Every six months, once on Eleven-ThirtyEight’s anniversary and once at Christmas, I give the inmates a week off and run five days of the Second Look feature, wherein a highlight particularly interesting pieces; some that maybe didn’t get much attention the first time, and some that I think just warrant extra attention. While our anniversary isn’t technically until July 8th, that’s the week Dark Disciple comes out, so I decided to get this out of the way a little early. Yay, summer!
First up is Shouting Into the Void, by Alexander Gaultier. Partly a response to the volatile gaming industry, Alexander’s message here is twofold: firstly, internet-age fandom doesn’t have as much sway over the movements of its favorite franchises as it might think, and two, that’s not exactly a bad thing:
“Fan reactions are commonly heated, passionate affairs that make political debates look like bastions of civility and compassion by comparison, dominated by knee-jerk reactions and seething personal attacks directed at those they perceive as having wronged them. The human desire to find someone to whom they can attach blame is a strong one: it is unfortunate that, in many cases, due to the strength of their feelings outweighing their knowledge of the creative process, their target is the wrong one.
Remember, Second Look is a daily feature—so come back tomorrow for another piece!
