Topics

Discuss the spectrum of realism in the media's portrayal of those in the world of computers, such as hackers or security experts in Mr. Robot, visionaries and coders in Halt and Catch Fire, all the way back to films such as Tron or War Games. Is accuracy as important as story, or even more desired in the past ten years? Perhaps speculate on how these shows impact people's views of computers and how important they are to society.

In High School Musical, the villain often identified is Sharpay Evans, but is she really the villain? We come to see her as the villain because she is constantly trying to win her place in the school's musical by ruining Troy and Gabriella's chances. But there are many things we don't think about till later on such as: Sharpay's dedication to her schools drama club, the unfairness of Troy and Gabriella's call-back when they didn't technically audition, and even the fact that the story is told from the point of view of the more popular characters. Sharpay fromt he beginning of the story was considered alike to a "mountain lion", something that can be cute but you definitely wouldn't pet. So, is she a villain?

Social networking platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have changed the way society and individuals view their self worth as the amount of likes and comments we receive on our posts can feel like validation some individuals don't receive in real life.
Do we agree that these platforms are changing the way we as a society as a whole and individually see ourselves and others?

Are the causes linked to 'social media celebrities' and 'influencers' online?

It seems to be a somewhat awkward time for the single-player experience in AAA games. Recently EA recently shutting down Visceral Games and "pivoting" the design of their planned Star Wars game to something seemingly more multiplayer. At the same time, smaller games on platforms such as Steam and Itch.io are, more often than not, single-player. Are games of this scale filling a gap that is becoming increasingly difficult to financially justify in the AAA space, or are games such as last year's Doom or this year's Legend of Zelda indicators that there's still a place long-term for more focused experiences?

Anime as a genre and a community has far outclassed those of any other form of cartoon media. What is it about the Japanese shows, which vary through all sorts of story genres and artstyles, that come together to create such an appealing platform for all ages? Why is it as popular as it is?

Analyze the key factors that enabled The Witcher, a fantasy novel written by a Polish author, to become a hit video game that is clearly the work of great art, talent, and money. Why did the Witcher become a video game and not a movie? What about the story makes it intriguing enough to become a game?

I would love to see someone analyse how the concept of the "chill girl", the girl who fits in with "the boys", who doesn't show extreme emotions and has sex without getting feelings, is constructed, perpetuated and idolised in modern romantic comedies.

After recently watching Mad Max Fury Road for the first time (I know, I'm late!) I was astonished and kind of amazed by the movie's representation and empowerment of it's female characters. The primary cast is made up of heavily pregnant slave brides escaping from their tyrannical homicidal maniac warlord of a "husband" as Mad Max and the excellently-done female character: Furiosa. Watching all the intense action scenes where the pregnant women actually play a huge role in helping fight off the antagonists was really something new, and showed how the femininity of these women empowered them in this cruel desolate world. Their bodies belonged to them, and a huge reason for their desire to escape is to protect their unborn children from the abusive husband who treats wives and children like slaves and possessions. This inherently feminine anti-patriarchal rebellion is honestly the last thing I expected from the Mad Max series – which usually features a lot of exploding cars. That said, there were still a fair few exploding cars…

So what does everyone else think? Does Mad Max successfully empower it's female characters through these horrible situations, or is it perhaps wrong of the movie to even put these girls in these dangerous and horrible life situations?

I feel like there's a reasonable argument for either side, honestly.

I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, and I thought that her positive disposition towards writing admirable. While it is obviously fluffy, and Gilbert's magnum opus is the fluff piece Eat, Pray, Love, I just wanted to read something on writing and mental health state of writers (e.g. Edgar Allan Poe=seminal Gothic author=also alcoholic, incredibly erratic life, Ernest Hemingway=PTSD sufferer, alcoholic, etc.= recognized for writing style… etc., Virginia Woolf = well known modernist authors = depression and suicide). Do you think the tragic plot of the author's life made them more famous? Did the torture of the soul make for beautiful writing? This can be too big, so feel free to trim this down. It can also extend to other artistic medium (think Van Gogh= cut off his ear… )

Is there fine line where spiritual beliefs and the observable natural world can meet? Both are part of humanity and helps shape the world. There is an effect and many do not agree to have both combined or integrated. Religion may be in peoples blood and culture, based on the life that is build upon. It helps find meaning that people are not just organisms that evolve from an insect or a grain of sand. The science part of it brings the engineers of the physical world. Science helps people to learn about the world. Discovering that which can be observed and also build peoples lives by learning about every degree and inch of the universe. A higher power may have fine tuned the universe for human being to live here. After readings and studying there are scientists like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawkins, Nicola Copernicus that after they reach the limit of their studies, they believe of a higher intelligent mind. At a religious belief some say it is within people, God. Research shows that humans naturally want to know everything, that's is why people question the world. There is a fine line where most people question a higher power. The world is a beautiful place and people are part of it. The belief of a greater power keeps many people grounded. Many scientists wish to fly within the clouds searching for something that is staring right back. Others are humble even within their intelligent minds to believe that someone or something is guiding the world. This is an important topic that sustains a mind to go within the parameters of people's existence. The universe is an amazing puzzle and people are the chess of the world.

Dungeons and Dragons has been a long established franchise that has experienced noticeable rise and falls of popularity structured around changing cultural interests. With the mainstream appeal of fantasy films and "soft fantasy" programming on television there has been a slow interest arising around the old RPG paper and pen games. However, it was not until the occurrence of the show 'Critical Role' by Geek & Sundry, as streamed by Twitch, that a noticeable and traceable resurgence has occurred. The popularity of a show about watching voice actors play DnD live has lead to a release of new manuals, gaming equipment and surge of fan material. Is this the start of the mainstreaming of DnD?

Frida Kahlo and many other female artists in history have been overshadowed by men- often men close to them that could easily socially overpower them. During her life, Kahlo was the lesser known artist between her and her husband- Diego Rivera far overshadowed her until after her death, and during her life she only had one solo exhibition of her work in her home country. Who are some of the female figures in the arts, specifically visual arts but also literature and other mediums, who have been made to stand in others' shadows? Could be an interesting topic to help bring awareness to lesser-known female artists, or show a different perspective for artists that are now well known after their deaths.

Who are some fictional detectives from literature, television, or cinema who don't get enough attention and adaptations? Why do they deserve more recognition? This obviously excludes Sherlock Holmes and Sam Spade.

I wrote an Artifice article called "Can You Really Fall in Love with a Fictional Character?" (That's not shameless self-promotion, that's context for this topic). I got a comment about what the topic looks like in the context of fan fiction.

Based on comments I’ve seen, many people express their love for a fictional character by writing “self-insert” fan fiction in which they have a relationship with that character.
Fan fiction could also be used to express agape, non-personal interest in the well-being of the character. A fan can rewrite the ending of a story so it is happier for a particular character. This is often called “fix-it” fiction.

I'm not sure if there is enough subject matter here for a full article, but then again, I am not enough of a subject matter expert on fan fiction to write it myself. If you know more about fan fiction, perhaps you could flesh it out more?

Animation has always amazed me. Everything from the artist who created the objects to the story blows my mind. For this specific topic, I think it would be interesting to examine how the absence of human actors changes the way a story or theme is perceived. For example, Zootopia is told from the point of view of animated animals. Yet, the film discusses heavy themes of preconceived judgment against specific groups. Most animated films are geared towards children. Why is this? What about those that are meant for adults?
How does animation affect a film's narrative?

We've been hearing a lot of the end of the angry male protagonist in modern-day television. Breaking Bad and Mad Men are over, plus other TV shows with those similar main character tropes. What does this say about masculinity? Are we seeing more diverse male characters? Does this allow for better representation of what a man is?

For every The Office, Friends, and Scrubs, you will find a Cavemen, Dads, or Clerks (not the movie, the TV spinoff). This is not to be divisive to those who who enjoyed the latter shows. These shows were rejected by both audiences and critics. Community was loved by critics but ignored my most audiences. The Big Bang Theory has had a strong audience for years but is critically reviled. How do you find the sweet spot that is technically good, and fan-pleasing enough to keep you from getting cancelled?

Parents, well some of them, read to their children nightly as they were growing up. The inspiration each of those parents had was probably the same: To instill in their children a desire to read but, more important, a desire to succeed in life. Did those parents know, in advance, what they want to read, or do they just develop. what to read along the along the way? Maybe there are no specific books that transcend a parental era or generation, all that matters is anything that holds a child’s imagination. Parents simply want to see their children attentive and that motivates them to look forward to that next night of reading.

Coraline, IT, Stranger Things, Pan's Labyrinth, The Babadook…the Gothic and horror genres appear to have a fascination with children. Does it stem from our primal instinct to protect our offspring from threat? Does it illustrate how our childish fears never really leave us? Also, are these texts really geared towards children, or to the adults watching with their children? Or both? So many questions with some possibly fascinating answers.

With the recent release of The Shape of Water, we have been reminded of our love of monsters. But when it comes to them, they are so often male. While female monsters exist, they tend to be either human-coded (think recent vampires) or sexy (think mermaids). But where are the truly terrifying females? The closest I can personally come up with is the Other Mother from Coraline. You may explore the significance of what a female monster would bring to the table.