Our next guest bloggings comes from David Snow (I don't know his real last name :p), who handles Jason Snow. He writes on a subject that's near and dear to my heart, and I have to say, it's a must-read.
Now and Then
by David "Snow," Special Guest to RRoaEL
Upon returning to e-wrestling after a three year hiatus, I was staggered to see the differences in the game. First of all, it seems that angle feds turned out to be just a fad after all, and the RP fed once again reigns supreme. Second, people are much more mature, but I suppose that comes along with the fact that it’s mostly the same people, only now we’re all way too old for this game. Third, the game itself has lost a lot of steam.
Around the time I left in 2003, eW was electric. Forums were buzzing with activity, and there were chats going around the clock. No matter what time of day you were able to stop in, there was always something going on to get your eW fix.
It’s not like that now.
The forums are, for the most part, looked at, but not used. The chats are reserved for rare occasions.
Originally, I just thought the game had changed; that people just weren’t as into as I remembered. But when I got into the community, I saw that wasn’t the case either. You only need GTT6 for proof of that. Even during the most active time that I was involved in eW, I’ve never seen anything generate buzz like GTT6.
I’ve talked to many people about the state of eW today as compared to the time I left, and nearly all of them said the same thing - eW will rebound when the wrestling industry rebounds. I agreed. It sounds logical, right? More wrestling fans mean more people will trickle in to eW, populating our game with new blood. The over all numbers are down, but I think everyone will agree, the bulk of the difference is in how many “new” guys are around. In 2002/2003, there were a lot of guys who’d been involved in the game for less than four months - less than two months, even. Since my comeback, I don’t think I’ve talked to one.
But that’ll change when wrestling gets popular again, right?
Well...
Rating for WWE RAW (September 30, 2002): 3.6
Rating for WWE RAW (October 7, 2002): 3.8
Rating for WWE RAW (October 14, 2002): 3.8
Rating for WWE RAW (September 29, 2003): 3.4
Rating for WWE RAW (October 6, 2003): 3.4
Rating for WWE RAW (October 13, 2003): 3.6
Rating for WWE RAW (September 25, 2006): 3.7
Rating for WWE RAW (October 2, 2006): 3.4
Rating for WWE RAW (October 9, 2006): 3.8
Lets face it. The golden age of wrestling was over a full year, or perhaps two, before the golden age of eW began.
In preparation for this article, I decided to look around at other feds. I found one of those Top-100 sites and starting going through. I was very surprised. When you look through the “geocities” and “angelfire” feds, almost nothing has changed. These feds seem as active as ever, if not, I daresay moreso. I know what you’re thinking: “I saw one of those Top-100 feds sites too, and a lot of the feds had long-since died.” All I can say is you might be looking at 2002/2003 through rose-colored glasses, because that’s what those things always looked like. Small feds rarely made it to their six month anniversary. The point is, people are still creating the feds.
I found out recently that my first ever fed has come back from the grave - not only has it come back, but it’s now bursting with activity. It has a roster of over thirty members, and that’s a conservative estimate. They’re all very active. And yes, the fed still uses real pictures and several of it’s RP’s happen in a ring.
Looking through these feds, I came to two conclusions. You can think they’re wrong if you like, but I believe that these are cold truths that we should accept.
Conclusion #1
The decline of e-fedding is an illusion.
Conclusion #2
We have hi-jacked the hobby.
Who are we?
We are the writers.
I am, perhaps, more guilty of this than any of you. I don’t watch wrestling; I haven’t watched wrestling since roughly 2002. I don’t know who the WWE champion is, and in casual conversation, I still refer to it as the “WWF.” I don’t know who the faces and heels are. If I’m flipping through the channels and I happen to see an old face from my childhood, I’ll stop to watch. Other than that, the most it will get is a quick pause, and then I’m onto the next channel.
I’m not alone. In fact, I don’t even think I’m in the minority. That’s not to say I don’t like wrestling. I think that each of us involved in the game has, at some point or another, been captivated with the sport. It is, after all, the closest thing there is to a soap opera made for males. But to say I’m a fan? No... I’m like the guy who’s favorite baseball player has long since retired. He likes the sport - you might even say he has a love for it - but it is very hard to call him a fan.
But eW isn’t about wrestling anymore - lets face it. It’s about intriguing stories that may or may not be loosely based on wrestling. The characters in eW are not really characters at all, save for a few. Ask around.
“What’s your character?”
“Oh, I handle John Smith in GWF (Generic Wrestling Federation).”
“Oh yeah, what’s his gimmick?”
“He’s a guy that was born into a terrible family where his father abused his mother. Now he’s in the middle of a plot to blow up his city because an evil congressman is trying to divert attention away from his unnatural lust for young boys.”
You know who has the best “gimmick” in that? The congressman with the unnatural lust for young boys. What we call gimmicks today aren’t really gimmicks - they’re circumstances that surround the main character. A gimmick is who the character is, not what’s going on in his life.
Again, I’m probably more guilty of this than the rest of you. That’s because I’m in the game for the writing, and often times, the most interesting characters are pretty ordinary ones that get caught up in an unordinary situation. Why? Because we’re writers, and those are the kinds of characters that people can relate to.
And damn it, have we ever gotten good.
There are a handful of people involved in PTC right now that have the talent to write a novel. They might even have the talent to write professionally. And just behind them, there are several more e-fedders who are developing at a pace that will have them in that group shortly. There are guys that I would wager large amounts of money that, given enough free time, could make it as authors. And without e-fedding, they’d probably have remained above average.
But where does this leave the average wrestling fan?
They come to PTC, looking for a good wrestling game to get involved in. They see the posers, read the news columns, check out some rankings... they’re excited. They want to get involved. But then they come to the RP section, and they find that it’s not a wrestling game at all. It’s a writing game that simply uses wrestling as its platform. They’re not interested in a writing game.
And you know what’s funny? I’ll bet many of you would have been in the same boat when you got into the game. 99% of us got into it for wrestling - I know I did. Many of us were decent writers to begin with, so as the game evolved, we didn’t have much trouble adjusting. Many of us weren’t great writers, but through practice, became good writers. Many of us were terrible writers, but because of sheer competitiveness, or perhaps simply to continue having fun in the game, we got better. Maybe it was even an accident.
I’m not being critical - I want that to be known. I’m just pointing out that this really isn’t a wrestling game anymore, and that’s probably the biggest reason for the decline.
And when I say “we’ve hijacked the hobby,” I really only mean we’ve hi-jacked the major leagues of the hobby. Because it seems that in the feds that we used to call “indy” feds, where it’s still all about the wrestling, things about the same as they always were.
It’s not about making changes, it’s about accepting the way things are. We’ll probably never get back to the heights of the “Ron days,” simply because the game has changed now. Being a wrestling fan isn’t enough to thrive in PTC now. You have to have the unique combination of being a wrestling fan/like wrestling, and being a fairly talented writer or better. That combination is a lot harder to find, and thus, new blood continues come in at a trickle.
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
FW.com is sleeping
...and I'd like to wake it up.
I wrote this entry a little while back this year concerning the slow death of wrestling promo-styled RPs and feds of that nature. Of course, I was assured this wasn't happening, but here we are, 9 months later, and the FW community of feds is at a near standstill. Only UCW has come out with a new show in the last month, but to their credit, the show that was just in RP for them was very hotly RPed for. We're still waiting on shows from EPW, NFW and NEW. Plus, we've seen some signs of life from the sleeping giant known as WFW. Those four feds are the lifeblood of FW (I've always seen the CSWA as a seperate entity unto FW... part of the community but apart from it at the same time), and they've been quiet this year so far.
Of course, it's for good reason, Edmunds is going to law school, Brunk has recently had to pick up a second job and Katz moved across the country. Plus, Shane C., who's had problems getting his shows up, has had to deal with college and with his co-fedhead dropping on him. I know I sound like a broken record, but we're all getting older, and of course that's going to hurt our productivity. I've been trying to spark life into FW with TEAM, but I can only do so much. This is all besides the point though.
Without FW.com, the only corner of the fed devoted to old-school wrestling promo RPs is at A1, and that's a small corner to say the least. The two feds there, A1E MBE, are about as old-school as you can get, but we barely register a blip on the big screen (a problem that we seem to be rectifying in this year's GTT6).
Even in the CSWA, when the Gold Rush was in RP, while the best players in the match were going old school (Brunk, Pete, Gregg, Lindz), a good amount of people went in and put up newer, short-story style RPs looking to win. There was a distinct dichotomy between the FW regulars and the PTC-styled guests.
None of the past events have done anything to allay my fears that my favored style of RPing is dying. People seem not to be interested in it in the most active community (PTC). I mean, there are some people there who look down on it, debasing it as "mere trash talk," saying events can "devolve into trash talk" and using other verbiage that suggests that only lower form writers use that style.
And if I can go on an aside here, only people who are ignorant to how the style works will talk that badly about it. People who think that wrestling promo styled RP is only "I R better than U" and who have never read a Lindsay Troy EPW RP, or any of the Dan Ryan Alter-Ego RPs in the CSWA Gold Rush, or who have never bothered to realize that one of their own, Nova, is among the best old-school styled RPers in NFW and TEAM right no, they don't know what they're missing out on. I mean, of course the n00bs of the world will pull the second-grade crap, but if you tell me that you can read a promo by Eddie Mayfield or Felix Red or Yori Yakamo, Jr. or The Spoiler or Beast or Big Dog or Troy Windham or Jonathan Marx or Doc Silver or Jason Payne or HAL or Professor Tremendous or Freakfish or even one of my many characters and still think it's base trash talk crap, then I don't know what to tell you.
People at FW seem not to have the time to run the feds needed to keep the community active. When you don't have the activity to denounce the naysayers, negative stereotypes will abound. I'm not saying that all of us should quit are jobs and do this full-time. Unless Chad wants to pay us. I'm just saying... maybe it's time for another fedhead to step in and run a fed that will stabilize, someone younger, or perhaps someone who's rich or out on disability leave. I don't know. FW needs some lifeblood injected into it.
The old-school needs to thrive for e-fedding to truly thrive. Hopefully, I can do my part with the lineup of TEAM events that I have coming up, but interfed stuff should only be used as a supplement to healthy fed activity.
I don't know. Maybe I'm pushing the panic button. But really, I don't want to see FW.com and the wonderfully rich style contained therein to wither away.
I wrote this entry a little while back this year concerning the slow death of wrestling promo-styled RPs and feds of that nature. Of course, I was assured this wasn't happening, but here we are, 9 months later, and the FW community of feds is at a near standstill. Only UCW has come out with a new show in the last month, but to their credit, the show that was just in RP for them was very hotly RPed for. We're still waiting on shows from EPW, NFW and NEW. Plus, we've seen some signs of life from the sleeping giant known as WFW. Those four feds are the lifeblood of FW (I've always seen the CSWA as a seperate entity unto FW... part of the community but apart from it at the same time), and they've been quiet this year so far.
Of course, it's for good reason, Edmunds is going to law school, Brunk has recently had to pick up a second job and Katz moved across the country. Plus, Shane C., who's had problems getting his shows up, has had to deal with college and with his co-fedhead dropping on him. I know I sound like a broken record, but we're all getting older, and of course that's going to hurt our productivity. I've been trying to spark life into FW with TEAM, but I can only do so much. This is all besides the point though.
Without FW.com, the only corner of the fed devoted to old-school wrestling promo RPs is at A1, and that's a small corner to say the least. The two feds there, A1E MBE, are about as old-school as you can get, but we barely register a blip on the big screen (a problem that we seem to be rectifying in this year's GTT6).
Even in the CSWA, when the Gold Rush was in RP, while the best players in the match were going old school (Brunk, Pete, Gregg, Lindz), a good amount of people went in and put up newer, short-story style RPs looking to win. There was a distinct dichotomy between the FW regulars and the PTC-styled guests.
None of the past events have done anything to allay my fears that my favored style of RPing is dying. People seem not to be interested in it in the most active community (PTC). I mean, there are some people there who look down on it, debasing it as "mere trash talk," saying events can "devolve into trash talk" and using other verbiage that suggests that only lower form writers use that style.
And if I can go on an aside here, only people who are ignorant to how the style works will talk that badly about it. People who think that wrestling promo styled RP is only "I R better than U" and who have never read a Lindsay Troy EPW RP, or any of the Dan Ryan Alter-Ego RPs in the CSWA Gold Rush, or who have never bothered to realize that one of their own, Nova, is among the best old-school styled RPers in NFW and TEAM right no, they don't know what they're missing out on. I mean, of course the n00bs of the world will pull the second-grade crap, but if you tell me that you can read a promo by Eddie Mayfield or Felix Red or Yori Yakamo, Jr. or The Spoiler or Beast or Big Dog or Troy Windham or Jonathan Marx or Doc Silver or Jason Payne or HAL or Professor Tremendous or Freakfish or even one of my many characters and still think it's base trash talk crap, then I don't know what to tell you.
People at FW seem not to have the time to run the feds needed to keep the community active. When you don't have the activity to denounce the naysayers, negative stereotypes will abound. I'm not saying that all of us should quit are jobs and do this full-time. Unless Chad wants to pay us. I'm just saying... maybe it's time for another fedhead to step in and run a fed that will stabilize, someone younger, or perhaps someone who's rich or out on disability leave. I don't know. FW needs some lifeblood injected into it.
The old-school needs to thrive for e-fedding to truly thrive. Hopefully, I can do my part with the lineup of TEAM events that I have coming up, but interfed stuff should only be used as a supplement to healthy fed activity.
I don't know. Maybe I'm pushing the panic button. But really, I don't want to see FW.com and the wonderfully rich style contained therein to wither away.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Taking e-fedding too seriously
Just as a note, I'm not just going to leave the fantasy roster as is. I will book it, probably starting tomorrow or Friday. It will be an ongoing thing; maybe I'll do year one for it. In the meantime though...
This great hobby of ours is just that... a hobby. It's something to do to relieve the stresses of real life, not to add onto them. At one point in my life, I didn't realize this, and I ended up burning myself out on e-fedding. Just ask anyone who was in A1E in the year 2002... it wasn't pretty.
I think it took that time away and my tenure in A1E as Roderick McRatrick to make me realize that I shouldn't taek things so hard or personally. It's the same as any competition. Someone has to win, and someone has to lose. When you take losing so personally, then on average, you're miserable 50% of the time. That's not the way to go.
So I guess the moral of the story is, it really shouldn't matter if someone tells you that they thought you shouldn't win a match. Once again, one guy has to win, another guy has to lose. It's the way the cookie crumbles. I've had three people come out and say, be it to me, or in public, that they thought Farnswirth won that match. And you know what? I really don't care either way. Phil put up a hell of an effort, and to tell you the truth, I thought he was going to win. It's not belittlement at all to say that they didn't think I should have won. It's just that the match was close.
Too many times we get so absorbed with wins and losses that we lose sight that it's only a game. Besides, wins and losses are only a part of wrestling. We base so much of what we do in this hobby off of the stuff on TV or in the indie circuit, and you know what? All of those results are booked ahead of time, way before any promos are cut or segments building the match are shown. It's all in the name of telling a story.
So, if you can't win a match every week, then at least try to tell a story every week. Odds are, people will take notice and maybe that will help you get the wins you want.
This great hobby of ours is just that... a hobby. It's something to do to relieve the stresses of real life, not to add onto them. At one point in my life, I didn't realize this, and I ended up burning myself out on e-fedding. Just ask anyone who was in A1E in the year 2002... it wasn't pretty.
I think it took that time away and my tenure in A1E as Roderick McRatrick to make me realize that I shouldn't taek things so hard or personally. It's the same as any competition. Someone has to win, and someone has to lose. When you take losing so personally, then on average, you're miserable 50% of the time. That's not the way to go.
So I guess the moral of the story is, it really shouldn't matter if someone tells you that they thought you shouldn't win a match. Once again, one guy has to win, another guy has to lose. It's the way the cookie crumbles. I've had three people come out and say, be it to me, or in public, that they thought Farnswirth won that match. And you know what? I really don't care either way. Phil put up a hell of an effort, and to tell you the truth, I thought he was going to win. It's not belittlement at all to say that they didn't think I should have won. It's just that the match was close.
Too many times we get so absorbed with wins and losses that we lose sight that it's only a game. Besides, wins and losses are only a part of wrestling. We base so much of what we do in this hobby off of the stuff on TV or in the indie circuit, and you know what? All of those results are booked ahead of time, way before any promos are cut or segments building the match are shown. It's all in the name of telling a story.
So, if you can't win a match every week, then at least try to tell a story every week. Odds are, people will take notice and maybe that will help you get the wins you want.
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