Oh no! We've been transported into a world _inside the computer_ where we need to defeat big bads with the help of our monster pals! That's right, we're in China talking about the world's most popular massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft! Why _is_ it so popular after more than a decade? Next week, we're gonna get _wicket_ on you as we travel to India to talk about fans of the oft misunderstood sport, _cricket_! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Origins:** World of Warcraft is a popular MMORPG created by Blizzard Entertainment and set in the already existing _Warcraft_ universe. It was released in 2004, and the player takes on the role of a member of either the Horde, or the Alliance as one of the many multitudes of races and classes. In China, it is known as "World of Magic Beasts". **Most Active:** Interest in [World of Warcraft has been on the decline](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F021dvx,Aion), with the most interest taking place between November 2004 and September 2011 with a peak between January 2007 and January 2009. **Size of Fandom:** As of 2014, according [to an article in Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/28/100-000-000-world-of-warcraft-accounts-infographic/), there were over 100 million World of Warcraft accounts. However, a more accurate number might the number of active subscriptions: [a peak of 12 million in October of 2010, and 5.5 million in October 2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft). The subreddit, [r/wow](https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/) has over 400 000 subscribers. **Around the world:** World of Warcraft is popular in many different parts of the world. Below are some rough estimates of number of players from different parts of the world: > 1. China, Asian Realms: 3.2 million players > 2. United States and Canada, North American Realms: 3.0 million players > 3. United Kingdom, European Realms: 1.0 million players > 4. ...
The Nicks dive deep into personal nostalgia (that's good), the divide between fans (that's bad), the different shows that the Simpsons has been (that's good), and more for this long running (that's bad) media franchise! Can I go now? ## Episode Outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > The Simpsons is a long running animated TV show, spanning 27 seasons over as many years, and counting (As of Dec 2016). It revolves around the lives of a supposedly average American middle class household; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. > > Over the years, The Simpsons' cast grew from the original five family members into over a hundred unique characters, along with numerous cameos. > — [Fanlore - The Simpsons](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Simpsons) Created by Matt Groening, _The Simpsons_ debuted as a series of shorts on the _Tracy Ullman Show_ in 1987 and since then has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon spanning hundreds of episodes and many comics, video games, and so much more. It is the longest running TV show in history and airs in over 180 countries. "The series is a satirical depiction of working-class life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture and society, television, and the human condition" (Wikipedia). **Search Data:** Using Google Trends data, there is about as much search data available as there is missing, since it starts back in 2004. That being said, search interest in the show [has been on a slow decline](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F07c72) since approximately May 2010 (despite being relatively stable from 2004 - 2010). The show has had a particular spike in interest in July 2007 (_The Simpsons_ movie), ...
Oh no! We've been transported to another world where podcasters fight in some sort of Battle Royale (and also Z has been turned into a washing machine)?! This week, we're talking about the fascinating fandom that is Light Novel fans, with special guest, [Justus R. Stone](justusrstone.com)! Next week, we'll be going to another other world... in ... space? Talking about... Galaga?! ## Where can I learn more about Justus R. Stone? [Justus R. Stone](justusrstone.com) is the author of the apocalyptic fiction series, The Bleeding Worlds, and has a podcast ([Light Novel Podcast](lightnovelpodcast.com)) and [YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/justusrstone) dedicated to light novels. You can also find him on Twitter ([@justusrstone](http://twitter.com/justusrstone)), Instagram ([@justusrstone](http://instagram.com/justusrstone)) and Facebook (... [@justusrstone](http://facebook.com/justusrstone)). ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Light Novels are short (approximately 50 000 words), Japanese novels primarily targeted at high- and middle-school students which are often accompanied by manga- or anime-style illustrations. The "light" in the name actually comes from the lack of hard-to-read kanji (ideographic characters in Japanese). Light novels are sort of the evolution of pulp novels and magazines in Japan: Somewhere in the 1970s, many pulp magazines had started to move away from classic-style covers towards more anime and manga style covers and including illustrations at the beginning of stories. In the 1980s, novels like _The Heroic Legend of Arslan_ and _Record of Lodoss War_ took a hold of audience, as did _Slayers_ and the _Boogiepop_ series in the 1990s (note that many of these were turned into anime). Interest in light novels really took off in the mid-2000s with the success of the _Haruhi Suzumiya_ series. **Search Data:** By Google Trends search volume, [Light Novels have become much, much more popular since 2004](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F06b_0_) and are arguably the most popular ...
