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Beyond the Comics:
Forum Structure (Penny Arcade)
(VG Cats mixes gaming with current events)
This section will focus on the structure of communal bulletin boards in a web comic community (in this case, Penny Arcade). It will strive to portray the many ways in which users are active in such communities.
Forum Sections:
Penny Arcade's Forum is divided into 5 major areas: Forum Administration, On-Topic Forums, Chat Forums, Forum Communities, and Archives. The top section of the on topic forums is Games and Technology. This is congruent with the overreaching gaming theme in the comic. Stickies in this section include Ventrilo and MMORPG threads. These act as signs of encouragement for users to interact on mediums outside merely the forum, ushering them into the forum communities (which include World of Warcraft, other MMOs, and PAX). Topics in Gaming include generally long threads based on many major recent games. Other topics include technological tidbits and a few tutorials ( i.e. How to set up a wifi network, etc).
The next section is Debate and Discourse, which is shown to be one of the most popular by results in probing the forum. It includes threads on more serious subjects ranging from Iraq to the integrity of pornography from a feminist standpoint. Post are often (though not always) significantly longer, and presented in inquisitive tone ("does anyone else think?" etc). As such, this section gives users a chance to define themselves outside of pop culture and social antics. Users can voice their political and social views, thus forging a more complex relationship with the community. Occasionally, however, pop culture references work their way into the section ( i.e. a user posting a cartoon to illustrate their point, or simply be funny).
The next section is Artist's Corner. Here, users are encouraged to post their own artwork (and discouraged from posting anyone else's). This work then receives critiques ranging from the simple YouTube one liners we all know and love (and by love I mean hate) and long constructive (or occasionally cruel) lists of things users feel could improve the poster's work. Surprisingly the majority of the work does not involve producing comics. Rather, users post sketches, paintings, etc. most of which are original or occasionally inspired by other artists or styles ( i.e. manga or film). This section highlights a more direct form of production than that identified in probing the forum. Users are sharing their own artwork for enjoyment and the sake of improvement outside of the commercial realm. The community is enhancing production, free of charge.
Other sections in On-Topic generally fall into straightforward categories, including discussion and posting of professionally created comics (Marvel and DC, etc) and tabletop games (Warhammer, etc). There is a smaller section for user produced and popular literature. Generally threads regarding user posted short stories have far fewer replies than those in the Artist's Corner. However, a few threads about popular literature have garnered multiple pages.
It seems as though the community gains a new persona in the Chat Forums (the plurality is misleading, it contains one section called "Social Entropy++"). The tone becomes de-structured and loses even the slightest semblance of formality and the topics wide open. Users interact largely for the sake of humor and enjoyment, occasionally letting some relevancy slip in here and there. Discussions range from the internet to prom dates to bartending to Linux and back again. Here, the community is at once at its most vocal and chaotic, painting a picture of hundreds of people kicking back and enjoying a lounge. As such, it’s difficult to make any truly specific analytical statements. Though one can say that this casual environment says something about where technology oriented humor has the capacity to come from: a massive group of people anonymously posting to one and other with just enough structure to not be destroyed by their own egos.
The final portion of the forum we will examine is Forum Communities. The two most popular sections within are World of Warcraft and PAX (The Penny Arcade Expo!). World of Warcraft is a popular MMORPG produced by Blizzard entertainment. Within this section of the forum, fans of Penny Arcade are encouraged to discuss their shared experience with the game and, of course, play together. It shows a desire by both the forum's creators and members of the community to expand into different mediums of interaction. A forum is static communication via posts (like email). RPG Gaming means real time chat and a more lifelike representation of self on screen (a player's character). Users can now get a better sense of one and other by participating in this new mode of shared experience.
PAX is a massive, live action convention put on by Penny Arcade every year. Members of the community travel to a location to participate in a list of scheduled events, mostly revolving around video games, and basically have a lot of fun. The forum itself contains threads figuring out carpools, hotel rooms, and more. The convention is a step beyond WoW in terms of allowing the community to interact on an expansive level. People actually get to meet, speak to, and interact with each other in person. They learn who the face behind the avatar is and celebrate their shared interest in all things Penny Arcade and more. This signifies use of the internet as a tool for finding a community full of people who appreciate things in the same way the user does. It is, in a sense, a celebration of common culture.
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