Molly's Secret Shame: D&D
This vlog is a discussion about the history and composition of Dungeons & Dragons. The presentation, format, and tone all construct a particluar identity for this player of D&D. How does this work with the preconceptions we've discussed about the hobby? How does it work against them? Consider the speaker herself: what about her alters our perception of the subject matter?
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7 comments:
Using a girl to describe D&D helps to show that not all D&D players are guys. Also, she's not ugly, again ridding the game of that stereotype.
This video blog describes a lot about D & D and the substance behind the game. But what I believe makes this video even more powerful is the speaker herself. First off, she's a girl! And not just an average girl, but she's actually a decently pretty one at that (the majority of people would stereotype players and say that only awkward and weird looking boys play). Secondly, on top of her being a pretty girl, she also has an accent. This point I find very very interesting! It gives me the impression that anyone and everyone plays...even people from around the world! Both of these points completely contradict the typical D & D image of the people that play.
I felt that the video wasn't as much selling the play D&D game as other ad based D&D videos. It seemed to tell more about the life's of people that play the game like what happened to the founders.
The format of this video was very appealing. It involved a pretty narrator, lots of images, and simple explanations pertaining to D and D. The tone of the video seemed very light-hearted with a slight twinge of mockery, as evidenced by the word "nerd/nerds" used multiple times. Because the speaker is a girl, she altered my perception of the game. I wouldn't have taken this video as seriously if a white nerdy boy with acne was narrating it. Because I am a girl, and D and D is primarily associated with nerdy men, I was able connect with the girl better. All and all she made D and D look more appealing.
If the creator of this video had been a male, people scrolling through videos probably wouldn't have stopped to watch the video. Because there is a girl and the topic is about Dungeons and Dragons, people already are intrigued about what she has to say, especially Dungeons and Dragons players.
Here, the history of D&D is presented as fact, with commentary interjected about the social implications of the hobby (references to being a geek/nerd). This supports the perceptions of D&D players that we've discussed. The speaker is a normal, pretty blonde girl which goes against our perception of D&D players as nerdy, adolescent boys with no social lives.
This player of Dungeons and Dragons goes against all preconceptions held about D & D players. The speaker uses a casual, yet informative tone, that welcomes any audience, whether one is a D & D player or not. This welcoming tone works to the speaker's advantage; she is not the anti-social person most people would label a D & D player as. Being anti-social is just one characteristic that is usually associated with the game; other descriptions also include being nerdy or weird. This speaker does not come off as nerdy with her down to earth tone and not out of the ordinary appearance. Even if she considers herself a nerd, she still helps misconstruct the identity most outsiders have for players.
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