238 Filling in the Blanks

Kingy is joined by special guest, Will Brooker to discuss the phenomena of "Filling in the Blanks" in gaming. Where the imagination takes over the experience suggested in the particular game.

This episode is based around the 8-bit era where the games were a lot more basic and the players own imagination took the game to a new level.

Will has submitted an academic paper on this very topic and discusses it in the show.

Twitter details

Follow us on @rgdspodcast

Follow Kingy on @uvtkingy

Follow Will on @willbrooker

 

Show notes:-

Details of Will's Spectrum documentary (as discussed in the episode)

I’m currently filming my first round of interviews with Spectrum gamers - people local to me who can fund their own travel to the university - and I’m going to apply for funding to cover the costs of more distant interviews.

In the meantime I’m inviting Spectrum gamers to mail me their video memories. Here’s what I’ve sent my respondents so far.

We can ask your listeners to send in their videos, and they can check details in the show notes.

 

 

The end goal for this project is a short film about Spectrum fans which will be screened at the Centre for Computing History as part of their 2020 Spectrum anniversary celebrations. It may also be screened and hosted elsewhere -- I'll keep you informed if that happens. I'll be gathering material over a long period, with the aim of having the film edited in 2020-2021. I should be able to show you clips before that.

 

I'm currently interviewing fans who live close to me, and then I will be applying for funding to cover the cost of interviewing more distant fans. I hope I may also be able to interview you face to face.

 

Meanwhile, if you are willing, I'd like you to submit your responses to some questions by video. The questions are at the bottom of this email.

 

This can be as simple as you like -- no problem with using a phone, though if you have other camera equipment, please feel free to use it. The videos will be compiled into my documentary film as a montage of responses, so a mixture of different styles and quality will be fine.

 

Feel free to film your responses to them separately or all at once. There is no right or wrong way of doing this -- just please make sure that I can hear you clearly with no background noise, that you're well-lit and in focus.

 

If you want to include your own Spectrum and original cassettes in the video, please do.

 

Once you've filmed your responses, please upload them to https://wetransfer.com/

and send them to me at drwillbrooker@gmail.com. (My gmail account has more room than my work one).

 

Or you can attach them directly to an email and send them to me at drwillbrooker@gmail.com.

 

Thanks very much for taking part, and if you have any questions, do let me know.

I'll very much appreciate all contributions.

Questions for Spectrum fans

1. Your name, your age now, and where you’re from.

2. What Spectrum did you first have, and when? How old were you?

3. What did the Spectrum mean to you?

4. What were your favourite games?

5. Please read podcaster Gordon King’s review of Avalon here.  He talks about how he was entirely drawn into the world, experiencing fear and shivering in the cold dungeon.

http://girnygamer.scottige.com/2017/04/13/avalon-the-greatest-game-of-all/

Did you feel immersed like this in any games? Please say as much as you want.

6. What do you remember about the role the Spectrum played in your friendships and family relationships? (For instance, swapping games with friends, two-player mode with a brother or sister; your parents buying you games for Christmas; taking the Spectrum to a grandma’s house or on holiday...?) Say as much as you want.

7. Can you still experience the magic and wonder of the Spectrum in the 80s, or is it something of a specific time, which has now been lost?

Please feel free to send any photos of yourself from the time, and/or you at the Spectrum, your bedroom, Spectrum games from the time – or, even better, video from the time that you are happy for me to use.