Community Update

I wanted to take this time to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone - not just our patrons - but everyone following along. Making this project has been a ton of fun and has brought up old nostalgic emotions that I haven't felt in almost a decade. It's been surreal to revisit this world again and exciting to finally bring it to a conclusion. I've always been interested in telling stories through transmedia narratives and I hope that the upcoming decisions the playerbase will have to make between the two worlds will be exciting. As you might have been able to deduce by the past four weekends, Saturday's around 6pm EST are typically when new content is posted.  

Viewer Agency

My original vision with BEN Drowned in 2010 was to try to have the reader themselves be as much of a character in the story as the actual written characters - especially in the ARG portion - but with hundreds of thousands of active participants a common complaint I kept hearing was that viewers felt more like passive observers than actual players with agency. It was a challenge to choose which video responses would be accepted, which user submissions would progress the story, and issues arose in chat room discussions that became so massive that it would just amount to spam, etc.

It has been fascinating to compare and contrast this almost ten years later with the new (and returning) playerbase, and my hope is that it has created a stronger community. In a lot of ways the smaller scale has been a blessing this time around and gives more agency to the players. I believe it adds a more personal investment to the story and hopefully that results in players feeling as though they have a little more say in the story's direction. Seeing old faces return from 2010 and reunite means there's a little bit more comradery and seeing discussions take place in the discord means debates are a little more organized. It is my hope that this smaller scale allows for more coherent community discussion, debate, and overall enjoyment. We're trying out a few different things to help facilitate discussion so that everyone has a voice - one such example is presenting a story choice but withholding the actual decision making process on it for at least 24 hours to allow time for all sides to be heard.

Creating The Community

The wonderful byproduct of this is that even though the world outside is filled with uncertainty, I'm glad we've been able to create a fun community with a story that helps give entertainment to so many people. I personally love watching people in the discord or reading the subreddit - looking at all of the theorycrafting going on and friendships being made. The memes are incredible (especially the JoJo ones and the cheesy top 10 youtube compilations are among my favorite) and I've even seen some cool gaming friendships being made. As always, the discord and subreddit are works in progress and if you need to reach me for any moderation concerns please do not hesitate to DM me on Twitter 

Patreon Engagement

It is also important to say that even though this may be antithetical to raising money on Patreon - in these turbulent times please do not pledge more than you are comfortably able to. Pledging is optional - this has and always will be a tip jar if you've enjoyed the original BEN Drowned story or if you're having fun following along with the Awakening finale.  There are a lot of uncertainties in the world right now, and I'm grateful that we are able to provide a fun and engaging distraction, but I don't want anyone feeling like they have to go hungry to see this through. The amount of money we raise here helps recruit additional talent and expand the scope of the project, but is ultimately not necessary for its completion. The story will still be completed even if this Patreon doesn't raise a single cent more. Pledges made here go to support the content creator and show appreciation for the entertainment, and for that I am deeply, deeply humbled and grateful for each and every one of you. I am so, so thankful for any amount that you choose to give - not only does it help the story but like many of you income stability is most certainly not the name of the game right now during this lockdown. 

We are working on additional benefits to throw your way, including a fun behind-the-scenes video that will be available to everyone once this is all said and done.

And something... extra... planned for next April. 

Until next time,

Alex

Thank you to:

Alex, Alex A., Amy C., Arhena R., Ben P., Carnel G. -THE- CircleHunter, Daniel S., Dexter W., Ena, Eric P., Evan L., Evan S., Fran M., Gavin, ith me bin, James B., Jerry M., Joebotnik, Julie M., Kara D., Keyla, Koli X., Lizard L., Luna B., Neil F., Nick S., Nikki H., Rhys, RocketDogShawn, Ryan G., Shylenced, Smilecat98, Starryscreams,  Stryder, supermariozelda, Sydney, Tara B., Taykenbystorm, Throfax13, Tikibuns, Vivianne V., Vizmo Films, YTSatrun