserved for world class entertainment, and Hatsune Miku didn’t fail to deliver. Her nearly three hour show featured multiple encores, special guest appearances, and was met by fervent enthusiasm by her fans attending live in Tokyo.

>

> — [SingularityHub - 160,000+ Watch Virtual Popstar Hatsune Miku Return to the Stage (video)](https://singularityhub.com/2011/04/12/160000-watch-virtual-popstar-hatsune-miku-return-to-the-stage-video-2/)

**Changes in Fandom:**

Interest in Hatsune Miku has been steady, with a slight decline in the last few years (according to [Google Trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0cp0qm1,%2Fm%2F05p812,vocaloid)). There was a huge spike in interest around the time of her release (Oct 2007), and interest in her (and other VOCALOIDs) has been pretty stable ever since.

**Around the world:**

While Hatsune Miku enjoy fans from around the world, the most interest in her stems from Japan, and, to a lesser degree, from countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, Chile, Hong Kong, and South Korea.

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/44-starcraft-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

Hatsune Miku is popular in part due to dating sims.

**G**

A portion of her fanbase does not know that she is not a real person

**T**

Are there male counterparts? Is Hatsune Miku peak moe?

[// Definitely not peak moe. I think that there's only going to be more and more moe as time goes on, and as men continue to isolate themselves more (and as society continues the way that it does]: #

[// That being said... I literally searched for Hatsune Miku peak moe, nothing. ]: #

[// As for male vocaloids... I did find some: Yuezheng Longya, Arsloid, and Yohioloid. ]: #

[// In terms of classification, it is generally considered that "VOCALOIDs" earn their classification when: They have a VOCALOID™-powered vocal released. This includes characters from games with vocals powered by the VOCALOID™ software, as well as privately obtained licensed vocals. AND They officially are confirmed as having a licensed vocal in development or planning stage has begun. ]: #

[// Derivatives are not classified as "VOCALOIDs" nor are characters powered by other software such as UTAU and neither are supported by YAMAHA Corporation. ]: #

### The Verdict

**Z is out.**

**G is out (Hatsune Miku). 1000% in on vocaloid technology.**

**T is mostly out.**

### This week's spotlight

Nothing this week. Sorry.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

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

**Z**

Why are masks important to Lucha Libre?

**T**

In mask, out of mask... Is there a Bruce Wayne-like character, who is never in the same place at the same time?

**G**

In American Wrestling, working on a limb ... is always the left side. In Lucha Libre: it's always the right side. Why?

[// Ask people on stream ]: #

## 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

- [Vocaloid Wikia - Vocaloid (mascot)](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Vocaloid_(mascot))

- [Vocaloid Wikia - Hatsune Miku](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Hatsune_Miku)

- [Vocaloid Wikia - Character Vocal Series](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Character_Vocal_Series)

- [Vocaloid Wikia - VOCALOID2](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/VOCALOID2)

- [Vocaloid Wikia - VOCALOID](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/VOCALOID)

- [Fanlore - Hatsune Miku](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku_(Vocaloid))

- [Wikipedia - Hatsune Miku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku)

- [Polygon - What to expect at a Hatsune Miku concert](https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/31/11818548/hatsune-miku-concert-review-nyc-may-2016)

- [NewStatesman - Crowd-sourced pop singer Hatsune Miku reveals the true nature of stardom](https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/observations/2017/03/crowd-sourced-pop-singer-hatsune-miku-reveals-true-nature-stardom)

- [Kotaku - The Crowd Went Wild For Hatsune Miku, The Virtual Anime Pop Star](https://kotaku.com/the-crowd-went-wild-for-hatsune-miku-the-virtual-anime-1773633946)

- [Vulture - Hatsune Miku Is a Piece of Software. She May Also Be the Future of Music.](http://www.vulture.com/2014/11/hatsune-miku-the-future-of-music.html)

- [Polygon - Is Hatsune Miku a better pop star than Justin Bieber? A video explainer on the future of pop stardom](https://www.polygon.com/2014/6/24/5834596/who-is-hatsune-miku-video)

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

- [Youtube - Hatsune Miku - Rolling Girl - Live in Sapporo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyTmXLWCazw)

- [Youtube - Hatsune Miku - World is Mine/ryo (supercell) (初音ミク)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhl5afLEKdo)

- [PRI - Japan’s Biggest Pop Star Right Now is a Fetishized Hologram](https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-04-10/japan-s-biggest-pop-star-right-now-fetishized-hologram)

- [r/Vocaloid - Why Do You Like Vocaloid?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Vocaloid/comments/5uij7e/why_do_you_like_vocaloid/)

- [Yahoo Japan - Why Are You Treated Like Geeks If You Like Hatsune Miku](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q12175043127&prev=search)

- [Yahoo Japan - Does Liking Hatsune Miku Make You an Otaku?](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q11100859876&prev=search)

- [RocketNews24 - Japanese Magazine’s Checklist for the Ideal Girl has a Whopping 23 Points](http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/02/28/japanese-magazines-checklist-for-the-ideal-girl-has-a-whopping-23-points/)

- [Buzzfeed - How Did A CGI Anime Character Named Hatsune Miku End Up Performing On The "Late Show"?](https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/who-the-heck-is-hatsune-miku)

- [RojakDaily - Who Is This Virtual Singer Hatsune Miku And How Did She Make Over 2.5 Million Fans Fall For Her?](http://www.rojakdaily.com/entertainment/article/3424/who-is-this-virtual-singer-hatsune-miku-and-how-did-she-make-over-2-5-million-fans-fall-for-her)

- [MikuFan.com - Today is Miku’s 5th “Disappearance Day” Anniversary](http://www.mikufan.com/today-is-mikus-5th-disappearance-day-anniversary/#sthash.ayU5VBHn.dpbs)

- [Vocaloid Wiki - Legal Implications](http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Legal_Implications)

- [Kotaku - Fans Crowdfund A Hatsune Miku Shrine For Over $40,000](https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/09/fans-crowdfund-a-hatsune-miku-shrine-for-over-40000/)

- [YouTube - Design at Large - Tara Knight, Miku: The Open Source Girl Who Conquered the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5inrCgSGDg&t=1040s)

### 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/)

- ["Woman Hairstyle"](https://thenounproject.com/term/woman-hairstyle/1026778) by [habione 404](https://thenounproject.com/habione.404) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Singing"](https://thenounproject.com/term/singing/1126348) by [Tomasz Pasternak](https://thenounproject.com/tomekpst) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

This week, we're continuing our journey around the world, venturing to South Korea to up our actions per minute (APM) as we learn more about fans of Starcraft! What is it about this almost-twenty-year-old game that is still so captivating to fans? Or has it lost its allure since the sequel (and many competitors) have been released? And why is it so popular in South Korea, of all places?

Next week, we'll be heading off to Japan to learn about the world's most famous virtual idol, Hatsune Miku!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

> StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise ... owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerfully enigmatic Protoss, and the "god-like" Xel'Naga creator race.

> ...

> The original game [released in 1998] and its official expansion have been praised as one of the benchmark real-time strategy games of its time. The series has gathered a solid following around the world

>

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

**Size of Fandom:**

As of December 2010 (admittedly, not the most recent data) StarCraft II had sold over 4.5 million copies, and had over 2 million illegal downloads (setting a record for most data transferred by a single torrent in only three months).

By June 2007, Starcraft and its expansion, Brood War, had sold nearly 10 million copies combined (4.5 million, of which, were sold in South Korea alone).

The StarCraft reddit has over 190 000 subscribers, and the StarCraft II subreddit has over 10 000.

**Changes in Fandom:**

[Interest in StarCraft has been on the decline](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F06nh1,%2Fm%2F02qty_5,starcraft) with interest reaching its height in August 2010 (the release of Starcraft II), and some other spikes in (Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm's release) and May 2007 (the Blizzard World Wide Invitational hosted in Korea).

[// Worth noting that google trends show relative interest to itself, not relative to other fandoms / search terms ]: #

[// (apparently 150 apm, effectively 2.5 actions per second, is what it takes to be proficient in StarCraft II) ]: #

### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/43-cricket-fans/) Famous Last Words

**Z**

In the game StarCraft, there are three races you can choose: which is most popular in South Korea and why?

**G**

Is StarCraft an expression of Korea's interest in sci-fi in general (compared to China and Warcraft)?

**T**

StarCraft 2 is less popular than StarCraft 1 because it sucks.

[// I mean... not wrong. Lots of people _said_ this, but didn't back it up. One quora question cited that StarCraft II is younger (balance not as resolved) and StarCraft I is a slower game, which makes it more interesting (and is harder to master). ]: #

[// THIS was an interesting quote though: ]: #

[// > Starcraft 2 drastically reduces all of this. It has autocontrol groups meaning you can just select you entire huge army and command at once, It has Automine rally point, Shift click for multiple build order, stacking of researches => basically less for the player to do. ]: #

[// > **But the problem is exactly this. Starcraft 2 managed to remove what differentiated the great Starcraft players from others.** ]: #

### The Verdict

**T is out**

**G is out. Doesn't need anymore.**

**Z is out.**

### This week's spotlight

No spotlight this week. Sorry folks.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

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

**Z**

Hatsune Miku is popular in part due to dating sims.

**G**

A portion of her fanbase does not know that she is not a real person.

**T**

Are there male counterparts? Is Hatsune Miku peak moe?

## 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

- [Ars Technica - Build, gather, brawl, repeat: The history of real-time strategy games](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/09/build-gather-brawl-repeat-the-history-of-real-time-strategy-games/)

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

- [Wikipedia - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft_II:_Wings_of_Liberty)

- [Quora - Why do some people prefer the original Starcraft to Starcraft 2?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-some-people-prefer-the-original-Starcraft-to-Starcraft-2)

- [Kotaku - Why is StarCraft so popular in Korea?](https://kotaku.com/5595262/why-is-starcraft-so-popular-in-korea)

- [Kotaku - The End Of An Era For StarCraft and South Korea](https://kotaku.com/the-end-of-an-era-for-starcraft-and-south-korea-1787917075)

- [Youtube - Starcraft - A Blank Canvas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eetGJMLrFwE&feature=youtu.be)

- [IGN - THE RISE AND FALL OF STARCRAFT II AS AN ESPORT](http://ca.ign.com/articles/2016/03/22/the-rise-and-fall-of-starcraft-ii-as-an-esport)

- [Cracked - 5 Insane True Facts About StarCraft: The Professional Sport](http://www.cracked.com/article_18763_5-insane-true-facts-about-starcraft-professional-sport.html)

- [RankedFTW - 1v1 Race Distribution](http://www.rankedftw.com/stats/races/1v1/#v=2&r=2&l=0)

- [Quora - How did StarCraft get so popular in South Korea? Why did it not become hugely popular in Japan, where a lot of similar cultural forces are in effect?](https://www.quora.com/How-did-StarCraft-get-so-popular-in-South-Korea-Why-did-it-not-become-hugely-popular-in-Japan-where-a-lot-of-similar-cultural-forces-are-in-effect)

- [Ask a Korean! - Why is StarCraft Popular in Korea?](http://askakorean.blogspot.ca/2010/02/why-is-starcraft-popular-in-korea.html)

- [Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada - Zergling Rush: A Look at the Assailing South Korean Gaming Industry](https://www.asiapacific.ca/blog/zergling-rush-look-assailing-south-korean-gaming-industry)

- [SC2VN - Home](http://www.sc2vn.com/)

- [decal.org - Game Theory With Applications to Starcraft](http://www.decal.org/file/1202)

- [Scientific American - How a Computer Game is Reinventing the Science of Expertise](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/how-a-computer-game-is-reinventing-the-science-of-expertise-video/)

- [NPR - U.S. Recognizaes A South Korean StarCraft Player As An Athlete](http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/12/15/250793493/u-s-recognizes-a-south-korean-starcraft-player-as-an-athlete)

- [The Guardian - StarCraft II and The Bad Boy of Pro-Gaming](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/may/20/starcraft-2-greg-idra-fields)

- [Daum.net TIP - Protoss, Terran, Zerg - What Should I Do?](https://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://tip.daum.net/question/59703034&prev=search)

- [Dot Esports - Why Protoss has Dominated Pro 'StarCraft 2' in 2014](https://dotesports.com/general/starcraft-protoss-dominate-why-216)

### 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/)

- ["Strategy"](https://thenounproject.com/term/strategy/969081) by [Thomas' designs](https://thenounproject.com/thomasdesigns) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

- ["Alien"](https://thenounproject.com/term/alien/724580) by [NOPIXEL](https://thenounproject.com/nopixel) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)

This week, we're batting our best and bowling for the fences as we talk about fans of that popular English sport, Cricket! Why is it so popular? Is it really as slow as they say? Stay tuned!

Next week, there'll be less qq and more pew-pew when we dive into fans of StarCraft!

## Episode outline

### Fandom Facts

**Origins:**

Cricket is in some ways, not dissimilar from more familiar (to North Americans) sports such as baseball:

> Cricket is a ... played between two teams of eleven players each on a cricket field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard-long pitch with a target called the wicket (a set of three wooden stumps topped by two bails) at each end. Each phase of play is called an innings during which one team bats, attempting to score as many runs as possible, whilst their opponents field. Depending on the type of match, the teams have one or two innings apiece and, when the first innings ends, the teams swap roles for the next innings.

>

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

It is unclear when the sport began, but it is likely to have started around the middle of the 16th century and the first international matches took place in the second half of the 19th century (with the sport having grown globally as part of the expansion of the British Empire). Interestingly enough, the first international match took place between the United States and Canada (of all places) in 1844.

**Most Active:**

Unlike many recent fandoms we're explored, interest in cricket seems to be increasing! [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F09xp_,%2Fm%2F018jz) indicates a slow increase in interest in the sport since 2004, with a few spikes recently corresponding to the Cricket World Cup (the largest spike happening in 2015).

**Size of Fandom:**

The [Cricket subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/) has about 48 thousand subscribers.

In 2015-2016, the National Cricket Census of Australia recealed that over 1.3 million people play cricket (Australia has a population of about 24 million), 24% of cricketers being female.

[WorldAtlas.com](http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html) estimates the number of followers of cricket to be 2.5 billion (behind soccer, at 4 billion).

**Around the world:**

Cricket is popular around the world. The international governing body of cricket, the International Cricket Council, has 105 members representing a large part of the world. It is most popular in the British commonwealth, and, in particular, Pakistan and India.

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

**G**

~~What is the connection between the game cricket and the insect cricket?~~

Has anyone become a fan of cricket via the fifth Doctor?

**Z**

Is there a rap song or concept album about the sport of cricket?

**T**

Why are people fans of such a slow game?

[// I may not know the _fan_ part of this answer, but I do know that cricket doesn't have to be a slow game. While I had heard of games lasting for days, these were probably games of _Test cricket_ which has unlimited overs (kind of like an at-bat?). _Twenty20 cricket_ is played over a few hours where each team has single innings of 20 overs (120 deliveries) which sounds a _lot faster_. ]: #

### The Verdict

**Z is in ... well, it's on the list, anyway.**

**T is out. Call me when there is robo-Cricket.**

**G is out... unless someone emails [email protected] with the best cricket has to offer. Then, maybe**

### This week's spotlight

**[Chance to Shine](https://www.chancetoshine.org/about-us)**

Chance to Shine is a charity that teaches kids life skills and spreads 'the power of cricket'.

[// Plugs go here ]: #

### Famous Last Words

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

**Z**

In the game StarCraft, there are three races you can choose: which is most popular in South Korea and why?

**G**

Is StarCraft an expression of South Korea's interest in sci-fi in general (compared to China and Warcraft)?

**T**

StarCraft 2 is less popular than StarCraft 1 because it sucks.

## 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

- [Cricket.com.au - Cricket becomes Australia's No.1 participation sport](http://www.cricket.com.au/news/cricket-australia-census-participation-numbers-women-men-children-james-sutherland/2016-08-23)

- [WorldAtlas.com - What Are The Most Popular Sports In The World?](http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html)

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

- [ESPN Cricinfo | Cricket Blogs – Ian McDonald: Why Cricket is the Greatest of All Games](http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/934488.html)

- [Online Etymology Dictionary – Cricket](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cricket)

- [Quora – Thomas Foster's Answer to What is so Great About Cricket?](https://www.quora.com/What-is-so-great-about-cricket/answer/Thomas-Foster)

- [Quora – Why Do Most Indians Like Cricket?](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-most-Indians-like-cricket)

- [Quora – Why Most of People Like Cricket?](https://www.quora.com/Why-most-of-people-like-cricket)

- [r/Cricket – Why Is Cricket So Focused on International Contests Rather than Domestic Leagues?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/comments/6jffrx/why_is_cricket_so_focused_on_international/)

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

- [The Independent – What a Smash: A Concept Album About Cricket](http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/what-a-smash-a-concept-album-about-cricket-1731286.html)

- [Wikipedia – The Duckworth Lewis Method](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Duckworth_Lewis_Method)

- [YouTube – India Rap Song-Rapteek (Official 2015 Cricket World Cup Song)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRe8HG4_e4I)

- [The Guardian - Why do we play cricket?](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/dec/10/why-do-we-play-cricket)

- [ESPN Cricinfo - Why do you love cricket? (QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH RORY BREMNER)](http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/story/80107.html)

- [Wikipedia - History of cricket](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cricket)

- [r/ cricket - Trying to bring people into the game](https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/comments/6z656g/trying_to_bring_people_into_the_game/)

- [TARDIS Wiki - Cricket](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Cricket)

### 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/)

- ["Cricket"](https://thenounproject.com/term/orc-shaman/318103) by [Darrin Loeliger](https://thenounproject.com/MrMuma) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)