This video has gone viral because very catchy, funny lyrics but also because of the famousness of the actors on the internet. The actors are from a popular webisode type show that has gained fame through the internet series The Guild. The lyrics of this music video are based on the differences between the characters and its users. In the lyrics are jokes poking at the gamer community but in it lies the truth. The lyrics are really a harsh truth that is glazed over by a catchy beat and funny dances. Many gamers could relate to the lyrics “you will never see my actual face” which is very true unless you want to meet them. Gamers hide their identities through their avatars and can be whatever they create online. Their characters can fall in love with other characters but their love is based on what the user tells the other person. Users often stretch the truth or like to make themselves look better for a fresh start (Aspects of the Self). Many people use MMORPGs to escape their daily lives it is like the games are “better than a real world quest” (“Date My Avatar”). The music video reproduces the idealized gaming world but with real people. The white background makes it seem like that place is in no real location, it could be anywhere, just like in games, that world is not really a place that can be found in real life. The video appeals to many people because the gamers are of different race, age and class. Overall the beats and the catchy lyrics can be what is making this video popular.
-Jeany Yang
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This video was originally created to promote the next season of the guild. There are those that might not be into the show that would help pass along the video because its so catchy and funny. It works well for those that haven't seen the show before because it doesn't give much of the storyline away.
ReplyDeleteNot only does this song help the show by gaining viewers but this song brings in a profit. If you look at the information box on the youtube page. The producers mention that you can purchase the songs on amazon and itunes. Then there are advertisement at the bottom of the video by google.
Despite all of the aims that the creators gad in the production of this music video, its still a great video to enjoy.
- Dannie Phan
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ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I have fallen victim to this video. I really like it in more than one way and can relate to the lyrics of the song. Like we said in class, there is so much going on in this video it is impossible to address it all in 300 words.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely addresses a lot of the issues that we have been talking about in class with the use of avatars relating to identity and the whole online community as well as the use of space which makes it seem like a real game world.
The lyrics to the song are pure genius in that they say what they need to about the show, the lifestyle, ect. and are still incredibly catchy.
~Jana S.
This video was brilliant on the behalf of the show. It is very catchy and relates directly to an alter online identity. It relates directly to the audience that the show attracts. The wording is very smart and direct. People that have an alter online identity know how it works and appreciate the sincerity of the video's story line. It is truthful but in a musical way which makes reality somewhat more funny and sugar coated.
ReplyDeleteJeany states that the video is poking fun at the gamer community but it can also be argued that the video is in fact celebrating the gamer lifestyle and helping to bring on a wider acceptance of gamers' niche attitudes. The video itself adopts the glossy glamorous look of popular music videos through close ups on Felicia Day's feminine features, rapid editing, sexy dancing, and the song itself which features an infectious repetitious electronic beat with a catchy hook. By using the form of widely accepted media to talk about "nerdier" reality of MMORPG, this video encourages viewers to pass it on to those outside the usual network of The Guild viewers (gamers, nerds, geeks, etc). By transcending its usual network, the show's viewership will expand while more of the general population is educated about gamer slang and culture, hopefully increasing acceptance of "nerdiness". This goal is in line with the show's general aim, which smartly pokes fun at gamers while also celebrating them as normal individuals struggling with normal issues.
ReplyDeleteThe Guild is structured like a television show but broadcast online. This viral video serves the function of a commercial but is in the form of a music video. These mixed appropriation of styles can be seen as a "strategy of incorporation" in face of the challenges of new media production. All our media are re-mediations of other media, while established producers of old media infringe on new media's territory in order to maintain economic prowess. The unique features of new media - modularity, variability - are its greatest defenses as the younger generation constantly adapt, adopt, and adjust to the shifting media scene. Because of this flexibility, new media remains viable in face of old media's greater economic strength.
Previous comment by Se Young Kang
ReplyDeleteThis video is great because it demonstrates digital identity in a funny way as well as advertising for the next season of The Guild by using the characters from the show. Not only visually does it demonstrate identity, but through the lyrics as well. The fact that the characters appear to be nowhere due to the white background allows the viewer to feel like they can be anywhere that they choose.
ReplyDeleteAs discussed by Palfrey, John and Urs Gasser in "Identities," the new uses of technology are altering our understanding of identity. Having the ability to distill ourselves down to an avatar gives us the potential to become whoever we want to be. Our online and offline selves don't ever have to meet, but their existence is becoming more and more linked in both the physical and digital worlds. Our ability to create an identity in an environment where nobody knows who we are allows us to experiment with multiple identities and experience them simultaneously. This is fleshed out in the song when they say "so many animations I can do, be anything you want me to be." The potential is unlimited, and the mockery is a direct poke at people who understand.
ReplyDeleteThis video is a perfect example of how the media industry is changing and just how important it is becoming to go viral if you want to create a following. Oddly enough, the show itself reflects its audience, hackers. The online networking it has used in order to become the hit it is today is was very smart. The show seems to be tongue in cheek making fun of the audience it is geared to but promoting them as well. The raw truth of the song with its catchy tune makes it funny and something people just cannot deny, I think the mix makes it something that everyone enjoys, whether to make fun of or to identify with. In this sense it identifies with many kinds of people.
ReplyDelete- Michelle Erwin
I'm guilty of trying to share this video to everybody I know and I also think that it can also be analyzed with collective intelligence. The lyrics although catchy offers information regarding online gaming. one could use this video to show some of basics about virtual gaming " pay a small subscription fee", " you'll never see my actual face, our love will be on virtual space" "on cyberspace is there is no disease" I mean its a bit of a stretch but its there and better than any other educational video we've seen from driver's ed.
ReplyDelete-Christian Ayala
This video is a bit of a mash up, in a sense. It is taking already established characters and putting them into a techno-pop music video. A big part that adds to the hilarity other than the lyrics is how it is bringing the characters out of context. The main character of Codex is a usually introverted person, by making her a video vixen in a sense, it shakes our expectations and makes it that much more funny. The song itself talks about identity and the anonymity of online gaming, but I mostly value it as a humorous video.
ReplyDelete-Jonathan Espinosa