Does Pinball really go back to the 1700s? Why the resurgence recently? And is it more about playing, collecting, or building? We've got special guest, Jessica, from the Pinball Podcast to help us out! ## Episode Outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Pinball is a type of arcade game, in which points are scored by a player manipulating one or more steel balls on a play field inside a glass-covered cabinet called a pinball table (or "pinball machine"). The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible. Many modern pinball machines include a story line where the player must complete certain objectives in a certain fashion to complete the story, usually earning high scores for different methods of completing the game. Points are earned when the ball strikes different targets on the play field. A drain is situated at the bottom of the play field, partially protected by player-controlled plastic bats called flippers. A game ends after all the balls fall into the drain a certain number of times. Secondary objectives are to maximize the time spent playing (by earning "extra balls" and keeping the ball in play as long as possible) and to earn bonus games (known as "replays"). > — [Wikipedia - Pinball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball) **Search Data:** Interest in Pinball has been [on the decline since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0gfk5), but has been stable since around 2015. However, since pinball has existed in some form since arguable the 1700s or 1800s... this isn't a lot of data to work with. The top ten countries for pinball, by search volume, are as follows: Hungary, France, Chile, Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands, Australia, Serbia, Germany, Uruguay (Canada is 13th, United States is 16th). ### [Last Episode's](https://fanthropological.com/vampirechronicles) Famous ...
How does such a small franchise maintain a strong fanbase almost thirty* years later? And just what is it about fuzzy pickles and odometers that reel people into the games in the first place? ## Episode Outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > The Mother series ... consists of three role-playing video games: the 1989 Mother for the Famicom, the 1994 Mother 2, known as EarthBound outside of Japan, for the Super NES, and the 2006 Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance. Written by Shigesato Itoi and published by Nintendo, and featuring game mechanics modeled on the Dragon Quest series, the Mother series is known for its sense of humor, originality, and parody. The player uses weapons and psychic powers to fight hostile, everyday objects, aliens and brainwashed people. Signature elements of the series include the lighthearted plots, the battle sequences with psychedelic backgrounds, and the "rolling HP meter": as player health ticks down like an odometer (damage doesn't instantly subtract HP), players can outrun the meter to heal before dying. While the franchise is popular in Japan, in the United States, it is best associated with the cult following behind EarthBound. > — [Wikipedia - EarthBound](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_(video_game_series)) **Names** Sometimes fandoms have a definitive name (e.g. "Whovians") other fandoms... struggle. Here are some of the names that [the community has come up with](https://earthboundcentral.com/2012/03/what-are-earthbound-fans/): - Starmen - Motherheads - Momma's Boys - Mother Lovers - EarthBounders - Boundies - Eagleandians **Search Data:** In a surprise twist, unlike most of the fandoms that we have covered on the show, [EarthBound fandom has been almost constant](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F01282w,%2Fm%2F01s7_9) (it's only decreased a little bit since 2004). The most notable spike in interest occured in October 2008, which likely coincides with the release of the unofficial English fan translation ...
The Nickscast, along with special guest friend, Alex Kennard (of Reality Bomb fame), discuss the _why_ of Doctor Who fans (aka Whovians). What is it that has kept the show on the air for over fifty years, and why did it stop? What draws in new fans? We 're going to invert the polarity and go all wibbly wobbly timey wimey to find out! Next week, we'll be talking about Supernatural fans (aka SPNFamily). Stay tuned! Episode outline Fandom Facts Origins: British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963 Fandom Origins: Doctor Who fan club (Britain, 1960s), recognized by production later with Doctor Who Appreciation Society (Britain, May 1976) Names: Doctor Who fan, Whovian (older term, less common) Most Active: Unclear, but probably during the era of "New" Doctor Who (2005--present) Size of Fandom: 110 million viewers (From BroaDWcast, referencing a quote from the BBC) Fanfics: Over 73400 on fanfiction.net Over 53000 on Archive of our own (strictly Doctor Who & related fandoms) What did we discuss? The longevity of the show ~ Is the show for children, or adults? ~ Doctor who as an inconsistent show ~ The sheer possibility of Doctor Who storylines ~ Different types of stories within the show ~ How the show runners impact Doctor Who and the doctor ~ The non-TV Doctor Who universe ~ Curative vs transformative fandoms ~ How the doctor's regeneration impacts the story ~ A brief history of the show's hiatus ~ Tropes in Doctor Who ~ The positives and negatives of the Doctor Who Fan community ~ Christmas specials and England Are you in, or out? Z is in. > "Z, ...